By Chelsea Thomas.

At 17 years old, Ohio native Dwight Rhoden was playing the clarinet, flute and drums in his high school’s band. He had never taken a dance class and didn’t even know what the word “choreography” meant. He admits that while he was “good at social dancing” he was clueless to any real technique.

Rhoden even remembers the first time a friend suggested he take a dance class. “One day in high school I entered a dance contest at a local club. I didn’t have any formal training but I would just make up these elaborate steps and routines. My friend, who was actually a dancer, looked at me and said, ‘You know, you’re pretty good. Why don’t you take some real ballet and modern classes? See what you think. You really seem to love to dance.’” And as Rhoden explains, the rest is history.

Now the Co-Founding Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, a celebrated and internationally-touring company hitting its 20th anniversary next year, Rhoden has established a remarkable and wide-ranging career. After beginning dance training late at 18 years old, he went on to successfully perform with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Les Ballet Jazz De Montreal and as a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

As an accomplished dancer, Rhoden even appeared in numerous television specials, documentaries and commercials throughout the United States, Canada and Europe and was a featured performer on many PBS “Great Performances” specials.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet performs Rhoden’s ‘Mercy’. Photo by Sharen Bradford

Yet, Rhoden admits that those first few years as a young dancer were hard as many people thought it was impossible to begin training so late and make it as a professional. He recalls, “There were a lot of naysayers… even my family thought I had no chance. They told me not to get my heart set on it.”

However, that time of persistence, grit and determination only sharpened Rhoden. He would “eat, drink and sleep dance” and push himself harder. He says, “I never really thought about what I couldn’t do, only what I could. And I didn’t sit around listening to people tell me what I couldn’t do. I just didn’t set limits for myself, and I still don’t… That is why I am where I am now. It was 100 percent dedication and not looking back. I immersed myself in the art form.”

With that kind of perseverance, Rhoden blazed his career path to where he is now. Named “one of the most sought out choreographers of the day” by The New York Times, Rhoden has created works for numerous companies, including The Joffrey Ballet, Miami City Ballet, New York City Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Arizona Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Company, BalletMet, Dance Theater of Harlem, Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadanco, Marinsky Ballet (Kirov) and Washington Ballet, amongst many others. Rhoden has also directed and choreographed for TV, film, theater and live performances, including So You Think You Can Dance, E! Entertainment’s Tribute to Style and Cirque Du Soleil’s Zumanity. Plus, among many other famous entertainers, Rhoden has worked with high-profile artists such as Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Kelly Clarkson, Nina Simone, U2 and Patrick Swayze.

Yet even with the multitude of companies, dancers and performers he has worked with, Rhoden says his crowning joy is Complexions Contemporary Ballet.

Dancers of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Photos by Jae Man Joo.

“When Complexions came on the dance scene in 1994, I really feel like we changed the landscape of what contemporary ballet is. We were one of the first companies in both New York and the United States that was really trying to integrate on all levels,” says Rhoden.

The company got started almost by accident, Rhoden recalls. After leaving Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater with fellow company member Desmond Richardson, the two created a choreographic variety show that brought together a lot of their dance friends who were performing in assorted companies.

“For the initial project, we just wanted the dancers to come from all different aspects of dance. So we decided to call the project Complexions and get a theater… During the tech rehearsal Desmond and I sat down and watched what was happening on the stage and we looked at each other and said, ‘We’ve got to do something with this. This has to go beyond these performances.’ So right then and there Desmond and I decided to start a company. That was the beginning of the idea,” he remembers.

Nearly 20 years later, the company has become widely considered as “America’s Original Multicultural Dance Company” and is celebrated for its pioneering spirit. Rhoden says it feels a bit unbelievable to have come so far.

“I really feel nostalgic. I’m grateful that I’ve had the chance to have this opportunity with our company. It’s not an easy thing to start a company from scratch – it’s truly challenging. But I look back and there have been so many rewards along the way. I think I have learned so much.”

Dwight Rhoden working with Wendy Whelan and Desmond Richardson. Photo by Jae Man Joo.

