NEA Arts Journalism Institute for Dance

“We consider this institute to be the most important of activities in communicating the value of dance to the greater community. After all, it is not easy to verbalize what is generally a nonverbal art form,” said Charles L. Reinhart, American Dance Festival's (ADF) Director.

While attending the three-week intensive residency, journalists attend performances, classes, seminars, and panel discussions focusing on the history of dance and dance criticism, as well as the function and responsibility of the dance critic today. They participate in movement sessions to heighten their awareness and sharpen their observatory skills; and gain practical knowledge and hone skills by writing reviews and participating in analytical discussions.

Arts Journalism fellows meet with New York Times dance critic Anna Kisselgoff. Photo by Bruce Feely.

Performances at the most recent institute included Paul Taylor Dance Company, Shen Wei Dance Arts, and the Russian Festival: Provincial Dances Theatre & Kinetic, and others. Dance critic and historian Suzanne Carbonneau, the project director, planned and implemented the workshop with the ADF Directors. ADF faculty, visiting choreographers, scholars, teachers and other distinguished guests also lead discussions and seminars, giving the critics a breadth of experience and information throughout the residency. In addition, established dance critics also served as faculty, offering sessions focusing on dance, past and present.

“The institute provides an antidote to the isolation in which most dance critics find themselves working,” said Carbonneau. “It not only gives critics the opportunity to exchange ideas about dance writing but also, by virtue of its setting at the American Dance Festival, to take a crash course in the contemporary dance world itself.”

2008 Institute for Dance: June 21 - July 11, 2008.

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