What the Heck is Going On in the Dance Industry?

I came across this article entitled, “Dance industry needs greater scrutiny: former teacher”.  This article is about a dance teacher at RG Dance Studio in Sydney, Australia by the name of Grant Davies.  Mr. Davies has been arrested and charged with “grooming children for unlawful sexual activity, and producing and disseminating child abuse material…Additional charges include four counts of aggravated sexual assault and two counts of child indecent assault, both with a victim under 16 years of age” (ABC News 24, 2013).  Basically, this boils down to Davies abusing his power as a dance instructor.  As a dance teacher, you do need to have a small level of physical contact with your students, but never in an inappropriate way or to the level that Davies was taking it to.  He was apparently having some of the students pose nude in provocative positions and that was the material he was using to produce his child pornography.  This guy was brought up on so many charges it’s ridiculous.  I, for one, am thoroughly disgusted at his behavior.  Thankfully, I haven’t experienced this type of behavior with any of my dance instructors, but it is clearly a real problem.  People like Grant Davies are making it really difficult for parents to trust their children’s dance instructors and that is a real shame because dancing is such a great, empowering experience for children.

            So I found another disturbing piece of news entitled, “Bolshoi ballet dancer to stand trial overacid attack”.  This article is about a ballet dancer at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow by the name of Pavel Dmitrichenko.  Pavel has been accused of throwing acid in the face of Sergei Filin, the theatre’s artistic director.  He reportedly had two accomplices with him that helped him follow through with the attack.  Apparently there was a rivalry between the two men and it stemmed from Sergei being in “the position to make or break careers” (Gabriela Baczynska, 2013) and also because Pavel believed that Sergei had been “playing favorites in the distribution of financial grants” (Gabriela Baczynska, 2013).  Regardless of the reason that the two men had a rivalry or of the way that Pavel is trying to justify his attack, it was still wrong.  Sergei has been recovering in Germany for months and has undergone over 20 operations, with more still to come.  There is a great possibility that he won’t be able to continue his full duties as artistic director as a result of the damages from the attack.  Now I know the dance industry is competitive and that everyone wants to be the best, but letting a stupid feud or rivalry get to the point that you are physically attacking someone, with acid at that, is completely absurd.  Also, Pavel is a grown man and should be able to use his words if he has a problem with someone and not shrink down to attacking to them and not to the point of almost destroying their lives.

What’s New in the World of Dance?

As I was browsing through one of my favorite websites, dancespirit.com, an online dance magazine, I found a couple of interesting pieces on a few dancers in the industry.  One was a dancer by the name of IvanKoumaev.  Ivan is a choreographer, but also a gamer.  He enjoys playing video games and he is excited for the release of one of his favorite games, Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2.  Inspired by the game and his love for it, he created a video centered on a Mortal Kombat theme.  He had a group of dancers dress up like the ninjas in the game and perform a choreographed dance that goes along with the Mortal Kombat theme song.  The dancers aren’t just dancing, but they are also doing a few off-the-wall stunts and using props to make the video more authentic.  I just wanted to commend Mr. Koumaev for incorporating two of his passions into one and making an incredible video out of it.  His choreography was amazing and his visual effects were just as amazing.  I am thoroughly impressed with his video.

            Another rising star in the dance world is James Whiteside.  James is a dancer in the American Ballet Theatre, but he also writes music and choreographs music videos.  Back in 2011, he created a hilarious music video entitled “I Hate My Job”.  In the video, it is him and two other male dancers dressed in white collared shirts with black ties, tiny, black shorts, and red heels.  They are performing a cute little dance number along to a simple song about why “he hates his job”.  The theme of the video mimics and resembles Beyonce’s hit “Single Ladies”, only with three men instead of three women.  The video goes along with the theme of Beyonce’s video, but James definitely made it his own.  I can definitely appreciate his talent and his creativity.  He is not only a good choreographer, but I can see where his talents span out to as well.