DNA Closing? (What Does it Mean?)

When I first visited New York City as a college junior, a student at the Tisch summer dance intensive, I spent the week wide-eyed and dumbfounded by the opportunity available to a young modern dancer.  And although I’m sure you would love to hear another story about a Midwestern girl moving to the big city, I’ll jump to what is relevant to this post:

The first technique class I took (on my second day in the city) was Beth Goheen’s intermediate ballet at Dance Space.  My second was Max Stone’s modern jazz, also at Dance Space. My third would be Katiti King, at Dance Space, and so you get the idea. The studio would be where I spent more time than any other place in all of the five boroughs during my eight years in New York.  It was where I met and was subsequently influenced by artists like Jennifer Nugent, Ezra Caldwell, and Nia Love. And not only did I study with the staff teachers, but I also took workshops, performed in showings, rented space…it was home.

When Dance Space became Dance New Amsterdam and moved further downtown, I was one of the many who resisted the change. The studios were cramped and not only did we have to navigate a room packed full of other dancers (which was expected), we were also now ricocheting off pillars and fighting for coveted mirror space, now sparse.  The staff of teachers that had represented a community of experienced and gifted educators now seemed heavily populated by freshman instructors who had only just graduated from training courses. 

Despite my attempt to boycott these alterations, I soon had changed my subway route, located the nearest coffee shop, and paid my fees at the new front desk, staffed by young dancers who did not know my name when I entered, who misspelled it every time, who were instructed to explain to me where the bathrooms were.  And regardless of my feelings about the new space, there still existed a place where I could go nearly any time of the day and pay a reasonable amount for a great dance class.  It was also the last place I visited before leaving New York for Indiana four years ago.

And so when I read that DNA is seriously behind in rent and is facing eviction I was saddened.  I am concerned for friends who are DNA teachers with loyal followings, as they have sacrificed much to maintain a career in dance.  But I also had to wonder what the closing of DNA would mean for dance.  DNA’s executive director is taking the matter to the public, asking for support from its patrons and the city itself. It seems everyone is hoping that by stating the importance of such a venue the right guys sitting at the right desks in city government buildings will step in and “Save DNA”.

I hope so. But if not, if the thousand plus dancers who have so far signed DNA’s statement of support cannot convince NYC to step in, what can dancers in cities less supportive of their dance community expect? Is the outcome indicative of what dance artists throughout the U.S. will be facing?

It raises an interesting question: does a city have a responsibility to protect its cultural institutions? DNA is not only a pay-per-class studio. Should NY, then, step up? And what would this assistance look like? The obvious answer would be to simply provide financial assistance. But if the rent continues to increase, even though DNA's revenue has increased the last few years, will it be enough?

More on this to come, but in the meantime, thoughts?