Chicago Lyric Opera auditioning belly dancers

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da Sage

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hmmm

may include topless or nude "choreography", and dancers must be at least 5' 2". All skill levels encouraged to apply.

It's a good thing I don't want to dance topless, because apparently I'm too short for the job!:mad:

Where's that devil smiley when I want it?

On second thought, I'd go topless if the lead soprano did, too.:p
 

Moon

New member
WHY must dancers be at least 5'2"??????? (Not that I want that job, and I'm tall enough, but I HATE this kind of discrimination!)
 

Michelle

New member
pandering to Richard Strauss's image of a "bellydancer"....topless:mad:

I guess they are going for authenticity of the opera.... and that is how bellydancers were portrayed back then, but I still feel like gagging.
 

Salome

Administrator
ACKKKKKKKK. My bad!!! To be honest I didn't read the entire column. Opps :eek: I saw the announcement and was excited that they were actually going to hire someone with training. Guess I should have read the entire audition announcement, huh?!
 

Recnadocir

New member
I will leave aside the ridiculous and insulting connotations that requiring the dancers to perform topless or "semi-nude" brings up. We are all aware of them, the same old tired and ignorant stereotypes.

Reading the announcement a second time, it seems the choreographer isn't entirely clear what sort of training background she is looking for in the dancers, as contemporary or ballet training are also mentioned.

The choreographer is one Denni Sayers, highly regarded in the world of opera choreography apparently, but with no discernable training, performing, or choreographing experience in ME dance. Here is her bio page: http://www.danceuk.org/metadot/index.pl?id=23524&isa=DBRow&op=show_printer_friendly

I predict a rather comical, if not degrading outcome, in the eyes of belly dancers, unless she gives the dancers considerable free reign in their movement. If Ms. Sayers tries to impose some contemporary dance notions of what belly dance is- all is lost.

This is particularly frustrating for me because, having spent many years studying and choreographing belly dance and ballet and modern and jazz, etc., it is still a small circle of choreographers who get all the work in opera. The rich get richer, so to speak, and hence we have choreographers who have apparently no significant background in belly dance, choreographing an opera in which the predominant, if not exclusive dance style, should be belly dance.
 

da Sage

New member
WHY must dancers be at least 5'2"??????? (Not that I want that job, and I'm tall enough, but I HATE this kind of discrimination!)

The only logical reason would be that they are afraid short dancers will appear too young.:rolleyes: But I suspect that someone in casting just thinks taller dancers look better on stage.:mad:
 

Recnadocir

New member
A big slap for Chicago Lyric Opera

I think the height requirement is probably more indicative of the ballet/ modern dance background of the choreographer. It is common for ballet and modern dance groups to exclude dancers under, or over, a certain height.

And on that score, leaving my own personal feelings of injustice aside, how is it that Chicago Lyric Opera could not find a qualified belly dance instructor/choreographer right there in Chicago? Apparently they are importing the choreographer from the UK, at what I am sure is considerable expense. What a slight to not only the belly dance community at large, with their topless and "semi-nude" requirements, but to the Chicago belly dance community specifically.

Chalk it up to ignorance on the part of the Chicago Lyric Opera directors. This choreographer they are bringing in is only "well known" in professional opera circles. They would have done far better to recruit someone locally, a respected belly dance choreographer with strong connections in the local ME dance community. Although, it is highly likely that such a person would have nothing to do with toplessness or partial nudity, which just continues the public perception of belly dance as stripping, erotic, etc.

My dance company, Bel Cobra Dance, is a member of Opera America. I am deeply disappointed at the dance aspects of this production of Salome, and the obvious disregard for the professionalism and artistry of belly dance on the part of Chicago Lyric Opera. If I were in the Chicago belly dance community I would boycott this production and urge others to do the same. However, reality being that dancers need to eat, I'm sure they will find some hack "belly dancers" willing to flounce around with their breasts out, to make a few bucks. I hope they are at least paying AGMA union scale.

So what's next, Chicago Lyric Opera? Will you be bringing in a hip hop dancer to choreograph the waltz sequence in Fliedermaus?
 
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Moon

New member
recnadocir said:
I think the height requirement is probably more indicative of the ballet/ modern dance background of the choreographer. It is common for ballet and modern dance groups to exclude dancers under, or over, a certain height.

But ballet also excludes dancers which are over a certain weight, right? In the article it says that "dancers may come in all shapes", so they may be heavy, so why not short?!

Hm, at least short dancers can be happy they don't have to dance topless or nude ;)
 

Recnadocir

New member
Here is the PDF of the contract agreement between Chicago Lyric Opera and AGMA (the American Guild of Musical Artists): http://www.musicalartists.org/ContractsOpera/LOC2003-2007.pdf

The dancers who work in an AGMA shop are required to pay $500 of their salary to join AGMA (initiation), and I believe this can be deducted from the employees pay in two or more installments, depending on the length of the run. This $500 is a one time union initiation fee, and then annual union dues, which are calculated separately, are due every six months at about $80 per payment.

