Dance Critics Association

Dance Critics Association
Name	Dance Critics Association
Formation	1970s
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	New York City
Region served	International
Membership	Critics, journalists, scholars
Leader title	President

Dance Critics Association is a professional organization for critics, journalists, and scholars specializing in dance and related performing arts. It serves as a forum for critical standards, advocacy, and career development, linking reviewers working for newspapers, magazines, broadcasting outlets, and online platforms. The association engages with companies, choreographers, venues, festivals, and academic institutions to promote rigorous discourse about choreography, performance, and production.

History

Founded in the 1970s amid renewed public interest in modern dance and ballet, the association emerged parallel to developments at institutions such as New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Early members were critics who covered major venues like Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York City Center, The Joyce Theater, and festivals including Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and Spoleto Festival USA. The organization developed during debates sparked by premieres from choreographers such as George Balanchine, Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Alvin Ailey, and Pina Bausch, and it later addressed shifts introduced by artists like William Forsythe, Twyla Tharp, Trisha Brown, Ohad Naharin, and Akram Khan. The association’s trajectory intersected with cultural moments involving outlets like The New York Times, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and magazines such as The New Yorker and Time (magazine), shaping standards for dance coverage in print, radio, and television.

Organization and Membership

Membership includes critics affiliated with newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and digital platforms, with representatives from publications like Dance Magazine, Ballet Review, The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Washington Post. The governing structure typically comprises an elected board, committees, and regional chapters that liaise with presenters such as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Sadler's Wells Theatre, Barbican Centre, Kennedy Center, and Sadler's Wells. Members often hold academic appointments at institutions including Juilliard School, New York University, London Contemporary Dance School, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and California Institute of the Arts. Affiliate relationships exist with festivals, companies, and arts organizations such as Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, American Dance Festival, and Bolshoi Ballet.

Awards and Honors

The association administers annual awards recognizing excellence in choreography, performance, criticism, and lifetime achievement; honorees have included figures associated with Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, and Stuttgart Ballet. Awards have been presented for work tied to premieres at venues like Sadler's Wells Theatre, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Kennedy Center, The Joyce Theater, and festivals such as Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and Spoleto Festival USA. Critics’ prizes have honored choreographers such as William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Pina Bausch, Crystal Pite, Wayne McGregor, and performers linked to companies including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Royal Ballet. The association also bestows fellowships and grants supporting research at archives like New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and collections relating to artists such as Isadora Duncan, Anna Pavlova, Rudolf Nureyev, and Margot Fonteyn.

Activities and Programs

Regular activities include panels, roundtables, masterclasses, and symposiums held in collaboration with venues and institutions such as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Sadler's Wells Theatre, Kennedy Center, and universities like Harvard University and Columbia University. Programs address topics tied to premieres by Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Frankfurt, and emerging companies from regions served by Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The association organizes professional development workshops with editors from The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and representatives from broadcasters such as BBC Radio and NPR. Collaborative projects have connected critics with choreographers like Twyla Tharp, Trisha Brown, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Akram Khan, and curators from Serpentine Galleries and Tate Modern.

Publications and Criticism

The association produces newsletters, conference proceedings, directories, and position papers distributed to members and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Joyce Theater, Sadler's Wells Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and academic presses such as Oxford University Press and Routledge. Members publish reviews and essays in outlets like Dance Magazine, Ballet Review, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Guardian, and contribute to anthologies featuring work on artists such as George Balanchine, Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Pina Bausch, and William Forsythe. The association has issued statements on ethics and standards that intersect with newsroom policies at organizations like The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, and services such as AP News and Reuters.

Influence and Reception

The association’s critiques and awards have affected programming decisions at companies including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Royal Ballet, and Paris Opera Ballet, and influenced festival lineups at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Its positions on accessibility, diversity, and historical interpretation have been referenced in academic forums at Harvard University, Columbia University, New York University, and University of California, Los Angeles. Reception among artists and presenters has varied, with endorsements from choreographers such as Christopher Wheeldon and critiques from commentators in outlets like The New York Times and The Guardian. The association’s role in shaping public discourse about dance connects it to archives and libraries including New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and to pedagogical programs at conservatories like Juilliard School and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Category:Arts organizations