Dance Criticism

Who is Arlene Croce and how did she affect arts criticism in the late 20th century? How do her statements reflect her values? Arlene Croce, dance critic for the New Yorker, gained national prominence when she refused to view and write about the dance piece "Still/Here," by the black, gay and HIV positive choreographer Bill Jones. According to her article "Discussing the Undiscussable," Croce objects to Jones' style of work known as "victim art" …

…today's critic was so nonessential, but I argue that her reasoning may be skewed. She feels that modern criticisms need to return to the time of the Greeks, because they were a nation of critics. Yet Socrates and his fellow philosophers fought for a polis where the rights of individual thought and expression would be rewarded. It seems to me that Croce is really advocating a censorship in art, at the discretion of the critic.