DCDanceBlog

art is so amazing.

i just saw the movie “into the wild,” and it entranced and moved me, and reminded me of things about myself that i’d forgotten.

what’s amazing is that this was the story of a kid, a 24-year old, who would otherwise be almost totally anonymous to the world, if a guy hadn’t written an article and then a book about him after he was found dead in alaska. i don’t know how moving that book was. but then sean penn translated the book into a beautiful, sweeping movie that may or may not have been faithful to the true story of the guy. who cares? what he did was take this guy’s life and turn it into something that many of us can identify with, that affects us for the two hours we’re watching it and perhaps a few more days after that, and that leaves a permanent mark in our minds, somewhere.

is all that worth the millions of dollars and thousands of hours penn and hundreds of other folks put into the film? must be. that’s why books are written, performances created, paintings painted. all with the hope of moving people in some fundamental, if fleeting, way.

I’m struggling with this lately and looking for advice.   At first, I thought, instead of answering, suggesting that the person (let’s call him Joe) go see modern dance.  Now, I feel like it is SO experiential and think Joe should take a modern dance class vs. sitting in an audience.  Both being in a class or an audience will be a huge bias for Joe as he might think whatever style or technique he is watching or doing IS modern dance and the only modern dance.  Still, it seems more informative than sharing a definition.  Dancing communicates through movement, not words.  It is accessible.  It is not “interpretive dance” or some other abstract concept! 

Even the Wikipedia definition doesn’t really say what it is.  I like this sentance though: Modern dance is often performed in bare feet. 

I have answered the question, by speaking to the quality of the movement - groundedness, working with the skeleton, and to the history of the movement - developed out of ballet technique, political response, new language for expression, the need to dance in Greece in a white dress…  I also grapple with explaining the process - I know this is another frustration of many artists… Like, I have a performance on Thursday and a friend was asking me if I practiced my routine enough.  First of all, routine?  It sounds like something cute that I would get a pat on the head for.  Second, it is improvisation, so how do you explain rehearsing that?  I have been working on this improvisation for a year now, with the three I will be performing with in preparation for this performance as well as others in the past and future.  Is that “practicing a routine?” How do you answer when someone asks, “What is modern dance?”  

Boris has part of the answer right here:

Performance happens now, it does not have to secure funding, book a theater or advertise in newspapers. It does not need rehearsal space. It does not need a concept. It does not need to last for more than a second. It does not need to be ephemeral. It does not need flowy pants, tight tops or bare feet. It does not need previews, reviews or even to be seen at all.

We reject the term modern dance, we make art through movement. We dance, we make videos, we make paintings, we make video games, we write, we sculpt, we draw, we act, we sound and we move. We make art. We are artists.

i just heard about a new event organized by dance/metro dc. from jessica hartz, the director:

You asked for it, and now you’re going to get it. Dance/MetroDC has set up a panel made up of 4 local dance critics/writers where the dance community can ask the questions they’ve always wanted to know from the practitioners of this profession.

Mark your calendars for Nov. 14th from 5-7pm for this event, which will be held in Flashpoint’s Mead Theatre Lab.

The panel will include Sarah Kaufman of the Washington Post, Pamela Squires of the Washington Post, Jean Lewis of the Washington Times and Naima Prevots who freelances.

I plan to send a list of questions to panelists before the event so they can get an idea of what the dance community wants to know, and I invite you to submit questions to be given to them. Everyone is still welcome to ask as many questions during the panel as they wish, but I would rather hear directly from you what you want to know rather than trying to guess, so please consider submitting.

Send all questions via email to jhartz@dancemetrodc.org.

The deadline for getting questions to me is Friday, Nov. 2. If you cannot attend this panel, you can still submit questions. Also, try to encourage someone from your organization to attend since this panel could prove to be invaluable. Thanks.

kinda cool.

if i want to know what good writing is, i can pick up a new yorker any day of the year and read something really, really well written.

if i want to understand and learn about good music, i can go to itunes, anytime.

good video work is all over tv, movies and the internet.

but good dance is hard to see. unless i really spend time looking for dance videos–where? on you tube?–there’s not that much to be found. and in terms of live performances, the real thing, i see perhaps two, three really inspiring dance pieces a year. if that.

no wonder it’s a hard art to get good at. learning how to do something comes from doing it, but also observing what works for others. and in dance, that’s in short supply.

i saw a video of myself at earthdance recently. the folks there set up a video camera for 80 minutes and we filled 20 slots of mini performances, 4 minutes each. i was in a couple of them.

the one that interested me had six of us working w/ the idea of speed. i decided to be really slow, and to stick to it. it was hard. at times i connected with people, at times i was alone, and i never was sure if i contributed anything to the piece.

but when i saw the video, i was surprised. i had committed to slowness and it came through as a constant thread among all the other craziness that was going on. and even when i was alone and everyone else was engaged in duets and trios, my slowness added a grounding theme that came through.

i certainly don’t say this to brag. i’m very much learning what works and doesn’t in improv. but it showed me that how something feels often has nothing to do with how it looks. and, more importantly, that finding something and sticking to it has an integrity that comes across.

so i’m working on that in my improvisation practice. committing to something, and staying with it to see if others join in, and even if they don’t.

Here is a well-crafted taste of the last Wild Meadows intensive that sparked some discussion here and here… enjoy the trees and bird sounds and stillness and movement

lotta and i finally have a video record of our evening performance on g street during the improv festival! my friend jeff shot and edited it; he did a great job and i think it looks terrific.

please check it out!

unfortunately i STILL can’t figure out how to embed a youtube video onto this blog, so you’ll have to click through to watch it.

for awhile now i’ve been meaning to check out the electric possible, “dc’s mad monthly laboratory for promethean sound experiments,” as their website says. i’m not actually a major fan of experimental music, but i really respect that this is going on in dc. and i know that some of the musicians collaborate w/ local dancers. i think ginger wagg did something with them last month.

the next show is nov. 4.

the details:

first sunday of each month

These are *early* shows from 8:00-10:30pm 
Cost only $5–All money goes to the artists!

LOCATION:
Phillips Hall,
801 22nd St, NW,
Rm B120 (in the basement)
(22nd and H Streets/GW Metro)
George Washington University

this article appeared in today’s new york times. it’s about the natural union of music and dance, and begins like this:

i know that personally, i can barely enjoy a concert–of any type–if i can’t dance. honestly. it’s just boring otherwise. nice to see that i’m not, at heart, unusual in this way.

he also says this:

Singing and dancing have been shown to modulate brain chemistry, specifically levels of dopamine, the “feel good” neurotransmitter.

yes! yes! yes!

the folks at earthdance just started a new program. it’s a monthly performance showing, called “you are here” (YAH). here’s their brief description:

YAH! is a performance forum to take place the first Thursday of every month from October 2007 to May 2008 at 7:30pm at Earthdance in Plainfield, Massachusetts.

YAH! is an opportunity for performers, directors and audience to situate themselves in the creation process and to co-create support for its continuation. By witnessing and sharing, our perceptions can’t help but be transformed.

Each evening includes 3 performances and an invitation to the audience for feedback in familiar and not-so-familiar ways . Beginning and seasoned performers and directors are welcomed! Performances may include a variety of media.

Suggested donation for YAH! is $4-10.

i like the idea. i’ve been drawn to the concept of having a low-intensity performance venue where folks can show something they’re still working on, or do a brief improvisation that takes some risks and is fresh, without requiring a lot of planning. in my mind, it’d be something to benefit folks who are really trying out new creative ideas–not just another place to show stale work. but i don’t know if dc is a town that can host that kind of art, that frequently.

what do others think?