And there truly is much to be proud of. In addition to helping to build a universal brand that continues to challenge traditional ideas, Rhoden has choreographed more than 80 original works for the company that have been presented on five continents and in over 20 countries – including the US, Canada, South America, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, The Baltic Region, Egypt, Israel and the Middle East.

As a choreographer, one of Rhoden biggest inspirations and passions is engaging and challenging dancers. He takes pride in being called “a dancer’s choreographer.”

“I am one of those choreographers who is 100 percent inspired by the dancers in front of me. I love taking the talents they already have and the talents they are discovering and building something for them to shine with,” he says.

Desmond Richardson says, “Dwight has trained so many amazing dancers and that’s his gift. In the industry many of the formidable dancers call him the ‘dancer’s choreographer’ because of the way he challenges your aesthetic, and because of his range. He can do anything from street dance to the classical. I don’t think there are many choreographers like him with his range. To work with Dwight is to let your passion flow, to be on edge, and to be educated in the unknown.” 

Rhoden is so passionate about working with dancers that he says: “If I was never able to choreograph another ballet, I would still want to work in the studios with the dancers.”

Complexions Contemporary Ballet presents Rhoden’s ‘The Curve’. Photo by Bill Hebert.

Still, Rhoden is looking to the future with new, big dreams. Even while taking the time to celebrate his career and recent 50th birthday, he is not slowing down. With many projects in the works he keeps plunging forward. One of his upcoming projects is creating his own full-length Rite of Spring.

“I’ve always wanted to tackle the Rite of Spring so for next season I will be working on a two-piano version for Complexions. It will be premiered in Seoul, South Korea as part of a festival with seven other companies from around the world, which are all doing different versions of Rite of Spring. I will really start working on it in late July and early August.”

Also for his company, Rhoden is going to premiere a new Stevie Wonder ballet next season, saying, “Everyone can connect with some Stevie Wonder song from sometime along his career.” Furthermore, he will continue to choreograph for SYTYCD and the North Carolina Dance Theatre (where he is resident choreographer), and be directing Richardson’s solo show, which will feature Richardson dancing with a few guest stars. “I think that will be very exciting. We are hoping that will kickoff by the top of 2014, at the latest,” he says.

Somewhat secretively, Rhoden also revealed that he is currently working on a “very exciting Broadway project.” It comes out of one of his previously choreographed ballets and is in the works to go to Broadway next year.

One goal Rhoden and Richardson have for this year is to find Complexions a permanent home. Rhoden said they are scouting locations in New York City and elsewhere. Ironically, the company has had offices but not an actual studio space to call their own.

“Our education programs are very strong components of what we do – with Summer Intensives in three cities now – NYC, Detroit and Dallas. The programs are extremely competitive to get into and we simply can’t do all that we want to because of the lack of our own space,” Rhoden explains.

Complexions dancers. Photo by James Houston

“We have our feelers out in various parts of the country and have made some inroads in a few places. We have been nomads for nearly 20 years without a space of our own [and] Desmond and I are hot and heavy on the pursuit to have a permanent space.”

He says that there seems to be desire for Complexions to offer dancers training in the style of the company year-round. For that reason he is excited about finding a home where the company and school can continue to evolve. Moreover, Rhoden mentioned that Richardson and he have developed their own contemporary ballet technique through Complexions that is actually in the process of being trademarked.

“It’s basically taken classical ballet and added the torso. It encourages the movement of the upper body and is a very physical and athletic way of training. It will prepare dancers for anything off center,” he says.

Overall, when dually reflecting back on his momentous career and his formidable future, Rhoden sees one trend – hard work and diligence. He says that while many dreams are outstanding – like perhaps working with American Ballet Theatre’s Misty Copeland, producing some film shorts, being an “on-camera host to talk about art, dance and the creative process,” amongst other possibilities – he knows that success  only comes if you refuse to give up.

“When I look back, I see that there was no guarantee that I could ever have a career as a dancer starting so late and having absolutely no training. There was certainly no guarantee that I would reach the level of some of the companies I danced with. I look at that and think of what a huge testament it is to hard work and diligence,” he says.

