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The Arts Blog ~ News and notes on Orange County's world of arts, from Tim Mangan (classical music), Laura Bleiberg (dance), Paul Hodgins (theater) and Richard Chang (visual art).
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Good-bye

April 4th, 2008, 4:47 pm · 6 Comments · posted by Laura Bleiberg

My colleague Richard Chang, beat me to the announcement: Today is my last day at the Orange County Register. I am leaving after 18-1/2 wonderful, challenging, fun and outrageous years as this newspaper’s dance critic and arts reporter. It has been a privilege and an honor.

Many of you have heard me say that being a dance critic was all I ever wanted to be. I remember as a teen-ager reading the daily newspaper at the kitchen table and angrily disagreeing with its dance critic. “I can do better than that,” I thought, with more bravado than intelligence.

I free-lanced as a dance critic in New York City for four years, and in Los Angeles for two before I was hired at the Register as the staff critic.  I still vividly remember my elation on that day. I had been keeping my own clipping file of dance stories for 10 years — I could finally put it to use. (This was before the Internet.) And I never anticipated that being a dance critic in Orange County, Calif., 35 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, would turn into such an amazing opportunity. Nederlands Dans Theater, Royal Danish Ballet, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Group and more. I have lapped it up. It has been an honor and an important responsibility to write about local dance and chart its ups and downs.

I leave this profession with a heavy heart. It’s a dreadful time for newspaper journalists in particular.  I do not know if the Register will replace me with a staff dance critic.  Let’s continue to advocate for the arts and for arts coverage at daily newspapers. Please let the Register editors and publisher know how important it is to you that the Register continue to report and write about dance and the arts in Orange County. The arts are the heart and soul of a community — and they’re local! The Register is all about local news.

Now for the truly great news: Beginning April 14, I will be joining the Tony Award-winning theater, South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, as Associate Director of Development for Individual Giving. I have searched my soul about what should be my next career move, and certain things were clear. I wanted to work for an arts organization. I wanted to be actively involved with like-minded people. And I wanted to help the arts survive. I look forward to doing all of that at SCR.

In the meantime, please stay in touch. My personal e-mail is: laurableiberg@yahoo.com

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Posted in: Dance by Paul Hodgins
 
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 6 Comments

  • David Allan says:
    April 5, 2008 at 5:45 pm

    How incredibly sad I was to read today that Laura Bleiberg is stepping down as the Head Dance critic of the OC Register. The paper has lost a treasured writer and the arts community at large, here in the Southern California dance scene, have lost an irreplaceable professional and trusted friend.

    Her work and dedication to dance over the decades embodied the values of respect, curiosity, integrity, commitment, empathy and appreciation. The highly regarded dance artists who reside in this vast terrain of the ‘O.C.’ will miss her dearly.

    I pray that the Register’s commander(s) and chief(s), will have the wisdom to replace her with someone who was as devoted and passionate about the fledgling dance scène in our community as she.

    Laura you have my gratitude and endless respect for all that you have done for dance in the OC.
    Wishing you the best in all your future endeavors.

    David Allan
    Choreographer/Professor/Director of Ballet
    Department of Dance
    Claire Trevor School of the Arts
    University of California, Irvine

  • Jennifer M. says:
    April 9, 2008 at 7:31 pm

    So another Register regular leaves…is there anyone left?

  • Paul says:
    April 15, 2008 at 9:16 am

    Good riddance.

    OC Register, please hire a real critic to replace her.

