FW/D Musicians to Protest Texas Ballet Theater
by Kevin Buchanan
It wasn’t long ago that I wrote about the Texas Ballet Theater’s recent financial woes, which have led the troupe to commence fundraising activities to stave off collapse. One of the decisions TBT made to cut costs for the upcoming 2008/2009 season was to use pre-recorded accompaniment music instead of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, which saves money for TBT but removes a long string of engagements for the FWSO.
Now, the local musicians’ union, the Dallas-Fort Worth Professional Musicians Association, has announced their intention to protest TBT performances during the upcoming season. Says the DFWPMA press release:
The company’s decision to go “canned” will affect seven weeks of Ballet in Fort Worth and one Nutcracker week in Dallas, and has evidently been planned for months, according to information obtained by Union President Ray Hair. “The Ballet company artistic staff traveled to China in June, 2008 and obtained a recording utilizing the staff orchestra of the National Ballet of China, which the company intends to use in place of the Fort Worth Orchestra for performances of Cleopatra at Bass Hall in March 2009,” said Hair. “By using recordings instead of professional musicians, the Texas Ballet Theater is cheating its patrons out of a legitimate ballet experience. Patrons’ tickets reflect the price of a live orchestra, and they should get what they’ve paid for. By outsourcing a live orchestra with Chinese-made recordings, Texas Ballet Theater is guilty of artistic fraud,” said Hair.
The union plans to protest with picket lines and leaflets at all TBT performances using pre-recorded music during the season. More on the saga of the ballet as it progresses.
Tags: art, ballet, Music, orchestra, protest, symphony, theater
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3 Comments, Comments or Pings
Jeremy
This isn’t good for either side of the argument. The problem is the lack of money and the fact that people aren’t spending money to support the programs. The TBT is obviously in a crunch and doing all they can to save money to keep their program afloat. Unfortunately a side affect of this is going to hurt the FWSO. Personally, I think the TBT needs to realize that making enemies with a more successful arts campaign (like FWSO) is not a good idea and they should have though of other ways to save money. I will also say that protesting the TBT is also a bad idea. The FWSO has every right to be upset, but protesting is going to keep people away from the arts. Isn’t that what you’re trying to promote? Surely common ground could have been made somewhere.
What’s the old saying…oh yea, “Can’t we all just get along?”
Apparently not.
Sep 4th, 2008
John Peter Smith
The real problem is that the Dallas-Fort Worth Professional Musicians Association is apparently made up of a bunch of idiots. I lost out on a job to a cheaper competitor a couple of weeks ago. You don’t see me picketing their business. Grownups don’t act that way.
The union doesn’t really even believe their own press release. If it is true as the union claims that by using recorded tracks rather than a live orchestra the ballet is “cheating its patrons out of a legitimate ballet experience” you can be sure the ballet will come running to the union begging them to return to the orchestra pit to regain the business of those “cheated” customers.
No. What really has the musician’s union so upset is that they are afraid the ballet’s patrons won’t notice, or won’t care where the music comes from.
Sep 4th, 2008
Chris Shipman
Eh, not really.
The fact of the matter is a ballet without live music really just isn’t as good a product as a ballet with music. I speak only as a person who has a mild interest specifically in ballet (because I have a 4 year old daughter) , but a strong interest and background in the performing arts in general.
A ballet without a live orchestra is just sub-standard. I’ve seen them. Without the orchestra you’ve just got folks dancing on stage. The productions in the park here in Fort Worth, for example, are done without music. Bless Margot Dean’s heart, I’m grateful as can be they are doing this dance festival. I don’t know the history and why they don’t have live music - I assume it because they can’t afford it. The fact of the matter is you’re just missing quite a bit of the experience without the live music. The canned music is just not up to par with live music. A ballet is about the music >and> the dancing - not just dancing.
I certainly expect that live music be back when Texas Ballet theater gets their financial house in order. Maybe not this year, maybe not the next, but soon.
And I certainly hope those folks on the board get do get their act together. I probably won’t get season tickets next year if they don’t bring it back.
Cheerios.
Sep 5th, 2008
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