Through the Eyes of a Dancer: Selected Writings

Acknowledgments

| xiii Acknowledgments First, thanks to Deborah Jowitt and Marcia B. Siegel, whose course in dance writing I fairly devoured many years ago. I appreciate all of my editors, starting with Richard Philp at Dance Magazine , who gave me my first opportunity to publish in 1973. Robb Baker pulled me in to the SoHo Weekly News and let me have free run of the downtown scene.On his (later my) “Concepts in Performance” page, I could define performance however I saw fit. A big thanks to John Rockwell, who opened the door to the New York Times when he was editor of the Arts & Leisure section there. Annette Grant at Arts & Leisure actively sought freelancers and was a dream to work with. Elizabeth Zimmer at the Village Voice taught me the value of using lively verbs in reviews.Other editors at the Voice, like M. Mark, Burt Supree, and Ross Wetzsteon, helped me with the organization of feature stories. I’m grateful to my fellow dance addicts at Dance Magazine: Kina Poon, Hanna Rubin, and Khara Hanlon (and past editors Siobhan Burke, Kate Lydon, and Emily Macel Theys). They look at my writing as much as I look at theirs. And of course Dance Magazine in general, for giving me the opportunity to travel down many roads, and for letting me repurpose some of the evidence here. I also have to thank two friends who were over-the-top generous in reading my entire manuscript: the aforementioned John Rockwell, and Robert Walsh, who had already brought his editorial expertise to my Salinger memoir at VanityFair.com. My former dancing partner Risa Jaroslow gave me helpful comments on my opening chapters. Good friends who have indulged in dance making and/or dance discussing over the years include, but are not limited to, Ninotchka Bennahum, Irene Borger, Holly Cavrell, Blondell Cummings, Barbara Forbes, Theresa Ruth Howard, Risa Jaroslow again, Liz Lerman, Denise Luccioni, Kathryn Posin, Susan Rethorst, Tamar Rogoff, Vicky Shick, Stephanie Skura, Louise Steinman, Cathy Weis, and Bill Whitener. The sense of camaraderie I have with each of them goes deep. I’ve also had lively conversations with many of the devoted freelance writers of Dance Magazine. For a mind that mingles aesthetics with social conscience, and for hours of stimulating discussion, I bow to Sally Banes. I’ve been inspired by her writing and her thinking over the years. It was she who assigned two of the longer pieces herein and worked closely with me on them. xiv | Acknowledgments I have to mention Deborah Jowitt again for setting a magnificent example of a dancer/choreographer who writes. She integrates literary brilliance, generosity of spirit, and a bone-deep understanding of dance. Sally Sommer sent me an angel, Jaime Kight, who gave me lots of techno help as well as valuable comments and challenges in theearly stages.Thanks to my son, Nick, for further help with preparing photos. I thank the photographers for allowing me to use their images. Some of them have dancers’ eyes too. One of the nice things about having taught so much is that former students crop up all over the place. One of them, Victoria Bijur, has become a literary agent; when the time came, she gave me the lay of the land in book publishing. Liz Lerman, my old friend from our first year at Bennington College, told me what a good experience she’d had with Wesleyan University Press. SuzannaTamminen,directorofWUP,guidedmethroughthepre-production process; she also gave me a crucial framework when she suggested that I provide each piece with more context—through my current eyes. I am grateful to the New York City subway for not only connecting me with the hubbub of humanity every day, but also for providing a place where I could work on this project in short stints. The steady stream of intern applicants to DanceMedia (the parent company of Dance Magazine) has shown me that there’s more interest in becoming a dancer/writer than before, allowing me to envision a core readership for this book. Last, and really first too, I thank my husband, Jim Siegel. I’m fortunate that he loves dance and welcomes my enthusiasms as well as my gripes. He sees everything I write before it leaves the premises; for this book he’s gone over each page several times. He catches the tiniest mistakes and helps with the biggest organizational decisions. His curiosity, support, and love have buoyed me during this whole process. ...