By Tara Sheena 

A dance performance seems like a simple equation: one part choreography, two parts proscenium stage, and three parts talented cast. Add a few lights and some great music, maybe even a set piece or two, and you have the perfect show. Easy enough, right? Too easy, it seems, for the Los Angeles-based choreographer Heidi Duckler of Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre. Duckler has made a living creating site-based work in the greater Los Angeles area for over twenty-five years. A “non-traditional” choreographer, as she prefers to call herself, she has run a successful contemporary dance company in an area of California where dance seems to be dominated by commercialization and the persona of Hollywood. However, after speaking with Duckler and her Managing Director, Emily Wanserski, it became clear that this idea of celebrity, privatization, and, conversely, accessibility in the Facebook-era feeds into the company’s overall mission.

“We like the idea of bringing dance to a location versus expecting an audience to come to us [and the dance]”, Wanserski stated. This zeal to reach out to audiences, whether they know they are being an audience or not, has characterized a lot of Duckler’s most notable works, including Laundromatinee, which takes place inside a laundromat, and Expulsion, which always occurs in a vacant lot.

Their newest piece, based on the life of Cleopatra, will premiere in February 2012 on the 51^st floor of the City National Bank Tower building in downtown Los Angeles. As a project Duckler has been longing to do for a while, Cleopatra ~ On the Banks provides “so much untapped opportunity” in the site and the story. The site-specific choreographer sees great challenges in the performance, as it mixes the corporate lifestyle of the 1980s Los Angeles power suit with the elusive feminism of the iconic Cleopatra.  Coming into an extravagant site like the bank tower, which has been abandoned for over ten years, is par for the course for Duckler. “Sometimes when you have an idea, you have to wait until you find the right venue to express it,” Duckler says of her work. Her company almost always rehearses in the site they are performing in, and this creates, what Wanserski refers to as, their aim to “animate the landscape” wherever they are. 

Of L.A., a city she has lived and worked in for almost thirty years, Duckler finds daily muses in the city and its pace which is constantly changing and evolving. She states, “I’ve lived here for 30 years and can still drive down a street that I’ve never been on.” Duckler hardly shies away from the idea of celebrity and media that seem to define the entire city. Instead, she chooses to mirror those ideas through her own artistic viewpoint. In fact, a contributing point of inspiration for the Cleopatra work came from a quote by pop star Macy Gray. Duckler also draws upon the talents of another female artist; author Stacy Schiff, to find ingenuity and inspiration to drive this work. In Schiff’s new book, Cleopatra: A Life, she explores a feministic point of view on the Egyptian queen and exposes how Cleopatra was not only an object of beauty and desire, but how she possessed qualities both cunning and opportunistic.

The parallels between the ancient and the new are reflected in Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre’s mission to challenge the relationship between audience and art through site-specific performance. It is evident that finding connections in our world is inherent to Duckler as both an Artistic/Executive Director and choreographer, for she believes, “on some level, people want to [ultimately] be united.” And this performance will be no exception.

“Cleopatra ~ On the Banks” will have its world premiere in February 2012 in Los Angeles.  Find ‘Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre’ on Twitter, Facebook, and at heididuckler.org.

Photos by Andrei Andreev

By Laura Di Orio

When a dancer steps down from the stage and “hangs up his or her shoes”, it doesn’t always mean an end to a dance-centered career. Many go on to teach, open a studio, direct a company, design costumes, and several choose the route of choreographer. Those who make the shift from dancer to choreographer may find a most freeing, creative outlet to express themselves. And a former life as a dancer just may make that transition smoother and richer.

Dance Informa hears from two established choreographers, both former professional dancers, on how and why they made the jump and what their life as choreographer provides them artistically.

Did you always know you wanted to choreograph? When did those desires begin to surface?

Edwaard Liang, freelance choreographer, USA
www.edwaardliang.com
I never had the thought or desire to choreograph. I had a one-track mind in terms of what I thought I wanted in my career. When I was dancing with Nederlands Dans Theater, I was urged to try my hand creating in their annual choreographic workshops. I had such a great time with the process. I had no clue what I was doing, but loved it.

Where are you along this transition from dancer to choreographer? Have you completely shifted?

Edwaard Liang
I have completely shifted from dancer to choreographer. I don’t feel sad about not performing, I think because I’m still a part of this world. I get to take class and feel like a dancer and move when I want to, but don’t have the same pressures I used to before to be perfect. I get to enjoy movement for movement’s sake. Plus, I never got the ‘juice’ or ‘high’ from performing, so it was not hard to leave.

What does your life as a choreographer offer you that life as a dancer has not?

