IT IS said that art is an individual's expression of a culture. Performing arts, then, are a moving commentary on life and a reflection of our current society. It seems, though, that if the arts are going to carry on, some major reshaping is in order. People's interests are changing, but not all art is changing with us.
Classic ballet, for instance, has seen a considerable decline in audiences just this past year, with a whopping 24 percent decline in attendance for the New York City Ballet's 2006 season. In a Business Review article, Marcia White, Saratoga Performing Arts Center president and executive director, said the figures were "particularly disappointing" because many improvements had been made to the Web site and promotion had been extensive.
"It's almost like young people need more stimulation," says Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp, leader of the University's Dance program. And it might very well be true.
As the MTV generation, we have been raised on flashing visual images and special effects. Media has become a spectacle with more importance placed on the dazzle and sparkle of a show than on the art itself. Concerts, for example, have managed to remain popular among our age group precisely because they have adapted to the times. Madonna went from singing with a tambourine in her first concert to descending to the stage on a giant disco ball amidst flashing lights and television screens in her last, a change that has not only maintained her career as an artist but also made her concert the number-one hit this past summer.
Not all the performing arts have adopted this standard, however, and the general public is beginning to notice the rift. FOX's popular show, "So You Think You Can Dance?" which recently completed its second season, has tried to make dancing -- from krumping to jive -- appeal to different age groups. But are shows such as these helping or hindering the arts? "Dance is totally lost on video. Dance is all about energy and effort, and on video you can't read that," argues Pasquarello.
The reality is, though, that shows such as this one add the element of competition, drama and (of course) plenty of special effects -- elements that appeal much more to young adults than simple ballet or paintings in a museum. Although the thought of changing dance to suit the public may be heartbreaking, the fact remains that art will only exist as long as people show up to appreciate it. "Artists say, 'I'm an artist, I don't need technology,'" says Pasquarello, "But it's hard to get audiences coming in. Artists, at least in dance, are becoming more interested in integrating media and art. They realize there is a disconnection."
Theater, too, is being uprooted by its more accessible and spectacle-filled colleague: the movies. In a 1993 article by Richard Schechner, the author alludes to the fact that theater is destined to join classical music "as an historical rather than contemporary art." This is validated by a 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, which showed that 77.7 percent of American adults did not attend the theater at all in that year, a sharp contrast to the 60 percent of American adults who went to the movies and the average 2.9 hours a day they spent watching television.
In order to survive, then, the arts may very well have to sacrifice some of their beauty and traditions and opt instead to incorporate the technology and effects that will attract viewers. Or, perhaps, a radical change in the way we educate our children is in order.
If we educate kids in the arts from an early age, we might be able to preserve an edifying and certainly important aspect of our self-expression. Rather than watching so much television, we should perhaps make a conscious effort to take the time to see a live performance.
One thing is for certain: If we continue to place so much value on the technology of the art instead of its spirit, artists are going to have to take a long, hard look at what they're doing and decide what's more important -- expressing their message or getting it out to the masses?
Andrea Arango is a Cavalier Daily Viewpoint writer.