I have been fortunate and grateful to have worked as a dance accompanist, performer, composer and substitute lecturer for the Dance Department at the Cornell Center for Theatre Arts since the mid-90’s.

Sadly, our department will soon be decimated. What once employed upwards of nine or more people per semester will shortly be reduced to three instructors.

I had a George W. Bush choking-on-a-chicken-wing- moment when President David Skorton spoke during the 2009 commencement of how Cornell embraced and supported the arts.

The prior fall, the musician accompaniment budget was eliminated from our department. Sadly, I had another moment of incredulous disbelief in fall 2010 when an article in the The Sun stated that when the budget was cut, the Theatre Arts Center got creative.

My dear colleague Allen Fogelsanger, who has received a warm and enthusiastic reception nationally and internationally, perhaps more than many with the title of assistant professor or professor, will soon be removed from his position of Director of Music for Dance.

Allen is creative. When the accompanist budget was cut, Allen found a way to keep me serving the students and dance faculty for several years with a surplus that he had accumulated.

Furthermore, he took several surveys that strongly indicated that the students, faculty, staff and community members that attend our dance classes were in favor of paying a miniscule $25 course fee to keep live music for classes.

Unfortunately, thanks to the oppressive environment that has pervaded the atmosphere of Cornell’s campus for years, many assumed that the biggest hedge trimmer would eventually be rewarded. Those who did not find aggressive or shortsighted ways to cut programs or individuals would be sent packing.

Thus, the course fee, established to maintain Music for Dance, was never approved or implemented. Cornell will now lose its live musical accompaniment. There is a possibility that a graduate student may offer whatever free time they have to play for classes. But, due to a lack of training and transiency, this is unlikely to provide a stable and lasting professional environment that fits within Cornell’s new strategic plan to sustain the qualities of programs for the benefit of students, faculty and community members.

Contrary to what some may believe, a dance accompanist position requires years of training, the ability to adapt instantly to external stimuli and the subtleties of dance teachers’ instructions. Additionally, on must be able to provide an array of musical styles and tempi. The position requires a range of musical skills, including improvisation and recollection of a varied repertoire.

The dance accompanists are the software for the courses. They are flexible to change and respond instantly to whatever will provide the best supportive material and tempo for the dancers. They can also adapt to change if something is not working. We save the instructor time and attention from fooling around with an iPod, instead allowing them to continue to focus on the students.

When playing with other musicians at the yearly American College Dance Festival Association (ACDFA) conferences, I realized that Allen Fogelsanger is clearly the best accompanist I have ever played with. Cornell is losing a good man, both in skill, professionalism and heart. He was the face of the department and also served as the Director of Undergraduate Dance Studies. I will always remember him showing prospective new students and their families around the facilities, with a gleaming smile on his face and a strong sense of sincerity. We will all surely miss Allen’s compositions, electro-acoustical innovations and tireless work given  for the yearly March Dance Concerts, as well as his contributions as a lecturer.   

Cornell is also losing Janice Kovar, who has instructed with a love of dance that she shares with her students.  Janice has taught at Cornell since the beginning of the 1970’s, soldiering on without benefits. I will miss working with her. She also mentioned to me that the current cuts set the department back 30 years and reiterated how the dance faculty empahasized the importance of live musical accompaniment to supplement teaching.

All this is occurring amidst a new hiring phase and a recent State of the University address on Oct. 29, 2010 by President Skorton, stating how the Arts and Humanities play a vital role in human interests. This  does not make any sense, does it?

I do agree with President Skorton on how the Theatre Arts Center augments the skills of Cornell students in a very practical manner. How better to become a fine public speaker than by acting? How better to learn to emphasize a point or elicit critical thinking and emotion in a presentation than by taking a film or sound design course? How better to learn how to carry, hold and present oneself than by taking a dance class? How will the Center for Theatre Arts keep providing students with these invaluable experiences when it has been reduced to a one-legged dog? Finally, what does this say to those who have donated substantial sums to provide the facilities and instruments used by the dance faculty, students and accompanists?

Time and time again, students have communicated how helpful dance classes are in helping them balance their lives with the rigors of Cornell academia.  I have witnessed friendships grow between students of many races and nationalities while playing for dance classes. I have also observed how the structure of the Dance Department provides a home away from home for these students.  Our Dance graduates have also made a positive impact upon our local community. Nadia Drake ’02, who has served as the Principal Dancer of The Ithaca Ballet for many years, has inspired countless young aspiring dancers. Many dance majors who have graduated from the program have gone onto successful and satisfying professional careers.

Sadly, the breadth and scope of these benefits to Cornell students will soon become a thing of the past.

So please, all of you out there reading this, realize that this is your last chance to dance with live music. Come down and join us!