I wrote a letter to NOW regarding their fantastic article about Peggy Baker and the attached controversial/ridiculous 'The Next Baker'. It got published here but here's the full version, it was edited down a bit:
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Dear NOW Magazine and Mr. Sumi,
Like many dancers and dance lovers in the city, I was thrilled to see Peggy Baker on the cover of NOW. The lack of Contemporary Dance in Toronto is staggering, so to see a whole listing of not just one icon in Toronto but of six other women was heartwarming. These are all women I admire, I aspire to, and from whom I have much to learn and I am not alone in feeling this way - which is why I was more than disappointed to see them receiving coverage under the banner of “The Next Baker?” and lined up like So You Think You Can be a Dance Icon, Canada.
Your major complaint of three of the six artists is their involvement in other fields, claiming it is “overshadowing” or “distracting”. However, if we are talking about the future of Contemporary Dance, how can we not speak of involvement in other areas of the arts? A very major concern with dance work in Toronto is that it is so heavily movement based – or rather, so heavily classically based. To speak frankly, it is outdated – terms like homogeneous and behind-the-times are used on the ground level in the community, and it is this exact knee-jerk reaction to dance artists broadening their scope that is limiting the work being created here. In what other context do we complain of interdisciplinary study and practice in an artist? In my experience it does nothing but improve the work, and indeed in profiling Baker you celebrate her study of theatre.
Your claim to be interested in the future of Contemporary Dance is contradicted by your open questioning of the process of developing future of the work.
The women you have profiled are established artists and are not out to forge a path that has already been laid by iconic artists such as Baker, but rather to acknowledge the history behind them and look forward in their own directions.
Although I am delighted to see such important artists finally receiving coverage in NOW, The embarrassingly sparse dance (and art) coverage in all publications in the city is disheartening. NOW magazine, the voice of Toronto’s Alternative, surely should attempt to offer an alternative. The women profiled are doing just that. Please do not disparage them for their commitment to Contemporary Dance.
Sincerely,
Amelia Ehrhardt
Independent Contemporary Dance Artist
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