dance

[Mibella Villafana]

I would like to know why, regardless of how much of their whole heart, soul, life, time, and energy dancers can put into their art of dancing, they fail to make the fortune that an actor has the ability to make in a few minutes of a video clip. Acting is so competitive that only few get noticed and stand out, but so is dance and those who do stand out do not get paid nearly as much as the actor would. This is not to say that actors do not have talent, because they are definitely not ordinary and can have an absurd amount of talent, but dancers should get a little bit more credit than they do. It is interesting to think that the dancer from the exquisite ballet performance, "Great Pas De Deux," from class today makes less money than these actors in this short clip did. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwamLZy3p4o

[Lids]

There are so many forms of art that sometimes not all of them get the credit they deserve. For example, musicians practice harder and put in backbreaking efforts into their work but do not get half the credit as actors or actresses. I think the main reason is because of the way our society is shaped. We have become a highly visual society and our attention spans have become ever so demanding. In a movie or a play, our minds are constantly fed stimuli that keep us on our toes. When we watch dance, we may not be able to identify with the dancers because they are putting forth a more abstract beauty. Also, some people are just, for lack of better vocabulary, "right brain retarded" and simply cannot appreciate art.

[natasha Weidemann]

I completely agree with this! I too cannot understand why someone who spends all day everyday training, practicing, dedicating their lives to prefect a performance that tons of people enjoy to watch, gets paid less than an actor. They put the same amount of effort, if not more sometimes into what they do, and people enjoy watching them as well. I think the difference is what is more popular at the moment, and more people pay money to go see movies than they do dance performances because of the cultural change in society. However, i believe that they deserve equal pay.

[Valentina nguyen]

It's because our society centers around the cinemas as a form of entertainment. Everyone has once in their lives seen a movie, but not everyone can say the same about watching a ballet/modern dance performance. It also has to do with popular culture and the fact that movies are displayed and promoted all over the nation while dancers have to perform live most of the time at small venues. They do not receive the same amount of recognition that actors do because their performances are not publicized like movies are. The same can be said about actors in plays or independent movies.The actors in Medea don't make as much money as let's say Jessica Alba or Hilary Duff but that is not to say they don't prepare or work as hard as those two. Plus those are prime examples of actresses who are not famous for their skills; acting is not always about skill while dancers cannot get recognized for simply being good looking as some actors are. Not everyone enjoys or connects to dance performances although without a doubt they should receive a much deserved amount of respect and recognition. However, on the other hand, acting is much different, a lot more people can connect to it because it captivates everyday human emotions.

[Pierre Tamer]

Yeah Mibella i agree with your point. I think society has become so accustomed to the immediacy and specific form of entertainment that their appreciation for unique skill and passion has become tarnished. Not to say that actors and actresses are not skilled - in fact the years of practice and dedication are quite incredible. From a personal standpoint I have experienced through many of my friends the impossible technique and finesse that is required of ballet. However, I agree with Cameron's point that society's demand for movies is much greater than watching ballet or dance. In today's "context", society finds it more emotionally (humor, joy, inspiration, sadness, etc.) pleasing to see a movie as opposed to live performance. Therefore, I believe that unfortunately the subject of credit and money is based on society's demand.

[ashley]

I believe that it ties into the fact that no one will ever be equal to another. A large role is society and demand because many people go to watch movies and pay ten dollars easily. While few people demand live dance performances or will pay for great music videos even if it contains great choreography because they can watch it for free. To me this correlates to my wdydwyd paper which deals with social activism. Why should a basketball player receive more money than a doctor or someone that positively influences children's everyday lives, such as an amazing teacher or professor? I wish that the world's socio-economic standings was based on talent and positive impact.

[Jong Hun (David) Moon]

Yeah. I also felt uneasy to hear professor winter saying that dancers are pretty much at the bottom of food chain in the field of performing arts. I think that issue goes along with the conflict between art and life in reality. For example, it is reasonable to say that judging the quality of an art piece depends on one's subjctive thought and opinion, artists need to be recognized and appreciated by others in order to make their living. They need government funding and money to continue on their art work. It is just sad to notice that dancers, in spite of their passion and effort, have to struggle in making their living because of its underdeveloped market (in contrast to overdeveloped movie industry). I feel like there must be a revolutionary movement in dancing field that can expand its market though it's difficult or even unrealistic.

[ashley]

I agree, but at the same time Professor Winter is correct in his statement because in a sense dancers have such a drive and passion for dancing that they ignore every other aspect of dancing. An actress may say I do what I do in order to become famous, and a model may say I do what I do so that I can be recognized. Yet, a dancer almost never responds with one of these answers, but they do what the do because they truly love what they do!

In regards to your last sentence I believe that would be a great idea and at one point people believed that everything would be difficult or unrealistic, but in all instances someone came along and made the impossible plausible. :)

[Avi Siani]

I completeley agree with this, but i think the reason has to do with what society demands. For instance the actor gets paid more because one a movie is more widely available to society and two because in today's society they find a movie more entertaining and enjoyable than a dance. It could be because people can identify with the role actors play where as it is much more difficult to identify with a dancer.