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Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie to Eliminate All Dance Programming After Production by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Blames Budget Cuts

Controversy is brewing after a recent announcement that Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, the most important opera house in Belgium and a source of some of Europe’s most cutting-edge music and dance productions, would eliminate all dance programming after a forthcoming production by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.The general and artistic director of La Monnaie, Pete de Caluwe, states the reason for the cut as a steep reduction In funding to the Brussels opera house since 2009, with further cuts announced in mid-October by the newly formed Belgian coalition government.De Caluwe said he had no wish to stop producing dance but was backed into a corner by the combination of less money and the need to further reduce personnel.“Because we will have fewer technical staff, we will have to cut down from three to two shifts a day,” he said. “This means each production takes more time to prepare and will have to run for longer to recoup costs. We don’t have a resident dance company. What we give them is money to invest and time on stage. Now we have neither of those things to offer.”
By Jaime Prisco