DDP Talks To
"The Devil Ties My Tongue" by Amy Seiwert performed for the SKETCH Series, 2013. Photo by David DeSilva. Courtesy of Amy Seiwert's Imagery
Dance Magazine: What Will It Take to End Sexual Abuse in Dance Education?
By Garnet Henderson
27 January 2021
Though the #MeToo movement has spurred many dancers to come forward with their stories of sexual harassment and abuse, the dance world has yet to have a full reckoning on the subject. Few institutions have made true cultural changes, and many alleged predators continue to work in the industry.
As Chanel DaSilva’s story shows, young dancers are particularly vulnerable to abuse because of the power differential between teacher and student. We spoke with eight experts in dance, education and psychology about steps that dance schools could take to protect their students from sexual abuse.
Make Basic Safety Measures Standard
Peter Flew, director of the School of Education at University of Roehampton in London, trustee of the Royal Academy of Dance, and chair of Safer Dance
“When I joined the RAD Board of Trustees, I couldn’t believe how little regulation there was around dance schools. When a school is hiring a teacher, they need to do a background check. Does that person have a conviction for sexual abuse or child abuse, for example? Are there gaps in their CV that they don’t want to explain?
“Another important issue is data protection. Does the dance teacher have the cell phone number of the student? This is a common and really bad practice. Teachers should be talking to parents, not the children. And this is an issue with social media, as well.
Read the entire article here.
Stifling Female Dancers
DDP ally and choreographer Nicole Haskins shares her thoughts on what is holding women in ballet back from gaining access to the infamously male-dominated leadership positions.
Con Brazos Abiertos by Michelle Manzanales. Photo by PaulaLobo. Courtesy of Ballet Hispanico.Con Brazos Abiertos: Eduardo Vilaro and Ballet Hispánico
Nearly one year after our last in-person Listening Tour stop at Ballet Hispanico, DDP is sharing an inside look at the vision of Ballet Hispanico Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro.
Photo by Laurent Liotardo.DDP Talks To…Morgann Runacre-Temple
DDP Talks To…London-based freelance choreographer and filmmaker Morgann Runacre-Temple in our first interview of 2021.
Stina Quagebeur leading a Nora rehearsal with Crystal Costa (c) Ian Gavan.DDP Talks To…Stina Quagebeur
DDP Talks To… the English National Ballet’s Associate Choreographer and First Artist Stina Quagebeur. Stina is one of the leading emerging choreographers in the field of ballet, and we are so thrilled to share this hugely accomplished woman’s voice in our interview series!
Festivals 2020
Dance Data Project® (DDP) today announces the 2020 Dance Festival Gender Equity Report, a report that examines the gender distribution of programming and leadership among 2020 festivals and includes a comparative analysis of 2019 and 2020 findings.
People: The ‘Overwhelming’ Story Behind Inauguration’s Virtual Dance Video, According to Choreographer Kenny Ortega
By Sean Neumann
21 January 2020
…
The “Dance Across America” video was the idea of Julia McDonald, another Emmy Award-winning choreographer dubbed a “Hollywood Dance Super-Agent.”
Ortega says Stranger Things editor Brad Tobler and producer Kelly Parker, another pair of Emmy winners, were part of the project as was choreographer Paul Becker and producer Truman Alfaro.
The team combed over submissions and put together the three-minute video in less than two weeks, Ortega says, after he was invited to head the project just before the new year. The video, set to Martha & The Vandellas’ song “Dancing in the Streets,” features 275 everyday Americans dancing in 30 states and territories.
Ortega says the video ranks up there with his other career milestones, including the Emmys he has won for his work choreographing the 1996 and 2002 Olympic ceremonies, Super Bowls, films like Dirty Dancing and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and more.
“Dance is a language without words,” he says. “It’s a language that all of us understand. A dancer can express so much: pain, happiness, hope, and despair. So many things.”
Most of all, Ortega says, dance “carries the story forward.”
That was undoubtedly the theme at the Capitol Wednesday, where the nation turned to its next chapter and Biden, its new president, urged the country to move past ideological differences and come together.
Read the full story here.
