Dance Theater Workshop Lobby
Walking into the lobby of Dance Theater Workshop I noticed one things immediately: the number of panelist (nine) positioned in front of the room (this was going to be a long night and I just hoped it wouldn’t be stale). Set up in a circle, with speakers and listeners on opposite sides, the evening was designed for dialogue. The topic: how has technology challenged and changed the landscape of dance journalism and criticism?
What I began to understand as the discussion went on was the varying perspectives on what this panel was aiming at. Half of the panel spoke about how to use media to activate an audience and the other on the relevancy of criticism given the new technology (with a few digressions in between); and here’s where the discussion went sideways. Each panelist spoke about their particular experience, limitations, and ambitions, but they couldn’t connect the dots.
Some points that were most potent:
- Claudia La Rocco’s statement about hating genres and the limitations they present when writing.
- Caleb Custer’s musing about how to make content more interesting in less time.
- Andy Horowitz’s call for us not to worry about harnessing the tools we have now, but being open-minded enough to re-imagine the world.
- Eva Yaa Asantewaa’s debate on whether filters are beneficial for an artist’s voice and re-thinking the role of editors and publishers.
- Kristin Sloane’s simple advice to decide who you want to talk to, what you want to say and how you want to say it.
Truth be told, I came to this event solely to support performance critic and writer, La Rocco (I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, her style reminds me of a contemporary Jane Austen…and I love her for it); what I got in return for my efforts was a group on innovators and intellects that I’ve been dying to poke questions at: the thoughtful visionary, Horowitz (founder and editor of Culturebot.org); the creative force behind The Winger, Sloane; and the uber-academic and creative Tracy (founder of The Collective Opera Company and CounterCritic.org). Being a petri dish of intellect all nine panelist and twenty-five audience members had alot of opinions, and I didn’t get to ask a thing.
These gems were muddied by a lack of structural content. This is not to say, I didn’t walk away inspired to contribute to dance community with new media, but it was difficult to wrap my head around all that was being said.