From my understanding of AGMA shops the opera company is required to pay AGMA scale to the dancers. The only way around this is to try to classify the dancers as "supernumeraries" (read: "volunteers") or "choristers" who are paid considerably less than the dancers. I don't know that opera companies would try to, or would succeed in, such a ploy, although nothing would surprise me.

I don't know, for $1000 a week, as hungry as I am, I might walk around on stage for a couple of scenes, "hanging loose." I've never danced nude, and tend to agree with the great choreographer Sir Antony Tudor who said words to the effect that: "I'll never choreograph a nude piece, because I don't want to see body parts that I can't choreograph movement for," (doing their own thing, as it were).

Leaving aside the pay issue, my firm conviction remains that they should have hired a choreographer with significant belly dance experience. And returning to the pay issue, if I were a top belly dance teacher/choreographer in Chicago, I would be even more offended knowing that $1200 per week or whatever they pay choreographers in AGMA opera houses, was going to someone who probably doesn't know a figure eight from a shimmy, and probably thinks "belly dance" = "exotic dance" and = "second class dancer"

And if you guys don't think that many if not most ballet dancers and "concert modern dancers" and choreographers have this elitist attitude toward belly dancers, you are not being realistic. I'm in both worlds, and trust me, they do!
 

da Sage

New member
I don't know, for $1000 a week, as hungry as I am, I might walk around on stage for a couple of scenes, "hanging loose."

Me too. But I'd feel *way* better about that if the opera singers were also topless/nude!!:cool:

Leaving aside the pay issue, my firm conviction remains that they should have hired a choreographer with significant belly dance experience. And returning to the pay issue, if I were a top belly dance teacher/choreographer in Chicago, I would be even more offended knowing that $1200 per week or whatever they pay choreographers in AGMA opera houses, was going to someone who probably doesn't know a figure eight from a shimmy, and probably thinks "belly dance" = "exotic dance" and = "second class dancer"!

Oh yes. Dollars to doughnuts, their artistic vision is to recreate Ingres' "The Turkish Bath" as a tableau, and then have some of the harem women break into modern or ballet with some undulations sprinkled in. I wonder what kind of "veil dance" they'll have their Salome do? :p

I was in a group choreography set to that "Mata Hari" song twice...same choreographer both times, similar cutesy/fun choreographies both times. Nothing belly-dancey about them at all, that I recall.

And if you guys don't think that many if not most ballet dancers and "concert modern dancers" and choreographers have this elitist attitude toward belly dancers, you are not being realistic. I'm in both worlds, and trust me, they do!

Yes, you're right about that. :(
 
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Shanazel

Moderator
The only way around this is to try to classify the dancers as "supernumeraries" (read: "volunteers") or "choristers" who are paid considerably less than the dancers.

More like "supermammaries" in this case. That was all very interesting, Rick. Thanks for including the contract and for your commentary.
 

Shanazel

Moderator
You are welcome. Just don't get too near your sheeps while you are still burning- smoldering wool smells ghastly.
 
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Noiseman433

New member
This is particularly frustrating for me because, having spent many years studying and choreographing belly dance and ballet and modern and jazz, etc., it is still a small circle of choreographers who get all the work in opera. The rich get richer, so to speak, and hence we have choreographers who have apparently no significant background in belly dance, choreographing an opera in which the predominant, if not exclusive dance style, should be belly dance.
And on that score, leaving my own personal feelings of injustice aside, how is it that Chicago Lyric Opera could not find a qualified belly dance instructor/choreographer right there in Chicago? Apparently they are importing the choreographer from the UK, at what I am sure is considerable expense. What a slight to not only the belly dance community at large, with their topless and "semi-nude" requirements, but to the Chicago belly dance community specifically.
To be a little bit fair, the Chicago Lyric did have a relatively local belly dancer, Zweena bint Asya as choreographer and a principle dancer (the latter for their production of Thais, however). Though I'm sure that it was her background in ballet, jazz, and modern dance that landed her the gig at the time (well, presumably, that is).
And if you guys don't think that many if not most ballet dancers and "concert modern dancers" and choreographers have this elitist attitude toward belly dancers, you are not being realistic. I'm in both worlds, and trust me, they do!
Oh yes, they certainly do. We were playing the Indianapolis VisualFringe (part of Indianapolis' Indyfringe festival) next to a venue that had a number of women (about 30 or so) in veils and "middle-eastern-esque" costumes. We though that surely one of the group was a belly dancer but when my duo partner asked they were very non-plussed and stated they were "modern dancers." We later found out that they were dancers from the Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre and were there to promote their upcoming dance production, "Superhero: the Story of a Man Called Jesus."
 

Recnadocir

New member
"Superhero: The Story of a Man Called Jesus??!!" in dance theater form???!!
Well, I'll try to keep an open mind...
 
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