Saw more work by old students of mine, reaffirming previous post. I enjoyed the complaints of a certain peer who laments the return of the 70’s. Ironic, since none of those dancers were even conscious at that time.
Besides, aforementioned peer is still awaiting the return of the early 60’s.
I enjoyed seeing Eryn Tempest’s first works and hope that she continues to expand her vision and vocabulary.
I recently saw some old students in a show on the weekend. Young dancers are so starved. They love to move and they are so intense about what they do. It bothers me that within the arts, there is a startling simple of passing on of information. Mentorship is a buzzword now, but from what I can see, those who know what they are doing aren’t telling others how they do it. Why would they? It creates competition for themselves and young dancers are enough of a threat simply because they are not broken!
So the choreographic process happens in a vacuum and it shows. Styles may get copied, but substance is seemingly missed entirely.
If I were the queen of the world (and Droste chocolate was the common currency), young artists would be supported more by established ones. And maybe people’s work wouldn’t suck so often.
It is funny how consuming art in your own field can sometimes be totally inspiring (Pina Bausch, Karas, Marie Chouinard) and at other times be a bore and a chore. The internal critic just doesn’t allow for full simple enjoyment- you have too much insider information and it spoils the magic that you once craved in that medium.
That’s when I read a book or go see a movie.
This was the first dance I made in Edmonton, when my daughter Echo was only about 6 months old. You can see her bottle that I kept kicking around during this shoot.
Doing a performance with Theresa right now in which we play angels. “The End of Time Project” has shown how useful Noguchi Taiso technique is. By using the least amount of muscle energy and instead using gravity, lines of gravity, water-flow, and empty limbs, we are able to dance on and off for over an hour without any exhaustion.
Also I have noticed how the simplicity and brain-integrating elements of the exercises can be used in rehab, and I have been working out a post-stroke program for Kris to use as a home exercise regimen. Each exercise seems to hit very specific brain pathways…
I wonder why Western dance forms have failed to integrate the scientific concepts of movement along with spiritual/emotional links. Noguchi said that movement is changed by imagination, and much focus is put on having the proper mental state to move within. Half of his class is spent studying physics (or geology or psychology- depending on the theme of the class) before any movement is attempted. Any modern class I have been in has stressed vanity and voyeurism over all else, making the actual emotional state of the mover quite irrelevant. At the same time, I find BMC and other Western therapeutic approaches to be alienating as an audience (again voyeuristic), as they stress the indulgent experience of the mover above all else.