“It goes back to something I really believe – that if you have the passion for something that you really love and you stay true and focused to it, there is no way you will not be able to accomplish the things in your heart. That kind of belief and energy is powerful. “

For more information on Rhoden and his upcoming projects, visit www.dwightrhoden.com. For more information on Complexions Contemporary Ballet and its 2013-2014 season, visit www.complexionsdance.org.

Photo (top): Dwight Rhoden © Jae Man Joo Photography

Book Review

By Leah Gerstenlauer.

Since the psychological dance thriller Black Swan hit movie theaters in 2010, ballet has slipped into the entertainment mainstream more rapidly – and perhaps more successfully – than ever before. This summer, tween dance drama Bunheads and reality show Breaking Pointe placed the mysterious, magical world of ballet square in the laps of a viewing audience that had previously experienced only marginal dance-related fare in the form of the occasional fluffy B-list movie. Within the professional dance community, the common response to these surprisingly popular television series has teetered between wry mirth and inevitable disappointment at productions that may ultimately perpetuate prevailing public perceptions of ballet and ballet dancers.

So, what is the only mildly amused aficionado to do for relief from these less than satisfactory shows? Pick up a copy of Joffrey Ballet alumna Meg Howrey’s recently-released dancer-friendly novel The Cranes Dance, for a start. This engaging first-person ‘dramedy’ draws us into the tumultuous life of Kate Crane, a successful female ballet dancer at an unnamed top New York City company (use your imagination) as she wades through the murky waters of injury, addiction, rivalry, and a talent that seems destined to drag her ever closer to the precarious pinnacle of her profession.

The Cranes Dance author Meg Howrey. Photo courtesy of Travis Tanner

The meandering narrative of Howrey’s book, a series of deftly intertwined flashbacks, anecdotes, and present-day events, creates a nebulous time structure quite fitting for a story with a pill-popping protagonist who can’t seem to catch her bearings once she steps off the stage. In fact, Kate is such a crafty, disarming tale-teller that readers may not detect her addiction until it begins to surface in dialogue between her and her closest acquaintances. She distracts us and her fellow characters with her witty banter and her tendency to focus on other people’s problems in order to more easily avoid her own. And Kate has plenty of external issues to home in on, from her extraordinarily gifted sister’s apparent mental dissolution, to her best friend’s impending retirement from the company.

Yet, the most intriguing aspect of Howrey’s novel is not its plot. Indeed, more of the significant events of the story occur in Kate’s past than in her present. The genius of The Cranes Dance lies in its broad accessibility. Howrey writes in a way that leaves no one who is interested enough to pick up a novel by a dancer and about dancers out of the story-telling process. For all of her unique problems, Kate Crane possesses an all-inclusive charisma that invites just about everyone to enter her world. She provides enough explanation to draw in the minimally aware ballet fan without loading excessive technical details upon stage and studio-savvy dancers.

With a light and humorous touch, Howrey also manages to prevent a novel rife with serious subject matter and potentially cataclysmic circumstances from turning into a total tragedy. Kate prefers that we view her life as a comedy of errors, refusing to incur the pity of either her audience or the novel’s other characters. Too cynically realistic – or, perhaps, too well-versed in the conventionally crushing tropes of romantic and classical ballet – to deliver an idyllic ending, Howrey and her heroine ultimately leave us with a handful of loose ends. But those loose ends actually amount to a collection of beginnings, hopes, and possibilities more fulfilling than even the happiest “happily ever after.”

Originally published by DIY dancer
www.diydancer.com

By Laura Di Orio.

Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance is a film that tells the story of one of America’s top dance companies, The Joffrey Ballet.  The documentary includes interviews with some of the original company members, rehearsal and performance footage, and clips of Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, the two men who began it all. A project that originated in 2008, Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance has been shown in screenings in select theaters around the country since January 2012 and is available to purchase on DVD beginning in June 2012.

