
EDITORIAL: Stimulus checks will NOT help the arts and a gig economy
by Steven Weisz for The Dance Journal As new policies begin to emerge to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, so too are strategies being offered to
Founder & Editor
While not a dancer himself, Weisz’s love for the arts and dance started as a child growing up in New York City. With parents, who were strong supporters of the arts and part of a community with an incredible array of notable artists in music, dance, theater, and fine arts, Weisz’s access and affinity for the performing arts took root. Upon attending college in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania in the mid-’70s, Weisz started performing as a puppeteer, magician, juggler, and fire eater as a means of supplementing his income. This soon grew into what became Rainbow Promotions Inc., one of the largest entertainment and special events producers in the region. It was here that he began to promote and book dance for major events throughout the city. Many of the dancers he worked within the early days of his company are now major choreographers in Philadelphia. At the same time, Weisz’s interest in computers and the early developments of what is now known as the Internet led him to also start another company, Delaware Valley On Line, which became one of the first regional ISPs. It was this combination of event production, internet development, and event marketing that led him to examine the use of the internet as a means to promote the arts. Dance continued to be a major interest for Weisz and in 2005 he founded PhiladelphiaDANCE.org as a major online resource to promote dance in the city. It was soon after that the Dance Journal was also founded as a way to provide an outlet for writing on a range of topics that encompass the ever-growing and emerging dance community in the region. Weisz continues to run both PhiladelphiaDANCE and The Dance Journal on purely a voluntary basis with no income derived from any of his projects. He is also the Artistic Director of Graffito Works, an international platform for dancers and performing artists to create site-specific work and to make it readily accessible to the public.
by Steven Weisz for The Dance Journal As new policies begin to emerge to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, so too are strategies being offered to
by Steven Weisz for The Dance Journal Philadelphia’s “Trinity Dance Family” actually consists of three independent hip hop dance companies – Philly Sirens Dance Company,
by Steven Weisz for The Dance Journal Dawn Marie Bazemore presented the premiere of Letters along with a re-staging of The Browder Project at the
by Steven Weisz for The Dance Journal Arts organizations rarely turn to one another to find ways to achieve their mutual goals, yet many collaborative
by Steven Weisz for The Dance Journal In February of 2018, when Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal (BJM) first presented excerpts from Dance Me at
by Steven Weisz for The Dance Journal Blanca Huertas-Agnew presented (Re)Frame, a collaboration with six local dancers and mixed media artist, Jen McCleary. The culmination
After a rough start from the previous weekend due to inclement weather, Sammy Reyes was finally able to present Social Compass to a packed house
by Steven Weisz for The Dance Journal The Barnes Foundation continues to present a large variety of local performers and dance artists, creating exposure to
by Steven Weisz for The Dance Journal On October 13, 2018, The Philly Sirens Dance Company held their 5th Anniversary Celebration with a “Dance Networking