The Winger » boston

My dad is having a show!

May 14, 2008 at 1:52 pm · Filed under SLOAN, dance, boston, photography, gallery, photographer, ballet theatre of boston, harvard square, jose mateo, gary sloan

KRISTIN SLOAN
New York City Ballet
New York, NY USA
BIO | POSTS

As some of you might already know, my dad happens to be an exceptional photographer and for the past 15 years he’s been creating beautiful images of José Mateo’s Ballet Theatre of Boston - a great company (and school) who exclusively dance Mr. Matéo’s choreography. I went to their school right before I left Boston to come to SAB and they gave me the strength and the amazing experience of working directly with a gifted choreographer, before I even got to New York.

This Friday, they are having a gala showing of the work my dad has done with the company. (Needless it’s been a journey for my dad and BTB to go through and decide which pieces will be shown after 15 years of collaboration!)
It’s at BTB’s beautifully renovated church space in Harvard Square. (You might remember the picture I took when I taught there this summer). Doug and I are taking the Acela up Friday afternoon for the show. I can’t wait!

Click the image to read the details… maybe we’ll see you there!

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Charts and numbers

March 17, 2008 at 11:47 pm · Filed under dance, resources, culture, boston, news, SUSAN, research, arts funding, fundraising, issues, america, dance culture, trends, dance companies, funding, arts, future

SUSAN KIM
Ballet Student, Supporter
Los Angeles, California USA
BIO | POSTS

That the dance community at large has been facing a number of worries is not really news to most of us. (’Tis unfortunate, but true.) For the most part, most of the concerns that dominate the dance headlines have been dollar-focused; the problem of finding consistent funds and finances to pay dancers, commission choreography, license works and underwrite productions is one that will likely (and, sadly) plague us for a while longer. (For those who have not yet heard, Boston Ballet is the most recent company to fall into the financial black hole.)

In order to get a better grasp of what the dance world is facing, it is probably a good idea to get a more distanced perspective of where and how dance stands in relation to its other cultural peers. Towards the end of last year (2007), LaPlaca Cohen published Culture Track 2007, a presentation in which they summarize the results of their fourth national survey of cultural audiences.

The good news: In the past two years, there’s been a slight (2-3%) increase in attendance at classical dance (ballet) and modern dance events. (Yay!)

The bad news: A hefty percentage (52-68%) of people indicated that the genre/period/style to which a “cultural activity” belonged affected their attendance. Might this mean that dance will continue to remain a “lesser attended art form”? (Bummer.)

The hope: A significant number (31-49%) of the surveyed respondents indicated that “supporting a friend or family member” is a “very important” factor in their decision to attend performances and ‘activities.’ We can make a difference! (Hurrah!)

And, just in case your invitations meet resistance, be prepared:

Home Sweet Home

August 13, 2007 at 1:12 am · Filed under dance, family, home, friends, boston, dance studio, TAYLOR

Posted by Taylor Gordon

This past week was literally my first time having more than two days off from life in exactly one year. Between rehearsals, extra school courses, internships, and everything I haven’t had a chance to breathe until now. To start of my 3 weeks of freedom I went home to Boston to visit my family whom I haven’t seen since Christmas (imagine, they’re only an hour flight away and I never see them!).

(me and the family)

Since leaving home four years ago I’ve always missed everyone but dreaded making the trip to visit home. It’s just something about reverting back to the old ways…even for just a short period of time. Going from big city independence to small town boredom isn’t necessarily something to look forward to. There’s not much to do in our area, and since I don’t have my driver’s license (God bless public transportation) I can’t really be free.

However, this past visit was really nice. Unlike most visits, I had no looming pressure of school or performances ahead, so I didn’t feel like I was missing anything by taking time off. And being summertime, all of my family and friends had time to reminisce. We had a lot of laughs and it was a nice break.

(friends dancing in the living room)

We celebrated my (belated) birthday, and I got to visit my mom’s new dance studio (it’s quite pink inside, like tradition…the last studio was pink for 50 years!). I got to see all my friends I grew up with and even relive some old dance routines (haha).

(dancing in my mom’s studio)

(my mom and I)

As I was growing up in my small town driving 2 hours a day to commute to Boston Ballet School I always regretted not being born in a big city. Looking back, though, as a New York City resident (with high rent and hardly enough space to stretch out) I love that I have that alternative to look forward to for a change whenever I visit. No matter how far I go in this world, that place will always be my home.

(friends by the pool at night)

Boston icon

July 24, 2007 at 9:48 pm · Filed under SLOAN, dance, travel, ads, boston, mobile

Posted by Sloan | via mobile phone

It’s amazing that what was initially just a very fancy illuminated advertisement for Citgo has now become an iconic fixture of the city of Boston. I would always get so excited spotting it when we would come to the city when I was little. This, along with the Pru, the Hancock building and the weather tower remind me of how excited I used to get about coming into the city. I still do!