The documentary, directed by Bob Hercules, highlights the journey of The Joffrey Ballet from its beginning as a six-member traveling ensemble to a full-fledged establishment now based in Chicago, Illinois. As the title denotes, the film portrays the company as a maverick – the first American dance company to integrate modern dance into its classical ballet base, and one that was so connected to political and societal events of the time.

Gerald Arpino and Robert Joffrey at the American Ballet Center in the 1960s. Photo by Herbert Migdoll

Hercules says the idea for a documentary came about when he was asked to do oral history interviews with Arpino, whose health was fading, in 2008. After speaking with Arpino, Hercules realized there was a great story that could be told and approached producers about funding a film. For Hercules, The Joffrey’s tale was a classic story – one with several rises and falls – and the company’s contribution to the American dance world was pivotal.

“They had a profound effect on the world of dance in America,” Hercules says. “I think they were really the first American dance company that wasn’t quite as pulled in the Russian and European traditions as some of the other companies. They were also very eclectic in a way that other companies of the time maybe weren’t, and they didn’t seem to be so concerned with body type or racial makeup.”

Una Jackman, one of the film’s producers and the woman responsible for bringing The Joffrey to perform in Detroit for the past 12 years, also says that the strong bond between Joffrey and Arpino, who started the company when they were 16 and 22, respectively, makes The Joffrey’s story worth being told.

“Robert and Gerald started out as lovers, and then that ended, but their relationship, their deep friendship never ended,” Jackman says. “They stayed living together until Robert died in the 80s, and they had a commitment to having an American company that spoke about America and spoke about the times. They stayed with this company, 50 years of commitment, ups and downs, sometimes it wasn’t going to work, but they never stopped their commitment. So it’s about a relationship as well, as much as it’s about dance.”

Joffrey Ballet's 'Light Rain', choreographed by Gerald Arpino. Photo Herbert Migdoll

In Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance, Hercules wanted to be sure to include crucial works in The Joffrey’s repertoire, including Kurt Jooss’ The Green Table, Joffrey’s psychedelic rock ballet Astarte, Twyla Tharp’s Deuce Coupe, Leonide Massine’s Parade, and Arpino’s Light Rain and Trinity. Hercules uses rehearsal and performance footage, as well as interviews with some of the dancers who originated these pieces, to capture the story and importance of these works.

“The dancers themselves were so great when I interviewed them,” Hercules says. “They were fantastic storytellers, really engaging and very funny people. One thing people don’t expect is how much humor is in the film, and I just thought that was great. I think humor is important in life and in film, so I try to work in as much humor as I can.”

Jackman agrees. “When you watch a company perform, you see them dancing and it’s very beautiful, but there’s a back story,” she says. “I think learning about the dancers, learning about their human condition, was really rewarding, and getting to speak to them, to see how passionate they are. Many of them said, ‘If it wasn’t for Joffrey I don’t know what I’d be doing today. Joffrey saved my life. Gerry and Robert, they were my parents.’”

Both Hercules and Jackman believe that all viewers – dancers and non-dancers – can benefit from the film and from The Joffrey Ballet’s story.

Director Bob Hercules on the set of the Joffrey film. Photo courtesy of Media Process Group

“It’s simply a great story, which rises and falls, with tremendous tension and drama, humor, all the things you want in a great story, a great film, and that’s a great takeaway for people,” Hercules says. “For dance fans, I think they’ll gain a much deeper understanding of The Joffrey, of where they came from, what the context of the times were that they came out of, and how they evolved as a company, and also some of the revolutionary works that they did.”

Jackman says that the four-year process of creating Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance was indeed a labor of love and one that was very rewarding. “I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘I really loved that movie. I didn’t really know a lot about dance before that, but now I want to go to the ballet. Now I want to see more.’ That, to me, is the most rewarding,” she says. “That, to me, just makes it all worthwhile.”

Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance continues to tour around the country, and the DVD to be released this month will also contain a companion disc with even more stories from The Joffrey Ballet. For more information and to purchase the Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance DVD and other merchandise, visit www.joffreymovie.com.

