READERS' FORUM.Send your letters to Readers' Forum, Dance Magazine, 33 West 60th St., New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , NY 10023, or e-mail us at editorial@dancemagazine.com. Letters must be signed with name, city, and state and include a weekday telephone or fax number for confirmation. Letters become the property of Dance Magazine, which reserves the right to edit them. JAZZ, NOT SLEAZE sleaze n. A sleazy condition, quality, or appearance: "His record of public service is untouched by any stain of shadiness or sleaze" James J. Kilpatrick. , PLEASE This letter is to express a concern I have as a teacher of jazz dance to children. Recently my students competed for the first time. Their response to me afterward: "We weren't sleazy enough." What am I to say to that? What is happening to jazz dance? I'm concerned that the industry is telling children and studios that compete that it's okay to be sexy at ten or eleven. Sorry--it's not. There is much more to jazz dance than just sex. I Want this to stop. Competitions are fine, but if the dances are supposed to be for family viewing, then disqualify To deprive of eligibility or render unfit; to disable or incapacitate. To be disqualified is to be stripped of legal capacity. A wife would be disqualified as a juror in her husband's trial for murder due to the nature of their relationship. those dances that aren't--or is the almighty dollar Almighty dollar is an idiom often used to satirize an obsession for material wealth (the phrase implies that money is a kind of deity). The phrase is commonly attributed to Washington Irving, who used it in the story "The Creole Village", which was published in the November 1836 always going to win? I'm sorry that such a great dance form has been twisted to such an extent. Tama McGuire, Owner, The Dance Academy Chesterton, IN CONNECTED TO THE HIPBONE hip·bone n. Either of two large flat bones formed by the fusion of ilium, ischium, and pubis, constituting the lateral half of the pelvis and articulating with its fellow, with the sacrum, and with the femur. Re: "Connected to the Hipbone," page 89 of the February 1999 issue. As an orthopedic surgeon and dancer, I applaud articles like "Leaps and Bounds." The portrayal of William Starrett, however, undoes all of the preceding goodwill. The vignette "Connected to the Hipbone" reads like a promotional blurb blurb n. A brief publicity notice, as on a book jacket. [Coined by Gelett Burgess (1866-1951), American humorist.] blurb v. for Dr. Amstutz's practice. Starrett opted for hip implants developed by Dr. Amstutz that fell out of favor several decades ago. Starrett should no longer be dancing professionally, or complicated revision surgery is certain. Reporting Starrett's return to dance is like advising an anorexic an·o·rex·ic adj. Relating to or suffering from anorexia nervosa. an  o·rex dancer to eat less. In the end, both will have chosen a
dangerous and self-destructive course.Amy Ladd, M.D. Stanford, CA Mr. Starrett replies: Dr. Ladd's response to Dance Magazine's coverage of my hip replacement surgery is misinformed. I chose the metal-metal hip replacement surgery, seeking a medical procedure that would allow me to teach and choreograph and one that would allow me to return to the stage. But while dance is undeniably my life's passion, I would never permanently compromise my health to dance. I have not chosen, as Dr. Ladd describes, "a dangerous and self-destructive course." As a matter of fact, my hips are regenerating, sixteen percent in the right hip and four percent in the left at last measure. William Starrett Columbia City Columbia City is the name of several places in the United States:
Dr. Amstutz replies: While similar in concept, the new hybrid metal/metal surface replacement that Starrett received is quite different from the fixed-surface replacements of the 1970s and 1980s. We share our patients' (and other orthopedic surgeons') concern with regard to durability while dancing. However, after five and a half years with metal/metal surface replacements, our experience is sufficiently large In mathematics, the phrase sufficiently large is used in contexts such as:
Harlan C. Amstutz, M.D Orthopaedic Hospital, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. JILLANA SIGHTINGS On page 12 of your May 1999 issue there is a picture of an unnamed ballerina with New York City Ballet New York City Ballet, one of the foremost American dance companies of the 20th cent. It was founded by Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine as the Ballet Society in 1946. in 1961. Looking further through the issue, one can also find this picture appearing in the advertisements of the Jillana School of Technique. How wonderful to see Jillana here in Dance Magazine, and how very fortunate we all are that she continues to teach the wonderful technique known as Balanchine. Pat Fuhrmann Oak Park, CA DANCERS AND BREAST CANCER I read with deep interest your article "Moving Aid: Dancercare" on page 32 of your June 1999 issue. As a dancer and breast cancer survivor, it is wonderful to read about an organization that will provide mammograms to uninsured or underinsumd dancers. Dancers also need to know that there is dancing after breast cancer. I resumed dancing shortly after the end of treatment. Nancy Wolf Stoughtan, MA3 |
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