Kathryn Bennetts: 'The Minister Knows Nothing About Arts'

The Royal Ballet of Flanders is the only classical ballet company in Belgium. Kathryn Bennetts, Artistic Director since June 2005, has created a miracle of this ballet company having raised its level to top 10 and won the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for 'Outstanding Achievement in Dance'.

By cutting the funding of the Royal Ballet of Flanders and deciding to save on arts by merging the ballet company with the Flemish Opera where Kathryn Bennetts as the Artistic Director will have no say on the repertoire and other artistic decisions, and everything will be determined by the theatre's intendant only, the Flemish Culture Minister Joke Schauvliege has now put the whole existence of the company in jeopardy.

Outraged at these decisions Kathryn Bennetts - one of the world's best ballet directors of today - has resigned from the post of Artistic Director of the Royal Ballet of Flanders. In this interview she has lashed out against the Flemish Culture Minister Joke Schauvliege and explained the reasons behind her ultimate decision.

Please support Kathryn Bennetts and the Royal Ballet of Flanders.

http://www.flandersballet.be/

©VRT (vrt.be)

• Category

  News & Politics

[pimpampam]

‎"...when Winston Churchill was asked to cut arts funding for the war effort he said...but what would we be fighting for?"

[Petroliovich]

RESPECT. So good to hear someone tell the well informed, researched, experienced, expert TRUTH!!

[kuj4z]

she's australian

[blueskyyootube]

so sad. what happened since?



[youchil]

40 million + 60 million = 90 million

[pizzagorgonzola]

you keep attacking me, criticizing me, insulting me, and i can't explain my point of view, or defend myself ? i did not start this discussion, did you forgot that ? i just made a little tongue in cheek remark about the video, nothing serious, and you have been harassing me for months ! you made this personal, not me.

[dancingtomislav]

:Why dont you just eat your pizzagorgonzola and keep your uneducated language for yourself,I think thats better for all of us!

[pizzagorgonzola]

asshole :), i said it was NOT HAHA funny, i just wanted to make a remark about what she said about the flemish not knowing how to handle money !, don't you find that slightly unpleasant and arrogant of her ? you really don't understand, do you ? and that remark about electricity was ridicoulous !, that's ALL !! learn english !

[dancingtomislav]

@pizzagorgonzola, I think I have a different sense of humour goodbye now.

[pizzagorgonzola]

not a HAHA joke, i just did not mean it completely seriously, Bennets is completely right about the minister of culture, but her remarks about electricity were both incompetent and slightly xenophobic.

[dancingtomislav]

Oh I it was a joke ?I'm sorry HAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA

[pizzagorgonzola]

more seriously, she suggests that flanders should turn off the lights on the highway, that is completely ridiculous, that electricity is not wasted,electricity of that voltage cannot be stored, and nuclear power stations can not be shut off during the night !