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"The Devil Ties My Tongue" by Amy Seiwert performed for the SKETCH Series, 2013. Photo by David DeSilva. Courtesy of Amy Seiwert's Imagery

ABC Australia News: Melbourne choreographers are setting the scene for Australian dance at home and abroad

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By Dee Jefferson

4 October 2019

As Jonathan Holloway presents his final program, and as Melbourne Festival prepares to transform to a new format and season in 2020, many will be remembering the international headliners and “tent-pole” events of recent years (Taylor Mac’s 24-hour performance art party) and past decades.

But this year’s line-up serves as a reminder of what great work we make here in Australia; in particular, it showcases Melbourne’s incredibly strong and diverse dance culture.

New works by Melbourne-based choreographers Lucy Guerin (Split), Jo Lloyd (Overture) and Stephanie Lake (Colossus) appear in this year’s program, off the back of popular previous seasons in Melbourne and elsewhere. And Antony Hamilton will present the world premiere of his first major work at the helm of major dance company Chunky Move (Token Armies).

These dancers-turned-choreographers have worked together previously, and are part of Melbourne’s close-knit dance ecology.

Guerin, Lake and Lloyd are particularly interesting as women who have forged their careers as independent operators in a sector where all the major companies are helmed by men.

They each have decades-deep careers under their belts, a swag of Helpmann, Green Room and Australian Dance Awards, international commissions and tours, and critical acclaim. But instead of joining larger contemporary dance companies (such as Sydney Dance Company, Chunky Move or Australian Dance Theatre) they have either created their own small companies, or in the case of Lloyd, remained a solo operator.

The reduction of funding to the independent and small-to-medium sectors, through the George Brandis-led Australia Council intervention of 2015-2016, has made their advancement even more difficult, and their current positions more fraught.

You might say these women are succeeding against considerable odds.

Read the full article on ABC Australia.

Vox: Why HR is powerless to effectively handle sexual harassment claims

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By Laurie Ruettimann

3 October 2019

Nobody goes looking for a meeting with HR. That had always been Maya’s thinking. Even after she was sexually harassed by wealthy board members on the job, rather than report the incidents to the human resources department, she did what so many employees do — she tried to manage it.

“I side-stepped hugs and squeezes, redirected conversations when it turned to my appearance, and politely ask not to be called ‘doll’ or ‘kitten,’” said Maya (whose name has been changed for this story).

However, when a board member made sexual advances to a college intern on her team, Maya felt differently. She was compelled to report the incident to HR.

Unfortunately, the harassment investigation lived up to Maya’s low expectations. Nobody offered a timeline or shared updates. It was unclear who, if anyone, outside of HR knew about the accusations. University leaders grew cold and distant, but Maya wasn’t sure if they were reacting to the investigation or if she was paranoid. Eventually, the stress drove her to resign.

Maya’s story is not uncommon. In my work as a human resources consultant, people come to me with questions about the intricacies of sexual harassment investigations. How does it work? Who is responsible for what? When does HR manage this process, and when is it handled externally? Can you report your boss and remain confidential?

The answer to all of those questions is this: It depends.

Read the full article on Vox.

The Progress 1000: London’s most influential people 2019 – Creative Arts: Dance

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By Emma Byrne

Tamara Rojo​

Lead ballerina and artistic director, English National Ballet
Rojo has turned her company into a formidable force, championing women choreographers and talented youngsters alongside heavyweight stars. She’s overseen ENB’s move into its new home in Canning Town, cementing east London as the capital’s up-and-coming dance centre.

Cathy Marston

Choreographer | NEW
Marston has had one hell of a year already, creating ballets for the world’s great companies and winning a Critics’ Circle award. And there’s another major coup — her first main-stage work for the Royal Ballet, based on the life of Jacqueline Du Pré.

Cassa Pancho

Atistic director, Ballet Black
Pancho is changing the face of British dance. Last year she worked alongside Freed to create pointe shoes and tights for black and mixed-race ballet dancers – a UK first.

Read the full list in the Standard.

Pointe Magazine: Behind Ballet’s Diversity Problem

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By Joseph Carman

14 May 2014


Ballet has a lily-white reputation.