After 26 years with BalletMet Columbus, and more than a decade as Artistic Director, Gerard Charles has announced he will become the Ballet Master of the renowned Joffrey Ballet in Chicago this July.

BalletMet’s Board of Trustees has accepted his resignation with deep regret, but with best wishes for him in his move to one of the world’s premier ballet companies.

“All of us at BalletMet greatly appreciate Gerard’s leadership, energy and creativity during his long tenure. Our community has benefited from his leadership in developing a diverse and balanced repertoire that includes classical masterpieces, like The Sleeping Beauty, cutting edge new works, like DanceTech and 30 X 30, and family favorites such as Alice in Wonderland and his brilliant version of The Nutcracker which has entertained audiences in Columbus and on tour.

“Gerard’s genius has been in both introducing internationally acclaimed choreographers to Columbus audiences, and introducing BalletMet to international audiences in New York, Moscow and other cities,” said BalletMet Board Chair Mary Duffey. “Gerard leaves the organization in a strong position, in terms of finances, audience reach and reputation. While we will sincerely miss him, BalletMet is exceptionally well-prepared to build on its foundation to move the company to the next level.”

Charles has been recognized for his pioneering collaborations with other organizations like Jazz Arts Group, Phoenix Theater, Shadowbox Live and The Ohio State University. He has received a National Endowment for the Arts Choreographic Fellowship and in 2011 was awarded the Columbus Arts Endowment Raymond J. Hanley Fellowship.

Charles will work with BalletMet to launch its exciting 2012-13 season, kicked off by the Global Dance Stars Gala on August 18, 2012.
“I am proud of all we have achieved together. Our board members, staff, volunteers and dancers have risen above the challenges, embraced our art, and nurtured BalletMet to be a vital organization that provides innovative and artistically successful dance experiences for our community,” said Charles. “The seeds that were sown at BalletMet allowed us to grow during my tenure. I now entrust this strong organization to a dedicated community to move it forwards,” said Charles who added, “I will miss BalletMet, but this new position offers me fresh experiences and the opportunity to focus on what I like most – working in the studio.”

BalletMet’s Board of Trustees has formed a search committee headed by Board Member and former Board Chair Susan Porter and Board Member and former Board Chair and Development Director Nancy Strause. The committee will launch an international search for a new artistic director, according to Duffey.

Cheri Mitchell will continue as Executive Director of BalletMet, a position she has held for 11 years.

BalletMet Columbus, renowned for its versatility and innovative repertory, ranks among the nation’s largest dance companies with 25 full time dancers, and its Dance Academy ranks among the five largest professional dance training centers. Since its inception in 1978, BalletMet has added 154 company premieres to its repertoire and produced 129 world premieres. It has also developed DanceReach, a series of educational and outreach programs that serve nearly 30,000 people annually; and awards up to 70 scholarships each year to promising young dancers at its Academy.

By Laura Di Orio.

George Balanchine said, “See the music, hear the dance.” The choreographer, like many dancers, found inspiration for movement within music. To be able to move one’s body to music can be magical enough. And to be able to dance to live music is, for many dancers, a dream.

Here, Dance Informa speaks with professional dancers who enjoy the privilege of performing to live music. The Australian Ballet’s Brooke Lockett, Miami City Ballet’s Rebecca King and Joffrey Ballet’s Fabrice Calmels share their expertise and the joy of making the music come alive.

Brooke Lockett, dancer with The Australian Ballet, backstage during a performance of Sugar Plum. Photo courtesy of Brooke Lockett

Do you prefer dancing to live or pre-recorded music?

Brooke Lockett, Coryphee with The Australian Ballet
The positive to recorded music is you get an inner rhythm and timing, and the work becomes very consistent, and in some cases, almost predictable. You can never assume anything when it’s to live music. The tempo can be faster or it can slow down parts you prefer faster, but all issues aside, nothing gives me goose bumps more than the sound of a sublime live orchestra playing Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. The curtain goes up and the music floods onto the stage from the pit. It goes through your bones and brings everything you have been rehearsing to life.

