Looking to the Future- 2 BIG STEPS
July 28, 2008
CBT makes additions to its dance programs
Although performing arts activities usually slow down in the summer, the Charleston Ballet Theatre has made two major additions to its dance programs. Patricia Cantwell, co-artistic director of the CBT, has announced the group will open a satellite dance school on James Island on Sept. 8.
“This is our chance to reach out to Charleston Ballet Theatre families who are unable to travel to our home studio in downtown Charleston,” says Cantwell, who is director of the school. “In this way, we can still provide CBT’s high standard of excellent dance education.” The school, which Cantwell says will feature a fully equipped studio for dance students of all ages and ability levels, will be in the James Island Shopping Center at Maybank Highway and Folly Road.
Cantwell says the school will offer a variety of classes, including ballet, tap, jazz and Broadway-style dance. Master classes with the Charleston Ballet Theatre company artists will be taught throughout the school year for intermediate and advanced students.
Along with its home studio at 477 King St., CBT also offers classes at 598 Belle Station in Mount Pleasant. On-site registration for the CBT school on James Island will be 4:30-7 p.m. To register by phone, call 720-8650.
In other news, the CBT has hired Paul Kaine, a nationally recognized art administrator, as a consultant/interim executive director. Kaine will assume his new position Sept. 15. CBT resident choreographer Jill Eathorne Bahr says, “The extensive six-month search to find Paul was well worth the wait. Though we had not previously met Paul, we had been very aware of his huge contributions to other ballet companies.”Cantwell adds, “Paul’s ideas for the future of Charleston Ballet Theatre are both unique and stimulating.”
A native of Seattle, Kaine gained experience working with Seattle theaters early on, especially in the field of lighting productions. From there, he went to New York, where he worked with a number of modern dance companies including those of Jose Limon, Twyla Tharp and the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Kaine has amassed 23 years of technical experience in the performing arts and in the planning and execution of tours and residencies of companies traveling throughout North America, Europe, the Far East and South America. He also has provided lighting design and production management services to numerous ballet companies.
He was executive director with Ballet Austin in Texas and worked with the Nashville Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet. He also served on the Tennessee Arts Commission Dance Advisory Panel and Texas Commission for the Arts Grants Advisory Panel, among other boards. Kaine says he wants to “grasp audience members at an early age” and is pleased that, “unlike many cities, Charleston supports the arts in an extraordinary way.”
All three levels of dancers enjoyed a great 4 weeks in Charleston.
The professional company picked 5 new apprentices, and four trainees.
Now it is off to Jacksonville for our 10th Anniversary Workshop . I will post from Florida. See you in cyberspace!
Are you an Arts Advocate, Atheist or Apathetic?
July 15, 2008
2008 Audience Advocate Survey
It is that time of year when the final reports are due on last year’s grants. All foundations, federal and state agencies love feedback. Please take a moment to rate your experience with Charleston Ballet Theatre. Take for example, Americans for the Arts they track House and Senate Arts bills on the floor, other issues of note impacting the arts community, such as funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Public Broadcasting is often the only source for arts programming in rural areas, and any reduction to its budget would drastically reduce the access that many Americans have to the arts There are now a plethora of resources online for citizens to arm themselves with in seeking information about the value of arts in society. Some of these resources can be dredged from the sites of big budget orgs. Other gems of information can be found on tiny sites edited by artists around the world. Information gives us the tools to give you the best product possible live performances. Last year at this time you picked the 20th Anniversary Ballet Selections – we produced as your favorites! Please copy and email it to me at cbtbahr@aol.com
1) What live performance have you recently attend?
2) Have you attended a CBT performance before?
No: ___
Yes, attended: ___
3) Would you return for another production?
4) How did you hear about our production?
Web Site ___
Radio ___
Post and Courier ___
Charleston City Paper ___
Charleston Arts Review ___
Piccolo Spoleto ___
From a friend, co-worker, or family member ___
Other: ___
5) How would you rate the overall production values?
Excellent ___
Very Good ___
Good ___
Poor ___
6) What shows would you like to see CBT produce?
7) Do you have any suggestions of groups or schools that would like to receive information on CBT and its programming? If so, please list:
Be one of the first to let The CBT know your thoughts about us! Please leave us with a quote with your comments, thoughts and feelings:
9.) If you came to Charleston during the Spoleto Festival and Piccolo Spoleto festival What was the primary reason you attended this year?. What factors that may have influenced your decision to attend Spoleto this year
Enjoy the arts/culture
Spoleto is great
Relative or friend
Love the performances/events
Diversity of programming
Chamber music
Music
Opera
10.) What other activities did you participate in while at the festival? Check all that apply
Aquarium ____
Forts ____
Harbor____
Carriage ___
Plantation ___
Beaches ___
Museums ___
Churches ___
Market ___
Walking ___
11.) Where did you shop while you were visiting Charleston?
