| (Second in a series). The first time the Virginia School of the Arts invited Petrus Bosman to Lynchburg, his sense of ascetics was offended. "It was a dark, gloomy day," Bosman recalled recently, "and the place they put me up in had a marvelous view of the K Mart across the highway. I turned the job (as artistic director of the VSA's dance program) down." OK, said the school's search committee. Could you at least come back and give us a little advice? "I did that," Bosman said, "and the sun was shining, and 10 students met me at the airport with flowers, and I changed my mind about the job. A little while later, I drove five days from Salt Lake City with three cats and five geraniums. I still have two of the cats and all the geraniums." And the VSA program has flourished under Bosman, a former soloist with Britain's Royal Ballet. Enrollment has quadrupled since he arrived in 1989, and the Miami Herald recently listed VSA among the six best dance schools in the U.S. According to Bosman, the placement record of last year's senior class was "100 percent, either with ballet companies or in teaching jobs." That's nice. For the purposes of this series, though ("Is Lynchburg on the verge of a nationally recognized "arts scene"?), the VSA's greatest accomplishment is not where its students go, but that they show up at all. The program for a VSA "Holiday Celebration of Dance" at E.C. Glass last December listed performers from 18 states, literally from Maine to California. So much for the old "Why would anyone ever want to come to Lynchburg?" lament. "Part of it is our program and our faculty and the wonderful support from the community," Bosman said, "but there's another aspect. Parents are hesitant to send their kids to the bigger cities because of crime and drugs. Lynchburg is perceived as a safe place. Plus, we offer an academic setting at E.C. Glass, as well." Which raises a question, at least in my mind. If energetic, high-profile dance instructors like Petrus Bosman and David Keener can attract young dancers like a magnet pulling in iron filings, couldn't the school get the same results from a high-profile musician, or artist, or actor, or writer? What are the chances that the VSA — currently the only school for the arts in Virginia — might one day become more than the "Virginia School of the Dance"? "That has always been a goal of ours," said board member Randall Watts. "We're trying to introduce some other disciplines during our summer program, but we keep needing capital improvements to our buildings, and our dorm capacity is stretched now." By contrast, the 35-year-old North Carolina School of the Arts has more than 700 students and offers filmmaking, music and theater as well as dance. "Theater would probably be the logical next step for us," Watts. "It's very difficult to put together a music program, because you have to have a qualified instructor for every instrument." What I'm wondering is, why not a school for artists and writers? We buy novels by the ton and flock to art museums, yet our society has a minimal stake in nurturing those who might entertain us in the future. There's a lot to be said for doing one thing and doing it very well, as the VSA has obviously succeeded in doing. On the other hand, this won't stay the only school for the arts in Virginia forever — right now, there's a vaccuum that could be filled. Already, as interim VSA director Peter Marcy points out, the school has "a wonderful partnership with E.C. Glass. We'd like to create more partnerships like that." Glass has one of the better drama departments in the state. The Academy of Music, when it's restored, could provide VSA with a first-class stage for drama and dance productions. The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and Riverviews could supply both temporary and long-term instructors. Local artistic institutions like the Lynchburg Symphony, Fine Arts Center and community theater groups could benefit. And chances are, we'll still be safe. Friday: Riverviews. Laurant is local columnist for The News & Advance. He can be reached via e-mail at todurl@hotmail.com. |