Fabrice Calmels, Principal Artist at the Joffrey Ballet
(View Fabrice’s website here)
For me, it is preferable to dance to live music, but there are actually times when I find pre-recorded scores a safe alternative, like in a very difficult performance on tour.

For you, what is the biggest challenge of dancing to live music?

Rebecca King, Corps de Ballet dancer with Miami City Ballet
The music’s tempo can be a challenge. Even though the conductor knows exactly what the dancers need, the speed can still vary from performance to performance. It is our job to be completely in tune with the orchestra because you never know what is going to happen. Because the musicians, like us, are susceptible to human error, sometimes the music can sound different, which can catch the dancers off guard. This is the beauty of live theater – you never know what you are going to get.

For you, what is the greatest reward of dancing to live music?

Brooke Lockett
When a ballet is extremely difficult or you are quite nervous about a role, music is an incredibly powerful escape that has the ability to take you away to another place on stage. Without it, I don’t know that my profession would be as powerful or as rewarding.

Fabrice Calmels, principal artist with the Joffrey Ballet, in Jessica Lang's 'Crossed'. Photo by Herbert Migdoll

Fabrice Calmels
Here’s what is going on with live music: You have a full orchestra with different instruments working together as a team, following a score and led by a conductor, who, in turn, is watching and observing every move from us, the dancers. With the conductor’s expertise, he is able to match the choreography with the music and create the flow. For me, it is communication at its best.

How does dancing to live music compare to dancing to recorded music?

Fabrice Calmels
The beauty of live music is the clarity of the sound, and performing at Chicago’s Auditorium Theater, we have one of the best engineered houses in the world. It was built for live music, and its acoustics are incredible. Live music is simply rich. There is something about the quality of instantly created sound and vibration that is priceless. Recorded music has so many factors that come into play, such as how well the track may be recorded, the quality of the player or speakers, static, or speakers that sometimes do not separate well the low-bass from the mid-bass.

Brooke Lockett
The sound is the biggest comparison. It’s like when I see a live music concert, and no matter how loud I play the CD after the show I can never recreate that same feeling or volume. You hear so many more elements and instruments when it’s live.

Rebecca King, dancer with Miami City Ballet. Photo by Susan Stocker, Sun Sentinel

For a piece that you will eventually perform to live music, what is the process of incorporating the musicians or conductor into the rehearsals?

Rebecca King
Our conductor, Gary Sheldon, spends a lot of time with us in the studio during rehearsals. He not only comes in the week before we take a program to the theater, but he also tries to be around when the choreographer or repetiteur is in town working with us. He has told me that he finds it very important to familiarize himself with our works as much as possible. This makes it easier for him to know when certain cues are coming up, or what tempos different dancers are comfortable with.

Do you usually try to build some kind of rapport with the conductor and musicians?

Brooke Lockett
Absolutely. Sometimes you are feeling a little flat or have an injury, and it’s important for them to know those things. And for those shows when you are on fire and loving it, you can really bounce off one another.

Rebecca King
I think all the dancers at Miami City Ballet have a great rapport with our conductor. He always makes an effort to say hello in the hallways, wish you “merde”, or good luck, before a show, and commend you on your performance after the curtain comes in. You can tell he really makes an effort to know the dancers, which we really appreciate. We don’t have a lot of interaction with the musicians, but we do always make an effort to thank them when we see them leaving the pit. Without them, their talent and extraordinary effort, we would not be able to do what we do.

What’s been a memorable moment of performing to live music?

Fabrice Calmels
The beginning of Lar Lubovitch’s production of Othello starts with a very powerful overture by the orchestra. This leads to the first dance, “The Prayer”, when Othello rises from a kneeling position for a stunning solo done only by creating circular movement with his arm. In every rehearsal and performance, I become Othello in that moment, located near the first panel of the stage, waiting for the main curtain to go up. I am already kneeling with both hands gathered as a prayer resting against my forehead. The orchestra is playing the score, the drums become explosive and so powerful that I feel my hand bouncing up and down from the vibration they create from underneath me. It completely gets in me, my heart begins to beat like a drum. It’s an experience unlike any other.

