15 Bytes started out as a visual arts publication. And it still is. But over the past year or so we’ve expanded our coverage to include some of our friends and colleagues in other fields. Earlier this year, we announced the addition of a literary editor, and this month we’re pleased to announce that 15 Bytes is adding a dance editor to its staff.
Covering dance isn’t new to us. Thanks to the efforts of Sarah Thompson and other writers, you’ve been reading about Utah dance in almost every edition of 15 Bytes this year. The response to that coverage has been extremely positive, so in an effort to capitalize on our past efforts and to embrace the visuals of the body in motion, 15 Bytes is happy to announce that Ashley Anderson, editor of loveDANCEmore, will be joining our efforts as Dance Editor.
Anderson is in the thick of the dance community: as a choreographer, as a dancer, and as an arts administrator. Since 2010, she has published loveDANCEmore.org which houses comprehensive dance reviews. Dissatisfied with the ability of other publications to cover more independent dance productions alongside Salt Lake’s historic companies, she created the online blog to publish dance reviews by peer artists (some of which have been seen at 15 BYTES). The reviews are also printed in bi-annual journals alongside critical essays on dance history and theory.
At times the archive has created controversy when generally popular projects are viewed critically by new eyes. At other times it has given emerging artists critical feedback and documentation of their creative work which wasn’t available otherwise. Whichever way you view it, the blog has created a comprehensive archive of concert dance on the Wasatch Front, a crucial resource for a form that vanishes in time.
Within the past year Ashley began to consider how to expand her audience beyond the niche community of dance artists who follow the project and contribute their own writing. At the same time 15 Bytes evaluated the ways in which the performing arts community could be represented on their own pages while maintaining an emphasis on the visual arts.
Embracing the collaborative spirit, we’ve decided to share resources and bring loveDANCEmore’s dance reviews to 15 BYTES while also offering a new pool of objective and thorough writers to what loveDANCEmore offers. You’ll find that some content, like performance reviews, will appear in both publications. Other articles, like the artist profiles we like to run in 15 Bytes, may only be appropriate for one. Regardless, you’ll be hearing a lot more about dance in the months to come. Welcome Ashley.
UTAH’S ART MAGAZINE SINCE 2001, 15 Bytes is published by Artists of Utah, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Categories: Dance | Performing Arts