Stephen Baynes, resident choreographer for The Australian Ballet, rehearsing Baynes's "Beyond Bach". Photo by James Braund

Stephen Baynes
As a choreographer, I have relinquished the challenge and fulfillment of performing but have been challenged and fulfilled in a different way by creating my own dances and seeing them interpreted by wonderful artists.

Edwaard Liang
My life as a choreographer has given me more freedom and input into what I want to say. Making ballets are like making mini movies. You get to decide the music, costumes and sets. You feel like you’re able to mould the whole package.

For dancers who want to either delve into choreography or who want to transition completely, what suggestions do you have?

Stephen Baynes
Be very sure that you really feel you have something to say. Try to get as much experience in making dance as you can. It is a very practical endeavour and needs constant practice, but that can be difficult. More than anything else, search for your own voice, which doesn’t always mean that you can be completely original, but at least it is uniquely yours.

Edwaard Liang's "Age of Innocence" performed by Fabrice Calmels and Victoria Jaiani. Photo by Herbert Migdoll

Edwaard Liang
Keep working and creating, whether it’s a big or small project. The only way to get deeper, better and do richer pieces of dance is to get in there and create. Try not to edit. Find your own voice. Enjoy the process and time. This profession is one of the hardest, physically and mentally, so try to find joy in some of the little things that happen. Don’t always wait for the big promotions to celebrate yourself.

What’s next for you as a choreographer?

Edwaard Liang
I finished presenting my work at Fall for Dance at City Center in New York. I am now starting my first full-length ballet – a new production of Romeo and Juliet for Tulsa Ballet and also new works for San Francisco Ballet, Washington Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and a project with Yuan Yuan Tan and myself.

Stephen Baynes
I am busy with commissions until the end of 2012, including a full-length Swan Lake for The Australian Ballet’s 50^th anniversary, and hopefully there will be more after that.

Top photo: Edwaard Liang rehearing with Victoria Jaiani. Photo courtesy of Edwaard Liang

Known worldwide for his Emmy nominated work with Madonna , Alex Magno is a highly regarded international director and choreographer for the stage and screen. His diverse resume includes works for Madonna, Yanni, Britney Spears, the Parisian Lido,  Ballet Hispanico, Ringling Brothers, and the Academy Awards, to name a few, as well as his own highly acclaimed dance company With Passion.

Alex took time to share his unique story with Dance Informa.

Tell us about your upbringing in Brazil and the impact it had on you as a dancer and choreographer.

My upbringing has absolutely had a strong influence on the kind of dancer and choreographer I am today.  As a Brazilian, improvisation is part of your DNA, it is entrenched in the culture, the music and the way of life, and I am no exception to that rule.

I grew up in a small town called Vila Kenned outside Rio De Janeiro, and at an early stage of my life I learned how to cultivate my imagination, to improvise (in life and dance), and  create my own world in which anything was possible, even though the world outside me had infinite roadblocks. I remember every Sunday getting together with the entire family and gathering around in a big circle for an impromptu music and dance jam, with the entire family playing rhythms on whatever was around that could be used as an instrument. This is where I learned not only rhythm, but how to improvise, listen to the music, and let it move me.

I did not grow up taking dance lessons, but I did do Capoeira and two different styles of Karate. In my teens, I put a dance group together called “Old Jazz” and we used to go to different night clubs and perform. I would make up the routines that were influenced by watching different dance videos and films. So I actually began choreographing before I began training as a professional dancer. I ended up getting discovered in one of those clubs and got a scholarship to begin training.

How did you get to LA?

I arrived in LA in 1986 after winning a choreographers competition in Brazil (sponsored by Paramount Pictures) in which the prize was a trip to LA with all the expenses paid for one week.

It was very surreal for me; they had a limo waiting with the driver holding a sign with my last name. This was a far cry from the harsh reality of life in Brazil at that time.

I ended up staying and received scholarship at one of the best dance studios in the US at the time – Dupree Dance Academy. There I took classes with amazing dance teachers such as Doug Caldwell, Hama, Jackie Sleight, Randy Allaire, Rosemary Randy, Tony Cappola, Melinda Cordell, and Vicktor Manoel, amongst others.

You’re known worldwide for your Emmy nominated work for Madonna. Tell us about your experiences with her.

I worked with Madonna on two worlds tours. The first tour was The Girlie Show Tour – a tour that was all about staging, choreography, costume and lighting. It was one of Madonna’s few tours that relied heavily on theater, and the choreography shared an equal spotlight with Madonna herself.