Brooke Lockett
We had a guest conductor for a season of Swan Lake once and we had all been talking about how slow it was, and in our final Act II entrance as a Cygnet it was like we were doing Willies from Giselle, it was so slow. We had the giggles for the entire entrance and had to quickly pull ourselves together.

Rebecca King
My first year in the company, we were performing Balanchine’s Symphony in 3 Movements, with a score by Stravinsky. Ask any dancer and he/she will tell you that the complexity of Stravinsky’s music has no doubt kept them up at night. Trying to memorize every note and count is no small feat. During a section of the first movement, the three principal couples were on stage, and there was a brief pause followed by a change in the music. Something was missing. The dancers suddenly realized that the instrument that was, at that moment, in charge of keeping the beat was nowhere to be found. They started counting aloud to each other to keep themselves in sync. Thankfully, this confusion only lasted a few bars before another change in the music arrived. We found out later that the musician playing the instrument in question had fallen asleep in the pit!

Top photo: Fabrice Calmels, principal artist with the Joffrey Ballet, in Edwaard Liang’s Age of Innocence. Photo by Herbert Migdoll.

Published by Dance Informa digital dance magazine – dance news, dance auditions & dance events for the professional dancer, dance teacher and dance students.

 By Rebecca Martin.

As if things weren’t hard enough for performers in the US already, with short contracts, job cuts, and a tough economy, Joffrey Ballet dancers were engaged in a war with American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) over contract negotiations during July.  The company was told by letter “All dancers and other AGMA-represented employees must immediately remove their personal possessions from the Joffrey tower.  Please turn in your key passes”, effectively locking out the company.  Shortly after the letter was sent out, Joffrey Ballet’s website removed listings of the company’s dancers and the first part of the 2011-2012 season was cancelled.

The letter also stated “Without any agreement with your Union, we simply cannot consider going forward with our season under the cloud of a lingering threat that, at any time, they could shut it down with a strike”.  The Joffrey Ballet was seeking an increase of rehearsal time from five to six hours a day, raising the work week from 25 to 30 hours with a subsequent pay increase to bring the company in line with all other major dance companies.  A 30-hour rehearsal week is the minimum amount that most professional companies offer, and the current 25-hour week hinders the Joffrey in attracting choreographers and dancers. Negotiations between the company and AGMA commenced after the Joffrey’s three-year contract with the Guild expired at the start of July.  AGMA stated that the proposed pay increase of 3 percent a year for five years was not commensurate with the extra hours. That amount is actually less than what dancers were receiving under the previous contract which included a 5 percent a year salary increase.  The Joffrey Ballet already has higher wages than many other AGMA companies, and its motivation for the weekly work increase “is to attract world-class choreographers for the dancers and audiences”, according to Christopher Clinton Conway, Joffrey Ballet’s Executive Director.

However, AGMA National Executive Director Alan S. Gordon suggested the Joffrey Ballet’s lockout was a bluff created in order to garner media attention and leverage against AGMA.  The reality is, Joffrey Ballet was forced to take the drastic measure of enforcing a lockout and performance cancellation in order to protect the company’s dancers and ensure the longevity of the company.  Conway said that AGMA were simply refusing to return calls and arrange dates to discuss negotiations and this wasn’t a case of dancers or the company making outrageous demands that were not being met by the Guild. 

We are seeing a plethora of lockouts nationwide amongst government employees, teachers, and professional sports leagues due to salary disputes and working conditions.  Certainly, times are tough in many respects, but by enforcing a lockout, the Joffrey Ballet sought to protect its dancers and demand better conditions.  It was a move that paid off.  Late July, AGMA and Joffrey Ballet reached an agreement on a new five year contract for its dancers with a minimum 10 percent pay rise over the length of the contract, with a gradual phasing in of 30 hour rehearsal weeks, while keeping the dancers’ family health insurance rates. 

All 2011-2012 season shows will go ahead as scheduled and the dancers have return to rehearsals as planned.