Macaulay's Debut

by Eva Yaa Asantewaa

Over the past month of so, I’ve heard and read a number of opinions about the New York Times’s selection of Londoner Alastair Macaulay as its new chief dance critic in the wake of John Rockwell’s retirement. Leaving all that noise aside for now, I’m feeling somewhat hopeful after reading Macaulay’s first big Arts & Leisure piece yesterday.

Macaulay’s reminiscence on beloved Romeo and Juliet performances is the kind of personal sharing–a real human being with feelings and responses writing about dancers as real human beings with feelings and responses--that just might inspire America’s vast legion of non-dance fans to check out a ballet or two, or more.

Not to put any heavy duty pressure on the man in his new job, but if he keeps this up, I‘ll have to continue reading him.

The true test will be how he handles the spectrum of dance in our town, beyond big ballet and the best-known modern dance troupes. The chief dance critic of the New York Times ought to be hip to the full, dizzying array of what we have on offer here. That’s not to say that he has to like it all, but the Times shouldn’t leave “lesser stuff” to those freelancing--what did Rockwell call them?–girls.

Yes, Macaulay is a male and a Brit, and not being either of those things, I certainly rooted for one of New York’s homegrown women writers to get the big, influential job at The Paper of Record. But if Macaulay can vividly remind me–with my leanings towards postmodern and world dance–of the thrill I found in ballet decades ago, maybe he really is the right hire for our Times and our times.

(c)2007, Eva Yaa Asantewaa