Historic Market ___
King Street ___
Charleston Place ___
Large Malls ___
12.) Profile statistics
How old are you? ___
Are you a female ___ or a male ___
Where are you currently living? _____
How many people did you bring to the performance ___
Did you eat a meal out prior or after the performance ___
Please fill out the following information if you would like to be added to our mailing list:
Yes! Include me in CBT mailings!
Name: ______________________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________
(line 2): _____________________________________________________________
City: State: zip: ______________________________________________________
E-mail: ___________________________________________
It can even be hard for Misha to get up in the Morning
July 14, 2008
The Ritual of Ballet Class in the Morning.. (9 AM company class can sometimes be so grueling. ) as it seemed to be today.. I say—Be the lighting – don’t get struck by it !!! -
CBT is entering its last week of its 4 week Summer Intensive workshop. I mentioned to class today that “you are only as good as your worse day” . Remember to make the morning ritual of class mean something. It is the secret of the stars.. and every so often good to do without a mirrot or in pink tights!!!! So Sorry for those dancers who choose not to attend..
Artistic Self-Expression is High on the List
July 12, 2008
I fell upon the blog of Michael Fallon this morning. It’s juicy title “The Chronicle of Artistic Failure in America” as the title suggests, and to quote him - is a “look at how art is failing in this country—told from a number of different vantage points and examining various aspects of the phenomenon. Part journalism, part concentrated research, part memoir—it’s a series of blog-postings and articles that tell the tale of his own failure as an artist and what this failure has meant to him and to his life’s course. It is also a record the author’s odyssey to understand the struggles of myriad failing and failed artists across the communities of this country, as well as the failure of the entire structure that supports artists and arts viewing. Though this topic is potentially depressing, He is collecting and presenting the information for only the most hopeful of reasons: That we somehow, someday may collectively rise up and fulfill our national creative promise.”
I promise, I am going to take time to read his collection. Especially since receiving my most recent distressing email from Senator Jim DeMint of SC complete with so many factual errors- Any comments Mr. Fallon or from any of you would be much appreciated No Mr. Fallon you haven’t failed – maybe we can gain some momentum like the Internet Dancer. Lets push shall we? “For me , artistic self-expression is high on the list of things that would make life worth living Lets not read it and weep.!
Dear Ms. Bahr,
Thank you for contacting me to express your support for increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). I appreciate hearing from you. I have immense respect for the teachers, artists, and performers who inspire us to appreciate beautiful creations or try a different path or approach to problem solving.
However, I believe that funding for the arts and humanities is better handled by private organizations and individuals, not the federal government. The U.S. arts industry is alive and well, without the help of the NEA. While last year the NEA and NEH each received over $120 and $145 million, respectively, private donations to the arts and humanities top $13.5 billion a year. Ticket income for the performing arts rivals that of the professional sports and motion picture industries. As a nation and as individuals, the arts add to our lives and we support them.
For these reasons, I will continue to encourage private businesses, schools, and individuals to participate in, encourage, and financially support the arts in any way possible. However, I will not vote solely to increase funds for the NEA and NEH as I believe it is beyond the scope of Federal responsibility.
Thank you again for sharing your views with me. Please feel free to contact me in the future about any issue important to you or your family. It is an honor to serve you and the people of South Carolina.
United States Senator
So what do you think? … Well if you read below – this phenomenon is everywhere – one of my favorite posts of Mr. Fallon
It’s been awhile since we’ve looked at what’s going on–funding-wise–across these art-hating United States. Shall we have a quick look-see?
Florida – You’ll Have Your Budget Cut by 50-80 Percent, and You’ll Like It
This quote, by Rep. Carl Domino (R-Jupiter), pretty much says it all: “The bottom line is at least they weren’t zeroed out,” he said. “That shows continuing support for history and culture.”
In a May 6 story titled Florida Legislature OKs cuts to cultural affairs, historic resources, the Palm Beach Daily News reports, “State funding for culture and historic preservation will fall sharply under the belt-tightening budget approved Friday by the Legislature. The Division of Cultural Affairs, which administers grants to cultural organizations, will get nearly $6 million — down from last year’s $12.5 million — while funding for the Division of Historical Resources, which oversees grants for history museums and historic preservation, will drop from $7 million to nearly $1.2 million. That’s a plunge from two years ago, when the state earmarked $32.7 million for culture and $18 million for history.”According to one arts administrator, Florida’s arts groups will have to be “resourceful” to survive the economic downtown. “It will be survival of the fittest companies,” he said.