The great “ballet blanc” works glorify white swans, white shades, white wilis and white sylphs. Still, in 2014, balletgoers might expect some progress in racial diversity onstage, especially in the U.S., where populations of color are growing. But comb the rosters of most American companies and you’ll find a striking sameness. While a few have established inclusive policies in training and hiring, they are the minority. There is a notable exception—Asian and Asian-American dancers have made real inroads. However, dancers of other ethnic backgrounds continue to face challenges, especially women.

Many factors contribute to ballet’s lack of diversity: economic inequality—ballet training is notoriously expensive; a lack of role models for aspiring dancers to emulate; a failure on the part of schools and companies to provide support for young dancers of color on the uphill road to professional success. And another factor looms large in the discussion: Many believe a thread of racism still runs through the ballet world. “There are people who define ballet in a very specific and historic sense and think it should look like the Mariinsky in 1950,” says American Ballet Theatre executive director Rachel Moore, who last year launched the company’s Project Plié, an initiative to support the training of ballet students from underrepresented communities.

Read the full article in Pointe.

Sacramento Ballet

The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento Ballet focuses on steps toward gender equality in its new season

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By Claire Morgan

1 October 2019

Sacramento Ballet is doing something different this year. The ballet’s 2019-20 season – titled Sights Unseen, which kicks off Thursday night with “Mozart in Motion” – features works largely choreographed by women.

…

Seiwert has been working hard to change the status quo since she took the role of artistic director in 2018. The company has been recognized as a leader in the gender equity movement sweeping through dance companies across the nation.

According to the Dance Data Project, a group dedicated to documenting gender-related issues in dance, a study in July found 79 percent of the works planned by the largest 50 ballet companies in the nation for the 2019-2020 ballet seasons are choreographed by men.

The Sacramento Ballet topped the list for presenting works choreographed by women this season – tied with New York City’s American Ballet Theater at 67 percent, the Dance Data Project found. The company also made the list for the 2018-2019 season.

“The Top 10 companies for staging work by women in both seasons are: American Ballet Theatre, Cincinnati Ballet, Eugene Ballet Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Sacramento Ballet,” the Dance Data Project report said. “There was 1 female-choreographed full-length world premiere for the 2018-2019 season, Sacramento Ballet’s commission of The Nutcracker, by artistic director Amy Seiwert.”

Seiwert said she is excited to be leading changes in gender equity at a large ballet company, especially since women have not typically been represented in many companies’ leadership.

“Ballet, as a field, historically has had issues with female inclusion at the leadership level,” Seiwert said. “Trends are slowly changing. But where the change is most apparent is in some of the smaller companies across the United States. I am proud that of the top 50 ballet companies in the country, Sacramento Ballet is at the forefront of commissioning works by women.”

Read the full article in The Sacramento Bee.

The Daily Californian: Alexandra Waterbury talks sexual assault, harassment in ballet at Berkeley Forum

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By Maxine Mouly

30 September 2019

Renowned ballet dancer, Columbia University junior and fashion model Alexandra Waterbury spoke about the origins of her sexual harassment lawsuit against the New York City Ballet, or NYCB, at a Berkeley Forum event Thursday.

Ankita Inamdar, the Berkeley Forum vice president of finance, invited Waterbury after being inspired by the many women who came out during the #MeToo movement. Inamdar said she was unaware of the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault and wants to continue the conversation to change women’s treatment in various professions.

Waterbury explained the origins of her lawsuit, which was filed in 2018. It started when she found group chats between her now ex-boyfriend Chase Finlay, Zachary Catazaro and Amar Ramasar, all of whom were male dancers with NYCB at the time. According to Waterbury, these men allegedly shared intimate photos and videos of her and other female dancers without their consent, apparently equivocating some women to “farm animals.”

According to Waterbury, Finlay stepped down from his position a few days before the lawsuit was filed, whereas Catazaro and Ramasar were suspended and later fired.

Catazaro and Ramasar were reinstated, however, after a union arbitration took place that did not take any evidence from Waterbury’s lawsuit. Waterbury said Catazaro chose to continue dancing in Europe and Ramasar resumed his position at NYCB.

Read the full article in The Daily Californian.

Broadway World: Ballet Hispánico With The Apollo Theater Presents Three World Premieres

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27 September 2019

Ballet Hispánico, the nation’s premier Latino dance organization, returns to the Apollo stage on Friday and Saturday, November 22 and 23, 2019 at 8:00pm with a program that continues its commitment to staging works by female, Latinx choreographers. Ballet Hispánico is sponsored by GOYA, which has sponsored the company since 1977.

