Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
CMU School of Drama
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Broadway Reacts to Lara Spencer's Apology on GOOD MORNING AMERICA
www.broadwayworld.com: As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Good Morning America host Lara Spencer was at the center of a controversy after laughing at Prince George (aged 6), the future King of England, for taking ballet classes.
When I first saw the initial reaction to Laura Spencers comments from broadway dance community (especially males), I was reminded of how much I love theatre. Being on the news crowds of male ballet dancers dancing in front of the Good Morning America building and educating the community about the stigma against male dancers in a non violent way was powerful and beautiful. It reminded me that theatre is a community of wonderful people who support one another and are incredibly determined despite various adversities. Now, seeing Lara Spencers apology I believe that she is truly sorry and embarrassed over what she said. Not only did she dictate this with her words, but she gave three incredibly talented and established male professionals the opportunity to come forward and speak about their experiences, overall educating herself and the general community. What she did was tasteful, respectful and gave so much dignity to people who have been ostracized for pursuing their passion.
When first hearing about this, I was really annoyed that a news anchor would behave this way on live television. I find that her comment wasn’t necessarily about dance, but more so about men dancing and how it isn’t deemed masculine. Her initial apology, though not mentioned in this article, was also not well thought out. She initially posted a photo to her Instagram page with a quote about following your dreams and doing what makes you happy. I am glad that she has issued a more thoughtful public apology and has since had a segment speaking to male dancers. The overall response from the male dancer community was also extremely heartwarming and showed strength in numbers in the face of judgement and adversity. Again, her segment with the male dancers also gave them a chance to use their voices to talk about their experiences and why dance is important to them.
2 comments:
When I first saw the initial reaction to Laura Spencers comments from broadway dance community (especially males), I was reminded of how much I love theatre. Being on the news crowds of male ballet dancers dancing in front of the Good Morning America building and educating the community about the stigma against male dancers in a non violent way was powerful and beautiful. It reminded me that theatre is a community of wonderful people who support one another and are incredibly determined despite various adversities. Now, seeing Lara Spencers apology I believe that she is truly sorry and embarrassed over what she said. Not only did she dictate this with her words, but she gave three incredibly talented and established male professionals the opportunity to come forward and speak about their experiences, overall educating herself and the general community. What she did was tasteful, respectful and gave so much dignity to people who have been ostracized for pursuing their passion.
When first hearing about this, I was really annoyed that a news anchor would behave this way on live television. I find that her comment wasn’t necessarily about dance, but more so about men dancing and how it isn’t deemed masculine. Her initial apology, though not mentioned in this article, was also not well thought out. She initially posted a photo to her Instagram page with a quote about following your dreams and doing what makes you happy. I am glad that she has issued a more thoughtful public apology and has since had a segment speaking to male dancers.
The overall response from the male dancer community was also extremely heartwarming and showed strength in numbers in the face of judgement and adversity. Again, her segment with the male dancers also gave them a chance to use their voices to talk about their experiences and why dance is important to them.
Post a Comment