The Key To The City
October, 1999

Dear Dancers,

I've been writing the New York Dance Scene since March of 1997, but this month marks my debut as the editor of DanceArt.com. I am honored that David Wilson, our talented and passionate publisher, has asked me to accept the position. My goal is to work with the site's impressive roster of columnists in order to make what is already the preeminent Dancezine on the Web even better than ever. Please help me by sending comments and suggestions to editor@danceart.com. Of course, you can continue to send feedback about this column to sondra@danceart.com and you can reach the other DanceArt.com regulars via the addresses posted on their pages.

[Update, May, 2000: I've since given up the position of editor in favor of spending my time doing more writing. The site is now back in the very capable hands of our talented editor/publisher, David Wilson. A round of applause for his excellent work, please! SF]

I know that a lot of you will be visiting NYC during the holidays, so I've decided to share with you what is commonly called the Key to Manhattan. Cabbies and other locals in the know use this system to find addresses all over town:

AVENUE NUMBERS
Let's say you want to take class at the Joffrey Ballet School (www.joffreyballetschool.com). All you know is that the school is at 434 Avenue of the Americas (aka Sixth Avenue). To figure out what the cross streets are, cancel the last number of the address, which leaves 43. Divide that by 2 and you get 21.5. Then use the key from the list below, which is "subtract 12." You get 9.5, and you know that the school is between 9th and 10th streets. (Incidentally, the Joffrey has just launched a BFA program in conjunction with Eugene Lang College, the Manes College of Music, Parson's School of Design and the The New School. College-bound seniors, take note!)

STREET NUMBERS
Fifth Avenue is the dividing line between the East Side and the West Side in Manhattan. Number 1 in each block begins at Fifth and the numbers get higher going in either direction. There are 100 numbers in each block. If you wanted to pay a visit to Marymount Manhattan College, which offers degree programs in dance, and you saw an ad that said "221 East 71st Street," you would know that the college is located two-and-one-quarter blocks east of Fifth. If your destination were the New Dance Group Arts Center (http://www.ndg.org) at 254 West 47th Street, you would walk two-and-one-half blocks west of Fifth.

Having said all that, let me remind you that lower Manhattan, including Greenwich Village, is a maze of streets that just kind of happened before city planners got in on the act. If the address you're looking for is on Houston (pronounced "HOW-stun") Street, or Mercer or Christopher, call first for directions! Also, I wanted you to know that I adapted the key from a souvenir card handed out by Fish Restaurant, a splendid little eatery at 2799 Broadway which serves aromatic and artfully presented seafood and offers free delivery seven days a week. I frequent the place, which is in the Columbia University area, and I highly recommend it. (Exact cross street? Hmmm. 279 divided by 2 = 139.5 minus 31 = between 108th and 109th. Voila!)

As I promised I would, I visited the School of American Ballet in order to update my impressions, particularly of Division D. Go to my post-card on SAB for my revised comments. Staff member Tom Schoff was a gracious host and I was privileged both to tour the entire school and to watch several classes. On the day I was there, Division C1 was taught by Antonia ("Tumy") Tumkovsky, a 94-year-old living legend. She is a diminutive dynamo who puts her young charges through a killer class, is liberal with pointed corrections, and is clearly loved by one and all. Andrei ("Krammy") Kramarevsky, another long-time SAB institution, taught the men with an effective mix of wit, verve and discipline. Division D was taught by former NYCB principal Kay Mazzo, a gentle but firm presence who still displays impeccable form and has feet to die for.

Have a look at my three new post cards. One has information about teacher Simon Dow which I first presented on the STEPS postcard. He's a regular now and deserves a card of his own! Another new card is a review of teacher Elena Kunikova. And the third introduces a series I'll be doing on the superb accompanists who provide live music for NYC dance classes. My initial accolade goes to Doug Schultz, and there will be more down the road.

This Halloween, may your tricks be amazing (as in 32 fouettes, or perfect side switch leaps) and may your treats be dancing dreams come true!

Sondra