Tanzrecherche NRW: Classical Tradition / Modern Society by Mirjam Otten

CROSS-SECTOR RELATIONS
Ballet foms part of a wider dance and performance sector with a wide variety of
actors, artist unions to theatre venues to charity initiatives. Across this cultural
sector, a strong shared voice can magnify it’s political agency (Brinso, 1989).
McNicol suggests that strengthening relationships in the sector and the wider arts
could have a positive impact on our creative practices. Referencing pieces of
classical music that maintain their popularity in spite of problematic histories, he
suggests that we look at what other classical arts are doing to draw parallels and
understand our shared conversation about relevance on a deeper level.
Beyond the cultural scene, there have been successful initiatives that bring modern
audiences in touch with classical dance through cross-sector networks. The way the
American Dance Heritage Coalition works cooperatively with other institutions in
the industry as well as archives and libraries, is identified as a major contributor to
the securing of dance heritage into the future (Foley, 1999). The ‘America’s
Irreplaceable Dance Treasures’ exhibition is another successful example of a
collaborative approach that encourages public dance literacy by integrating
practitioners, academics, journalists and students and creating an accessible format
that put selected works of dance in context to explain their significance (Smith,
2021). Those ways of working show us that reaching out to professionals from other
backgrounds and exploring new ways of sharing our ambitions is an exciting field
of opportunity to expand the public resonance of classical dance.
Classical Tradition // Modern Society 30