Not all dance companies will make it through to the other end of this crisis. But dance artists are a resilient bunch. Many have been through closure and seen a future emerge after. Jennifer Stahl spoke to some people who've been through the experience.
In 2004, Alicia Graf Mack had just rejoined Dance Theatre of Harlem after four years off to heal from an injury and an autoimmune disease. But after a weeks-long tour to the UK, then-director Arthur Mitchell shared the news that financial difficulties had forced DTH to go on an indefinite hiatus.
"It was devastating," says Graf Mack. "I'd worked so hard to regain skills I'd had, to get back on pointe. I wasn't ready to leave—I felt like I was thriving there. But more than that, it was such a blow to our community. At that time I believe we had at least 40 dancers, who were working at such a high level and were now unemployed." The announcement dropped in May—after audition season had already passed... Keep reading on Dance Magazine