6/22/2023 0 Comments Dateline the man who wasnt thereSome of the international dancers-who were still at home, waiting for their visas-started to panic. “He wanted to engineer some pointe shoes.” Doug was quoted in the press saying that he was “Uber-izing ballet.” “He said, ‘I’m an engineer,’” a dancer recalled. There was going to be a competition-style reality TV show, inviting viewers to vote on casting. There would be not just a ballet company, they gleaned, but also a conservatory, a line of dancewear, a media company. We will be making lots of announcements in the upcoming weeks.” Those announcements were yet to come, and the dancers still didn’t know where they would perform.Īs the dancers studied with local teachers and waited for the rehearsal schedule to go up, they heard ever more grandiose versions of ANB’s plans. “There are big things in store for ANB,” a deputy director told them in late July. When, over the previous months, some had inquired about ANB’s repertoire and performance schedule, they had received vague, blustery emails in response. But even as they gave interviews and posed for the cameras, some of the dancers tried to suppress lingering doubts. “They had a film crew following us around to talk about how excited we were,” said McDaniel. On the day they arrived, the dancers were greeted with a pizza party and a photoshoot. “We are building a rehearsal studio space on the ground level of the apartments!” “Not even a 2 min walk…But wait.there’s more,” the email continued, in the manic tone of a telemarketer. “The best part…you can SEE the main studios from the apartments!” wrote an ANB administrator. The dancers had been urged to sign year-long leases at a luxury apartment complex that boasted flat-screen TV’s and free tanning beds.
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