In the World Premiere of Tiburones, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa addresses the discrimination and stereotypes placed upon Latinx culture and the power the media has in portraying these themes by diminishing the voices of Latinx artists. Ochoa will deconstruct gender roles and identity to revitalize an authentic perspective of Puerto Rican icons appropriated within the entertainment industry.

In this restaging of Nací (2009), choreographer Andrea Miller draws from the duality of her Spanish and Jewish-American background and employs her distinctive movement style to investigate the Sephardic culture of Spain, with its Moorish influence and profound sense of community, despite hardship.

Read the full article on Broadway World.

New York Times: Review: At New York City Ballet, an Intriguing Glimpse of the Future

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By Gia Kourlas

27 September 2019

You don’t need many fingers to count the female New York City Ballet members who have choreographed during their tenure as dancers. The sad number is five, one hand: Ruthanna Boris, Miriam Mahdaviani, Barbara Milberg, Melissa Barak and Lauren Lovette.

Still, that’s better than it was when Edwaard Liang joined City Ballet in 1993; then, the number was three. What was striking about his return to the company — this time as a choreographer for its annual Fall Fashion Gala program — was the realization of how much the landscape and culture of ballet has changed.

His work, “Lineage,” carried a strong dose of nostalgia. With Anna Sui’s folk-inspired costumes and Mr. Liang’s acrobatic partnering — at one point, a male dancer spun his female counterpart by hooking an arm under her bent back knee — it felt like we were back in the ’90s. Mr. Liang spoke about his inspirations on “City Ballet the Podcast,” and one was clear in performance: The dancers’ gazes were continually drawn to a corner of the stage, as if seeking the spot where the revered choreographer George Balanchine, a founder of City Ballet, watched performances from the wing. (It wasn’t the correct side of the stage, but the sentiment was there.)

Ms. Lovette, a principal with the company, took a radically different approach in “The Shaded Line,” the other premiere on the program. Her dance wasn’t about homage, but about the future of the art form: how ballet might a find a way to sit within the larger world, where gender norms are unraveling, where women can become ballet choreographers and where all dancers can express their strength and fear.

Read the full article in The New York Times.

The Cut: How New York City Ballet’s Lauren Lovette Gets It Done

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By Brittany Stephanis

26 September 2019

Lauren Lovette isn’t just a principal dancer with New York City Ballet — she’s also a choreographer. Since joining the company as a corps member in 2010, she’s captivated audiences around the world with her undeniable talent and charm. In this episode of Doing the Most, Lauren walks the Cut through her typical day from rehearsals to performances and everything in between. Her latest ballet, The Shaded Line, premieres at the company’s fall gala, and performances continue through October 13.

See the original article/video on The Cut.

Photo by Liza Voll. Courtesy of Boston Ballet.

CBS Boston: Boston Ballet Initiative Empowers Women Choreographers

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BOSTON (CBS) — For years, women have been under-represented on the creative side of the ballet world. Boston Ballet is trying to change that.

The year-old ChoreograpHER Initiative encourages female members of the company to put their own stamp on the work we see on stage.In the season opener, “Giselle,” the woman who once danced the title role has restaged the production for the next generation.

Larissa Ponomarenko says there’s no need to do too much to a classical ballet that was created in 1841.

“There’s no need to redo too much, just some adjustments to amount of people on stage, because the size of the company is different,” Ponomarenko said.  “Just maybe aiding slightly different technical elements to make it more interesting for male dancers.”

Principal dancer Lia Cirio is one of several women playing Giselle during the run at the Citizen’s Bank Opera House.

She is grateful for Ponomarenko’s guidance. “Getting to see her impart her knowledge of the role is just incredible. It pushes me to become even better.”

Cirio has also participated in the ChoreograpHER Initiative, although she never thought she’d want to be a choreographer.

She said “when a sign went up, I was like, ‘oh, I’ll just try it,’ and then it became this amazing thing for women…For so long, the woman was this object, almost, and the man was like ‘you do this, you do this’ and I think it’s really cool that now we can say, ‘I would like you to do this.’ Roles have reversed a little which is great.”

Cirio is now working on her third piece. “I’m really pushing myself and trying to experiment and take risks which is cool because that is what this project is about,” she said.

Read the full article on CBS Boston.

DDP Founder & President Liza Yntema is a principal sponsor of Boston Ballet’s ChoreograpHER initiative.