It’s the constant struggle in so many relationships – two people deeply love each other but sometimes forget to articulate it as often as they should. Finances get in the way, other obligations take priority, and the stress of managing our lives can make us feel overwhelmed, underappreciated, and so submerged in challenges that we forget to tell our partners every now and then that we love them – and why.
At the Dance/USA conference this year, it felt too often that we scrutinized and elevated the barriers and obstacles (necessary to address, though they are) but didn’t’ make as much time to kiss Dance goodnight and tell her we love her before going to bed.
Conferences bring folks together to share ideas, explore trends, and address issues communally. We all show up to learn from people doing interesting and innovative things, try out new strategies, and seek solutions to the problems that plague us. Plenty of the sessions at the Dance/USA conference looked to the future and highlighted exciting projects and opportunities to further the field of dance. And of course, as they should, plenty of sessions focused on the challenges we’re all facing in an effort to counter them in effective ways.
I wasn’t necessarily bothered by the dominance of a negative tone during sessions – it’s to be expected given the state of the economy, the scary statistics of audience trends, the frustrating barriers to international touring, etc. And it’s important to face these things head on, which inevitably brings down the mood a bit. Which is why we have performances and late night Salsa sessions to balance it all out.
But what did strike me was the lack of space made at the conference to celebrate the accomplishments of the field and to highlight the local, national, and international achievement of artists, companies, and the field of dance as a whole.
We all come with intimate knowledge of our personal dance communities and are each capable – indeed responsible – for educating each other about the triumphs in our regional spheres. But where and when does that sharing take place in a visible way?
At the impromptu, spirited, and heartfelt “non-council Council” on the last day of the conference, a group of attendees – the large majority first-timers – decided to take the time to do just that. How thrilling to hear of the dance-focused mural going up in Philadelphia, the launch of a West-Coast dance festival in San Diego, and the success of a new program in New York City that gives audiences who missed a live performance a chance to view it on film in the presence of the choreographer?
These are important accomplishments in our world and we don’t take enough time to celebrate them – if we know about them at all. It was frustrating and disheartening to watch the conversation slip back to the woes that dance faces everywhere – mostly from the older voices in the room. When asked about their community highlights, the answers focused on struggle. When encouraged to name the most inspiring recent concert attended, or put forth a few names of artists to watch, faces went blank.
Let us never forget to remain curious and enthusiastic about the dance that happens around us. And let us prioritize the time and space to inspire others with our achievements. We must educate ourselves – and our colleagues – about the rich ecology of dance in America so that we may spread the gospel abroad as well (how else to address the challenge of building buzz for American dance internationally?).
Of course, the problems remain and require attention. But let us simultaneously shine the light on the wealth of what we do and accomplish together. Psychologically and spiritually, I think we could use it.
My Two Left Feet 
I completely agree with you, Brian. I was also at the conference, and I felt there was a bit of disconnect between the conversations and the actual art we were talking about. Perhaps the generational divide you mention is evidence that more of the younger crowd are actually still artists while the older administrators are further removed from this front-line experience. I definitely agree that the conference should have taken more opportunities to draw from the art form and be fueled by its positive accomplishments.
Even more than celebration and congratulation, I think there is much practicality in our sharing of accomplishments within the framework of positivity and optimism. Any achievements that are happening right now are happening in the face of the adversity that you mentioned above, and the practical “yes I/we did this, and here is how YOU can, too” approach can help us to remind ourselves that there are many things working. Two of the most helpful workshops of the conference for me were useful because they acknowledged the struggle, the difficulty, but also described various approaches that had been successful at achieving successful communication with audiences and other communities. One of these was the “Twitter” workshop, the other was the Urban Bush Women workshop on community engagement. Both seemed to provide avenues for participants to accept the given information at a scale that matched the participant’s interest and access to resources. A convenience of contemporary technology is the rather instant ability to customize platforms to suit our needs and the needs of the communities with whom we interact. While I think it can be helpful to acknowledge the “This is not working” stage, it is most beneficial when acknowledged as a single stage in a larger process: “This is not working… So, let’s try a modified or different approach.” This is when it can be particularly useful to know of the vast variety of approaches that are currently being employed, and necessary to think of how these approaches can be costumed and accessorized to fit our particular needs. Maybe this is coming from the Millenial in me 🙂 but, you know, that’s the age we are in… The non-council council gets it.
I’m glad to find your blog, Brian. It’s great that you’re doing this work.