Who makes the dance? (Starting Here).

The apparent answer is the choreographer. In recent issues we have examined the humor of Todd Bolender, the process of Douglas Dunn, the impact of Christopher Wheeldon and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, and the diversity of Liz Lerman. Elizabeth Streb is different. A lifelong rebel, Streb is a "movement artist" more than a dancemaker. Her work reminds us of the nearness of our fellows on this populous planet and, between us, what a prop, a caress, or a slap can mean. With STREB we feel, when catapulted into the unknown, the splat when we encounter the finitude of our environment or our own arc of time. It is physics made visceral.

Being a socially acceptable rebel is one thing, but being a protester today is quite another. Those who voice or act on opinions counter to administrative policy have been labeled traitors or terrorists, some have even received death threats. Dissent is risky! But Krissy Keefer's Dance Brigade was built as a vehicle for social protest and so it continues this season making work for civil rights and against war. A few university students--from New York's subways to tiny Mills College's stage--have been stirred to make work protesting the death of innocents and the treatment of war as entertainment, as just another "reality" television show. There is a significant tradition and a current groundswell--dissenting American poets caused cancellation of a White House tea party, dramatists staged works from Lysistrata to Continental Divide, and in an ironic twist, musicians from Ireland came to New York to raise funds for Not in Our Name, an American anti-war/anti-violence activist group. But when DANCE MAGAZINE asked who was making dances in protest, there was a resounding silence. Why? we asked.

It's the economy, reader. According to all reports, general support for the arts is down from all funding sources: subscriber and single-ticket sales; foundation and corporate contributions; municipal, state, and federal funds. And dance is still the runt of the arts litter. This isn't exactly breaking network news, and standing up and shouting, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" just isn't effective anymore. So here's our strategy: Follow the money trail. What DANCE MAGAZINE has to offer you is useful information--and a rock-solid reliable source of it in these troubled times--so for the next few months we are going to write about career options, how much they pay and cost, and who makes the most of them; education and training resources and opportunities, where and how to get in; survival strategies; and yes, where to look to find money to continue training and making the dance. Just watch our Table of Contents this summer.