It's early January, which means three things happen in the dance world.
First, it becomes socially inappropriate to send out links to videos that include the music to "Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy." Second, every performing arts venue in New York is taken over by the annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) conference and surrounding events. Highlights in the dance sector include FocUS Dance at multiple venues, including the Joyce, City Center and Skirball, and American Realness at Abrons Arts Center.
A great summary of the full APAP calendar can be found at CultureBot.
Finally, since APAP represents a time when a critical mass of domestic performing arts presenters gather and look towards the future, TenduTV publishes its annual top 10 list of things that the dance field should be talking about over the next 12 months. How did we do last year? See for yourself.
1. Globalization (#1 in 2011)
Globalization topped the list in 2010 and 2011, and holds its place this year. By the end of this year, globalization in dance won't be an emerging trend... it will be a permanent state of existence, and every company should be aware of their global positioning, even if they've never toured outside of their home city.
Last month, four Nutcrackers were broadcast into cinemas, and the rumored box-office revenue from the Bolshoi's cinemacasts exceeds the total earned and contributed revenue for all but perhaps the dozen largest domestic dance companies. Exclusivity provisions in distribution agreements can, will and are limiting the potential footprint for other dance organizations attempting to reach new audiences around the world.
Is it possible for one performing arts organization located thousands of miles away to limit the ability of another performing arts organization to reach audiences in its own home city? Yes.
For the rest of the 2011 list, click here.
