I’ve known Stuart Pimsler from the community, met him a few times, but only got to have any significant contact with him after he invited me to be on the Panel. So, if it was his intent to have those affiliated with him win awards, as it has been suggested, I would/should not have been invited by him to sit on the panel. In regards to the panelists, I knew some of them before I joined the panel, some I met for the first time. From the few meetings I attended last fall I never got the impression that anyone had any biases toward any particular individuals and all seemed quite professional and were passionate and dedicated towards what was expected of them. I do also want to mention here that the award categories were based on what role an individual is identified by/involved in and not based on any movement vocabularies, theoretical ideologies or aesthetic leanings.

I do want to commend Morgan, Olive, Dana and Caroline for their candor and lucid thoughts in regards to this issue, it is quite refreshing to read such honest opinions especially when so many artists are concerned about getting positive affirmations from critics/peers and would never attempt to say or do anything negative to jeopardize that goal.

I do want to add to what Morgan refers to as the “underbelly” of dance in the twin cities, and say that the underbelly is the “Avant Garde” in dance in the twin cities and these artists from the “underbelly” have already done work internationally and at the bastions of contemporary thought in movement, such as Movement Research and DTW in New York and locally at Bryant Lake Bowl, Patrick’s Cabaret, The Red Eye, The Momentum Series and at other smaller venues and sometimes even at people’s homes and garages. Heck, a past significant revolutionary movement in contemporary dance began in the basement of a church!

I am not a dancer/dance artist/mover nor am I a journalist, however, I have been affiliated with the contemporary dance world long enough to know that Post Modern dance has had its day. It was a catalyst in the evolution, but has ceased to be the contemporary thought in western movement vocabulary. Rejections of forms, for what ever reasons, has long permeated this current thought. So, this misinformed view in regards to “Pomo” dance by Camille LeFevre as contemporary thought in movement is surprising, given the fact that journalists are expected to do “investigative” reporting supported by facts and rigorous research etc etc. However, not surprising in another sense given other similar misinformed views related to dance, such as the local “New Music” community and the American Composers Forum’s outdated take on the relationship between contemporary dance and music/sound. These misinformed views related to dance, I have come to accept as Midwestern provincialism, general myopia and maybe a lack of, we, the dance community not serving as a form of “checks and balances”. These willy nilly, I’ll say what I want to and expect people to believe my actions would not fly in the east or west coast!

In regards to the SAGE awards. If anything, I challenge future panelists to present the award to the best candidate for each specific category, irrespective of how often they have won the award in the past. If Laura Selle wins the same award every year, so be it, because she is damned good at what she does, If Mary Ellen Childs wins the design award every year, so be it, because she is an excellent Composer. Of course this view by me may not be in accordance to the principals of “Minnesota nice” or the practice of “round robin niceness”, but then again I am not Minnesotan.

I have also approached Stuart Pimsler about SAGE Awards setting up a separate award for Dance Music, where the criteria will not only include the situational aspect of composing for a dance performance, [which has been on the rise in the past few years since "Interdisciplinary art" is now getting into the mainstream], but also the intellectual, theoretical and non public aspects of this complex relationship between sound and movement. Then maybe Drew Gordon will win this award, posthumously, for his contributions to dance for the past twenty five years.

In regards to this “six degrees of separation” business, the Kevin Bacon/Stuart Pimsler factor that Caroline touched on, for me, personally, in the past ten years that I have been in the twin cities, I quite often get the “Oh you must work with Ananya [Chatterjea] etc?” well, it must be the color of my skin and my ethnic persuasion, however, to be exact, I don’t do any work in South Asian Art forms and the first time I heard about Ananya was from a friend and former colleague of mine at the Dept. of Dance at SUNY Brockport NY, James Payton, a former Jose Limon Dance Co. soloist and an original cast member of “Missa Brevis”, whose wife Ann Vachon [Currently Director of Limon Institute] was on the faculty at Temple University where Ananya got her Phd. So, it may not always be what one assumes.

Stuart and Dana have done a great service for the local dance community and it should be appreciated and not subjected to juvenile sandbox politics by individuals for whatever reasons. Yes, the system is not perfect, it will get better and we have to be thankful that we have such an awards system where one can get recognized by their peers and colleagues. Will I serve on the panel again? If asked, time permitting, yes and I will act in accordance to upholding the credibility of the local dance community and not act in any way to undermine it.

Hhmmmm…I wonder how many cups of tea I would have had during this final seven hour mtg if I had remained on the SAGE Awards panel …

Manjunan Gnanaratnam.

http://www.manjunan.com

http://blogs.citypages.com/ctg/2008/09/in_defense_of_t.php

This is not merely an awards show. The Sage Awards are a prominent aspect of what makes this “local dance community” a bright and vibrant spot in this troubled point in time and place.

Things seem to be falling apart all over. And if you were witness to the stomach-churning commercialism of the recent Ivey Awards, you might think that the art of performance in the Twin Cities has disappeared under the layered self-satisfied plastic of theater-bling. But the very human depth and variety demonstrated at the Sage awards, the obvious fact that the art/work is the motivation and justification and reward, the self-supportive and forward-looking investigations in both pedagogy and in practice, the perfect blend of self-respect, humility, humor, with a healthy disregard for the conventions established by the powers that be, give me hope for something worthwhile surviving the plunge to the lowest common denominator of the bottom line that is all the rage.

It is my hope, both for my own selfish needs and for the good of the whole arts community, that the model and example that the Sage awards recognizes and embodies can help save those aspects of this arts community that are in danger of drowning in their own B.S.

http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_10549431

As coordinator I experience many rewarding moments and most of the come from the dialogue during panel meetings. This year’s panel had especially different view points and although there may have been some bristling during the first conversations, later on I witnessed some “ aha!” moments and believe that they learned a new appreciation of others perspectives as both artists and audience members. Not everyone attends dance performances hoping to find the same things and that it so important to remember. It helps us make better work and address our audiences in a more thoughtful way.

I feel blessed to sit and listen to such passionate dance community members discuss the work they’ve seen. Learning to express your views clearly is a tool that many find difficult at first, and yet there is clearly a power felt when one has done it well.

I also have rewarding moment on the award presentation nights – -

I had several SAGE nominees approach me that night and talk about how much the community nod meant to them personally – in some cases the first public acknowledgment of their lifetime of work. I watched community members revel in themselves, in each other, and celebrate their gifts and successes. I watched new community members marvel at the swirling room and witness this dance community in its glory.

Until next year, Dana K. Kassel

“the change our country needs”

And if in fact, to sit back and enjoy the ride and watch some great dancing is all you’re looking for; these folks sure are good dancers.

http://www.theway.org/Current/Mar07/Mar07Flash4.htm

MR/MS Durko Lynch