The first thing Madonna told me after I auditioned as a choreographer for her was, “Alex, just so you know, I approach each of my songs from a character point of view. I need you to not take it personally if I don’t like a certain step or if I challenge you to tell me the reason why you’re choreographing this step or that…You are going to be fine as long as you keep those guide lines”.

Lucky for me, that was the way I used to work, in a very theatrical way. All of my movements came out of a character.

There is an interesting story behind me working with her a second time. A few months prior to the Drowned World Tour starting production, there was news that Madonna was going to be touring again, but I had no information on who was to be her next creative team. So I submitted to Madonna’s manager a full tour concept, along with my new choreography reel. It happened, just by coincidence, that some of the concept I sent to her was very similar to the direction that Madonna and her director Jamie were thinking. That synergy was what got me the gig the second time, and eventually the Emmy nomination. This tour was the perfect balance of music, theater and hi-tech production.  It was one of the most challenging tours, because I had to choreograph all different styles of dance, ranging from Martial Arts, to Tango, Flamenco, Contemporary, etc.

Madonna is an artist who is highly intelligent, deeply in tune with herself and always true to what moves her. She makes no excuses for her motivations and beliefs. As an artist, it is inspiring to be able to create alongside someone so bold and fearless. The other great thing about Madonna is that she is always clear – she loves it or she hates it. That may be harsh at times, but in the end you always know that she is truly happy with the final product. She will push until it is perfect.

What was it like to be nominated for an Emmy?

Being nominated for an Emmy, for doing what I love, was an absolute honor. The Drowned World Tour was actually the only one of Madonna’s tours to be recognized with that honor.

You are often called a “story teller” when it comes to your body of work. Why do you think that is?

Because I explore the movement from a character’s point view, from real emotions we all can relate to. Dance is an art that can be both abstract and communicative, but in order for it to be effective, it must provoke emotion.

Most of my work has universal themes that cross frontiers, language, age, culture and gender, but when you apply them to a specific setting they become much more tangible and emotionally effective. I appreciate dance that is about the beauty of the movement, but for me the steps are secondary to the emotion.

In every work I do I try to bring all of the colors of the music to life through the movement, showing the unspoken poem of the song and getting to the core of the music itself. The idea is to have the music translate visually through each body movement.

You’re an avid dance educator in addition to being an award winning choreographer. Why are you so passionate about teaching?

Because it keeps the flame of dance alive. I had some amazing teachers that inspired me to be what I am today, so I feel that is part of my job to pass that on.  It is also what keeps me artistically alive. It is my “creative workshop” where I create the castles out of “playing cards”, it is a place where I see magic being created.  I learn from my students, they teach me to become a better teacher, choreographer and director.

What is next for you?

I am currently directing, choreographing and producing Benise’s The Spanish Guitar world tour. I am also in development for a new dance multimedia show starring actress/dancer Jenna Elfman, as well as shooting a series of dance short films.

Alex Magno is represented by The Movement / A Dance Management Company
www.MovementMGMT.com

More than a manipulation of the elements.

 By Emily Yewell Volin

Does choreographic creativity ooze out of you or are you petrified by the choreographic work required in your dance major?  Whether the urge to create naturally flows from you or you think of yourself as a performer and technician who does not need the required choreography class, you have more to gain by taking the class than you may think.  And, believe it or not, your dance professors are fine with either attitude as you enter choreography class.  They just want you there.  Why?  Because there’s movement potential in you that must be explored.  Choreographic training will make you a better dancer and might even lead you toward an additional passion in the field.  Here are a few tips for getting the most out of those choreography classes.

