Whether the company is Cleveland's tiny Repertory Project, which was led until last month by Susan Miller, or a major New York ensemble headed by a world-renowned choreographer, a change at the top is challenging.
Some troupes make a smooth transition.
Others encounter devastating difficulties. The situation is most difficult for organizations led by a visionary pioneer who created an entire repertoire and forged a definitive movement style. The Martha Graham Dance Company is in limbo because of the disputes that have arisen over performing rights to the great choreographer's works. The same plight could have befallen the Jose Limon Dance Company if Carla Maxwell, the dancer who took the reins of the ensemble after Limon's death, had not persuaded the choreographer's siblings to honor the memory of their beloved brother by giving his works to the company he founded. He guessed it would take about five years for the community to rebound from the devastating loss.