I’m writing in response to the “Open Letter to the CFA” by T. Booth Haley, which appeared in the March first issue of the Argus. In April of last year, the CFA changed its house policies in order to comply with the new state fire code that was adopted since the Rhode Island club fire. As a result we are no longer able to offer what is referred to as “festival seating”—seating patrons on the floor of the aisles in CFA venues. In addition, there can be no standing room patrons or technicians in the aisles, and therefore no dancing in the aisles.
As a former Wesleyan student, I fondly remember what it was like to dance in the aisles in Crowell during West African Drumming and Dance concerts, or to sit on the floor in a sold-out house in the CFA Theater. The CFA’s staff and patrons have all had to adjust to these changes, and for our safety, they are not negotiable.
The CFA has sponsored September outdoor concerts in the past that are designed to be far less formal and encourage audiences to dance. In fact, I will use this opportunity to ask Argus readers to save the date for “Middletown Dances!”, a town-wide participatory dance festival being planned by the CFA and Middletown organizations, which will include dance performances and workshops downtown and culminate in a community dance on Andrus Field. It’s on September 10, 2005, and I hope many of you will plan to participate.
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