• First and foremost, realize that most brilliant choreographers did not come by it naturally, they were trained.  Accept this. 
• Find inspiration.  Your life experiences ARE interesting.  Find new ways to look at them and create work based upon your reinterpretations.  You may be inspired to create linear works that tell a story, abstract works without a literal interpretation, or a mixture of both.  Spend time moving in silence or to music you find that triggers your creativity.  Discover how your body moves and what thoughts come to mind.  Be inspired by these realizations; they are your most honest creative desires.
• A choreographer’s job is to make the dancers you are working with look fantastic.  There are typically three strategies for choosing your cast members.  You can cast accomplished dancers, novice dancers, or a mixture of technical expertise.  Regardless, it is important to work with conscientious dancers and to take time to teach your choreography in detail.  The most expertly crafted work will fall flat if you have not clearly communicated your movement or if you find yourself working with dancers who either cannot or will not respond to direction.  A cast of dancers who ‘almost’ execute your intended movement and style will undoubtedly deflate the value of your work.  Be realistic about your cast members’ abilities, choreograph accordingly, and expect clarity. 
• Be true to your individuality.  Take a risk and share something of yourself.  You are inherently influenced by all movement, dance and otherwise, you have seen or danced in your life.   Embrace these influences on your way of moving.  Draw from them but do not be paralyzed by them.  Utilize the physical and aesthetic experiences to develop your own choreographic voice.  Inexperienced choreographers frequently develop phrase after choreographic phrase with little attention to developing a concise vocabulary or style for the piece.  Begin manipulating a few movement phrases and expand upon them.  Less is more at this point. If you find ‘filler’ steps in your work, cut them.  Choreography class work frequently involves the creation of several short choreographic studies. Create solid studies and you may find they form the basis for expanded works in the future.
• Find music that both speaks to you and is inextricably tied to the work.  Lyrics are fine, just realize you will be bound by them.  And, be aware that recognizable tunes and songs carry with them a litany of memories and preconceived notions for your audience.  Realize symphonic pieces are difficult to pair with a small cast of dancers and that sparse music is difficult to make work with a large cast.  Consider utilizing some choreographic tools like syncopation and stillness in your work.  Rhythmic texture adds intensity to your work.
• Staging changes everything.  This is something you will learn in choreography class.  Devise a way to begin visualizing what staging works.  Draw staging diagrams, move coins around on paper to represent dancers in the space; whatever works for you. Choreography class content includes a lot of tried and true staging information.  Implement these choreographic techniques and experiment with other ideas.  Our brains and eyes are accustomed to deciphering multiple stimuli at once.  Be intentional about the texture and staging of your work.  If your preferred aesthetic is stark, be true to it.  If you enjoy creating the decadent opulence of bodies in space; explore that.  Either way, be intentional and leave nothing to chance.
• Explore the creative capacity of your work in at least one other art form.  Write a poem, paint or draw, create a collage or a story board, journal, compose a jingle, read texts that relate to your ideas about the piece…the possibilities are endless.  Keep these inspirations near you throughout your choreographic process in order to create a portfolio of inspirations for the piece.  Share these creations or discoveries with your cast members.  Or, better yet, involve your cast in the creative process and be sure to share your inspirations.
• Reflect and revise.  We all know how frustrating it is when you’ve spent hard found time setting and learning choreography only to return to the next rehearsal and learn that the director has major changes to the piece.  Expect this as part of the process.  Accomplished choreographers reflect and revise, and you should too.  It is often difficult to discern if something is going to work until it is seen in real time.  Invite your faculty choreographic advisor to your rehearsals or provide a video for him/her to watch.  Listen to his/her impressions of the work and either implement their recommendations or request more discussion about the ideas. 

We all know that good choreography comes from the manipulation of the most basic elements of dance: time, space, and energy.  A choreography class will help you realize that well crafted choreography is much more than the simple orchestration of mechanical elements.  The best works embody the physical exploration of heart and honesty working in tandem with the splendid manipulation of time, space and energy.  Whether or not you continue to create after the completion of your choreography class, you’ll be a better performer, technician, teacher and artist as a result of the effortful journey.

By Stephanie Wolf.

“A fusion of many styles,” is how New York City choreographer Larry Keigwin describes his young, vibrant company Keigwin + Company. Originally from New York, Keigwin first became involved with dance by “fake tapping” his way through a fifth grade musical. Now,  he is a hot ticket choreographer, with big aspirations for his troupe of dancers, and gaining artistic recognition both nationally and internationally.

At the beginning of Keigwin’s artistic journey, dance sort of ‘happened’ to him rather than it being a clear-cut decision to pursue the profession. Often cast as a dancer in high school musicals, he discovered he possessed a natural affinity towards movement and began training seriously at age 16. Upon graduating from high school, Keigwin attended Hofstra University, where he received a BA in dance.

From there, he ventured into a career as a New York City freelance dancer, performing with companies and choreographers such as Doug Varone, the Metropolitan Opera, Doug Elkins, John Jasperse, Mark Dendy Dance Theater, and an off Broadway show titled The Wild Party. He served as Associate Artistic Director for Mark Dendy Dance Theater, and says his time there exposed him to commercial dance.

Keigwin+Company dancer Ashley Browne. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Originally, Keigwin did not intend to start his own dance company. In 2001, after a diverse performing career, he began showing his own work and produced his first full evening of repertoire in 2003. But, the process was simply about creating a show; one successful show led to the next, then to another, and so on. Even now, with a consistent ensemble of dancers, Keigwin says, “it [still] feels like a series of shows.”