New Jersey – Things Even Worse Than During the Great Depression…
Favorite quote: “…the ideal [is} that art, with a capital A, should be incorporated into public buildings, as a high-ceiling barometer of culture in a civilized society. The irony is that the Statehouse Annex was built in the earliest days of the Depression. Still, art was not sacrificed. Not then, and not when the building underwent extensive renovation in the mid-1990s… [NJ Secretary of State Nina Mitchell] Wells seemed pained to explain why the arts and history funding under Gov. Jon Corzine’s proposed budget was being cut anywhere from 25 to 100 percent from a variety of programs.” –Mark Di Ionno, in a Star Ledger column titled “The irony here is art itself”
According to the story, “The New Jersey State Council of the Arts will lose nearly $6 million of last year’s $21.5 million in funds, a cut of 27 percent. The Newark Museum will see $2.3 million disappear from last year’s $4.7 million in funding. The Historic Commission will lose all $189,000 it paid out in project grants for history teachers and researchers. It will also lose $1.1 million from its supposed stable funding source, the hotel/motel tax, reducing its grant budget to $2.7 million. That’s 30 percent less than last year for the hundreds of volunteer-supported local history museums and societies around the state.”
And Let’s Not Forget Pittsburgh…
According to this story in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Hempfield Area school district, facing budget shortfalls is eliminating world language at the elementary level, and limiting middle school art and music to one nine-week instructional block per school year, and cut the daily activity period high school students use for club participation.
According to the story: “At a special meeting Thursday night, administrators said their primary goal is to provide a ‘rigorous curriculum’ that meets the needs of all students, but a review of existing programs was necessary to put the focus on early intervention to ensure proficiency in reading and math and increased instructional time in the core content areas. The proposals outlined last night would affect four world language positions, three art positions, 2 1/2 music positions, two guidance counselor positions, two assistant middle school principals and one librarian.”
Or the burning of Atlanta!
According to an April 13 story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, that city is facing a looming $119 million budget shortfall. And of course, as any good CAFA reader would expect, the city is poised to make an assault on its cultural institutions. “When city budgets get tough,” the story begins, “arts and recreation programs are typically among the first to get cut…
“If the City Council approves the across-the-board cuts, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of the city’s current budget shows that the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs department will lose more money than any nonpublic safety department — $8.1 million.” Said one commentator: “The arts are generally the service to get cut because many people don’t see the value.”
ARRRGGHHHH ! Yes it all makes me very angry .
What can we do?
I suggest we make time for an Arts Happy Hour. Happy hour (also according to Wikipedia) is “a period of time in the late afternoons, Monday through Thursday, and sometimes Friday (usually taking place between 4 pm and 7 pm…) during which some restaurants and bars give discounts for drinks, especially alcoholic drinks. The idea is that it acts as a promotion of the venue during the quieter times.”
Our Mission (If we decide to accept it) is :
The Art Happy Hour! (Sacramento Ballet calls it Beer and Ballet) will take place once a month somewhere in the Upper King Street area. It will a good time for all. It will be sometimes epic, sometimes underwhelming (especially if there is flash flooding) A time to relax, unwind, chill out, etc. It will be artistic and happy. Of course, we promote the idea of responsible and safe drinking and encourage participants to consider arranging transportation when engaging in a good happy hour. We want everyone to live long ornery lives full of art and happy hours, but we can take no responsibility for people’s behavior, such as it may be. Beer & Ballet” brings the audience into the dancers’ “home.” The fact that it is so informal is the main reason for its existence. one of my goals is to remove the capital ‘C’ from culture. No one should think that ballet isn’t for everyone.” Lets try to get Jim DeMint on board.!
One of the advanced – level dancers in the summer dance program .. approached me in the front today to apologize for not dancing well for the past ten days of the summer program. BO HUNK! I say
So what exactly is it is we do up front? Well it seems from the student’s perspective our Directing/Teaching Life IS FAR MORE INTERESTING … Why not stop thinking what the teacher or director is thinking when they watch from the front..
I promise we am not thinking what we are watching is a train wreck. On the contrary, We love it and when we see a problem where some see obstacles We look for further opportunities . Lar Lubovitch is quoted to say:
In today’s world, where cynicism is idolized, it’s almost radical to see or define something as beautiful. Every artist’s reality is governed by some unique sense of what is beautiful to them. It’s a personal reality that’s often opposed to the worlds. When I see my own or someone else’s work as beautiful, it’s because all the forces that can be marshaled at that particular moment are entirely in concert. I think for many, the term choreography paints a picture of a person or creative team who develop a set path upon which performers can travel to obtain a specific visual/theatrical aesthetic effect. For example, If a computer is capturing your movement as a dancer, interpreting it, and projecting its interpretation on a screen for you to interact with, your environment is no longer fixed.
Onward and upward .. Take a Chill Pill