  • Laura Bleiberg says:
    April 15, 2008 at 11:49 am

    Dear David and Charles,

    Your comments here are so generous and so kind — I am deeply, genuinely touched. Thank you so much. How lucky I was to be able to write about your work. Keep doing what you’ve been doing so Orange County dance grows and thrives.
    Charles, you make a good point. The point of having an on-staff critic is so the public has a consistent voice and an opinion they can trust. Even if readers disagree with their paper’s critic (and of course they will from time to time), the reader comes to know what the critic likes and dislikes, and can judge whether you, the reader, will like or dislike the performance, too, based on your “relationship” with that critic. More important, though, a critic should help enlighten the viewer and reader about the artwork. It’s not a thumbs up-or-down job and unfortunately, many editors think of it that way. Anyone can blurt out their opinion. The more rare relationships take time to build and nurture — both on the part of the critic with the art form, and between the critic and the reader.
    One thing I forgot to mention in my goodbye note. I wrote how as a teen-ager I thought that I could do better than the critics whom I was reading. Well, turns out it was harder than I thought. Much harder!

    Keep reading the Register’s other critics! Be well, guys.
    And thank you.
    Laura

  • Charles Maple says:
    April 16, 2008 at 9:27 pm

    A Sad Farewell To Orange County Register’s Dance Critic Laura Bleiberg
    Charles Maple, Director of the Maple Conservatory of Dance

    April 15, 2008

    I was shocked and dismayed when I recently learned of Laura Bleiberg’s departure as the Head Dance Critic at the Orange County Register newspaper. As I mull over the incredible loss of this noted and prolific dance journalist, I realize how grateful I am for her enormous contribution to the field of dance in Southern California, and the country as a whole.

    Last year, Kathy Crade and I had just opened the Maple Conservatory of Dance and founded our pre-professional ballet company, the Maple Youth Ballet. Though I grew up in Southern California, I was new to the inner workings of the Orange County dance scene, and so, I sought Laura’s advice. The ideas that Laura presented to me have had a huge impact on the development of our Conservatory and our pre-professional company.

    Of course, I realize that some choreographers, dance companies, and even dancers may not have always appreciated her reviews about their work. But no one could argue about her passion and deep dedication to her profession and her love of dance. As Laura states in a recent web blog, “Being a dance critic was all I ever wanted to be.” She really knew her field and I appreciated her generosity and desire to advance the art of dance in our community.

    Los Angeles and Orange County are making great strides in the development of dance. New professional ballet and modern dance companies are emerging. New dance schools featuring state-of-the-art facilities, curriculums and faculty are springing up throughout the region and they are developing great dancers. The major theatres are creating incredible dance programs and series that bring us top artists in ballet, modern and cutting-edge companies.

    It is ironic that at a time when dance is flourishing, dance journalism positions and editorial space given to these journalists is being cut. First it was Los Angeles Times’ Lewis Segal and now it is Laura Bleiberg’s resignation. Are we to now rely on freelance writers? How will freelance writers be able to maintain a presence for dance and art, or influence the inner circle of editorial decisions? How are newspaper readers supposed to align themselves with a critic’s sensibilities if there is always a different voice? I would imagine that keeping the public informed is the main function of a strong, diverse and comprehensive newspaper.

    Dance represents a vibrant and influential art form in Orange County, and thus, dance discourse by newspaper dance critics like Laura Bleiberg is essential to Orange County maintaining its edge and influence on dance’s cultural, artistic and visionary values in Southern California. It is my hope that the Orange County Register will find a suitable replacement for Laura.

    And so Laura, I know that I speak for everyone in the arts community when I say thank you for 18 wonderful years as Orange County Register’s dance critic and sharing your poignant views and critiques. Your articles in the Orange County Register were an essential element in the growth of local dance companies and its artists.

    It has been a privilege and an honor to work with you and I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor as Associate Director of Development for Individual Giving at South Coast Repertory. They are lucky to have you and we in the Orange County dance community will miss you.

    Charles A. Maple
    Director, Maple Conservatory of Dance
    Artistic Director, Maple Youth Ballet

  • Stephanie Colby says:
    May 8, 2008 at 12:04 pm

    Thank you Laura, for the many things you’ve done for the dance community in southern California. You’ve provided inspiration, direction, support, logic, advice and even a bit of mothering to so many trying to work towards creating a dance community. I’ve thorougly enjoyed your opinions, good and bad. Best of luck to you in all of your future capacities!

    Stephanie Colby