CTFD Dance Gala Didn’t Really Rock

… according to Jennifer Dunning of the NY Times.  In an article published today, Dunning critiqued this year’s dance gala, “Dance Rocks,” and its series of varied performances as somehow lacking in dignity.  One of the best acts, she mentions, featured 2006 So You Think You Can Dance winner Benji Schwimmer, and his fellow contestant Heidi Groskreutz; the rest ”was essentially a series of lookalike tight-bodied duets and syncopated group loping, with a little aimless street dance, acrobatics, cheerleading moves and juggling thrown in.”  An interesting turn, considering that the pop-cultural dance scene (e.g. reality shows like So You Think You Can Dance, and Dancing with the Stars) seems to only rarely jibe with the elite dance community that CTFD caters to– professional dancers, big name companies, Broadway ensembles, etc., etc.. 

Dunning did point out that a few Twyla Tharp numbers (admittedly more classic) “almost single-handedly saved the evening,” and in terms of money the event was a huge financial coup, bringing in more than $1 million dollars to supplement CTFD’s career counseling services and resources and scholarship funds.