My New York Experience (part III)

By Tamara Bracic
CEC ArtsLink Fellow 2007

Part III of III

In connection with this I would like to reflect a bit on the contemporary performances I saw in New York. Some of them were really extremely good and the professionalism, techniques and realization were amazing. But for some of them I had a feeling that the artists just did not have enough time or resources or energy to really finish them, to take the time to wrap them up. Sometimes I got a feeling that the pressure of finishing the art piece in time and with as few resources as possible mixed with the limited time the artists had to create and rehearse their artistic materials made an evident mark on a lot of the works I saw. I think one of the reasons might be exactly the lack of time and resources for creation of one’s artistic work. I believe that New York has an immense artistic potential and many interesting artists who have a lot to tell us. And like in Slovenia, I think that improving the working conditions for the artists would bring more positive energy and more relaxed long-term creative processes, which might result in brilliant artistic creations.

During the time I spent in New York I gained a lot of new experiences, new knowledge and many important new acquaintances and contacts out of which, hopefully, good relationships will grow which will enable a fruitful artistic collaboration in the future. I would like to thank all of the staff at the Dance Theater Workshop for their hospitality, especially Marýa for being a great host and always there when I needed anything, then Sara, who invited me to Dance Theater Workshop and gave me the best advice**, Carla for sharing her interesting views and good energy and Sara Juli for a thorough insight into the functioning of the fundraising and audience development systems in the US. I would like to thank also the DanceSpace Project, especially Abby and Ursula for a warm welcome and many nice moments in New York and above all to the ArtsLink fellowship program, especially Fritzie, Tamalyn and Sasa for giving me the great opportunity to get acquainted with the artistic world and all the other wonders of the New York City.

** Sara’s advice: New York is a rough city and if you want something, you have to ask for it until you get it. Nothing will come by itself, so just go for it.