Recently, two articles were published about the Contemporary Dance Ensemble’s spring concert, and while we’re glad the dance department is getting recognition in The Breeze, we had hoped to be represented in a more factual, detailed and accurate manner. March 27th’s preview of the concert contained false information regarding the nights of the performances that took place Thursday through Saturday, not the published Thursday through Sunday. A prominent pull-out box in the article declares the ticket price to be $10 with a JAC Card, instead of the actual $8. The article says the concert showcased four student choreographers when in fact it showcased five; Meghan Ballard, Jill Boelte, Zilda Decker, Jenn Potosnak and Sarah Birgfeld. These errors, which caused confusion for concert-goers and a left out choreographer, could have been corrected with simple fact checks. The March 31 review of the concert did not even refer to our company by its name, the Contemporary Dance Ensemble, in the headline or article, substituting ‘dance ensemble’ instead. Our director, Cynthia Thompson, is never referred to by her full name or identified as director. Only one musical artist is identified and her name is printed in italics, unlike any of the actual musical composition titles.
The entire review appears to be no more than a restatement of program information. An in-depth look in to any source involved with the concert (besides the program) might have provided the writer with more detailed and pertinent information. Again, we are thrilled that dance department concerts are receiving press here at JMU, but we hope that next time there will be more research, thought and care put in to the coverage of our events. Dance is our major, our art and our passion. We put months of hard work and immense amounts of effort into our performance and we would have liked to see this echoed in the efforts of The Breeze to report in a professional and factually correct manner.
Ilana Burger,
junior SMAD and dance major
Member of The Contemporary Dance Ensemble