So, what inspires Keigwin’s choreography? “Life!” he states. Yet, since no two dances are alike, Keigwin acknowledges that his sources of inspiration come from a range of ideas. “Anything from architecture, music, to pop culture, to an observation . . . human nature, the environment, the animal kingdom,” he adds.

Typically, he starts with music, Keigwin’s “catalyst” for inspiration, but he is known to change the music as the work evolves. Sometimes, he’ll begin the choreographic process with his dancers improvising and an idea will “pop out.” But, ultimately, “dance comes first.”

The dancers are an integral part of the Keigwin’s choreography and company. After all, it is Keigwin PLUS Company. He considers the group to be a collaborative effort. The dancers contribute both artistically and administratively – a true sign of each artist’s commitment and belief in Keigwin’s work.

Currently, the roster of dancers numbers 12. Because of the intimate nature of the company and work, Keigwin prefers to really know a dancer. Most of the dancers worked with him in a class or commission setting prior to joining the company.  However, of the 12 artists, one dancer did receive a position with the company by attending an audition and another dancer came on a recommendation.

Keigwin+Company dancer Ryoji Sasamoto. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Regardless of how a dancer comes to work with Keigwin + Company, the choreographer holds them all to the same high standard. Dance critic Deborah Jowitt acknowledges Keigwin’s ability to assemble a group of artists and wrote in a review, “One of Keigwin’s greatest gifts is for revealing the individuality of his champion dancers. He lets you see them, he allows you to love them.” Keigwin adds to this, “I look for someone who has a specialness about them . . . [someone] that I sense is unique.” In addition to that ‘special something,’ Keigwin also looks for dancers with technical ability, intelligence, quickness, creativity, and who are unabashed with it comes to performing.

While he hopes to build the company’s New York performance season, for now, the troupe tends to perform more on the road. They have done an extensive amount of national touring, particularly to universities, and have made repeat trips to Santa Barbara, CA. Upcoming travels include Upstate New York, Tulsa, Minneapolis, and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Keigwin will also set a new piece in New Zealand.

The company is making a name for itself in the New York dance community, but Keigwin’s ambitions for himself and his dancers span so much more than simply gaining acclaim among peers. In the next several years, he aims to expand the company into a full time gig for 12 dancers and 2 apprentices.  He wants to take these dancers all over the world, increasing Keigwin + Company’s international presence. Additionally, he plans to continue to create new work on his own company, other ballet and contemporary companies, and Broadway.

The future is looking bright for the artists of Keigwin + Company. With a strong, clear vision and the tools to achieve these goals, Keigwin has the potential to exceed his own dreams. The company has already been included in the talented groups of artists to participate in the Guggenhiem’s Works & Process series, which featured the world premiere of Balloon Dance. Other past venues include Jacob’s Pillow, a residency at Martha’s Vineyard, and Central Park’s SummerStage series. In January 2012, Keigwin + Company will participate in the Focus Dance Festival at Manhattan’s Joyce Theater.

By Rain Francis.

Hofesh Shechter, Artistic Director of Hofesh Shechter Company, is recognized as both a choreographer and a composer. Born in Israel, he studied at the Jerusalem Academy for Dance and Music before joining Batsheva Dance Company. In 2002 he moved to London to dance with Jasmin Vardimon Dance. Forming his own company six years later, Hofesh Shechter is currently one of the UK’s most exciting artists.

On a world tour, Shechter recently brought his bold contemporary work Political Mother to Los Angeles, and spent a few moments talking with Dance Informa about it.

Political Mother is a physical and gritty work danced to Shechter’s own score, featuring a band of live drummers and guitarists.

Describe the experience that is Political Mother.

It is likely to be quite an intense experience. There are nine musicians onstage and there are twelve dancers. It’s a piece that sort of explodes on you and shouts at you. It has also some tender moments, but it’s rhythmic, like a demonstration that goes on and flickers through worlds – from one world into another. It’s a pretty intense experience. The idea is to create a sort of emotional build up and tension. It’s loud at times, it’s angry, and it’s fun, if you’re in the right mood.

What are the themes you’re trying to explore with that intensity?

I’m a little bit scared of the word ‘themes’, but I do deal with human emotions and human experience below and underneath the pressures of modern life. But it’s not about these pressures, it’s not about politics, it’s not about politicians. It’s about the people that live underneath, it’s about the emotional experience, it’s about the way that we deal with it. There is a lot going on, but it’s definitely dealing with human emotions.

What sort of emotions in particular do you deal with in this work?

Anger and I think there is a lot of despair, and a feeling of hopelessness. But through that, sometimes at the bottom we find hope, we find a sense of perspective, a sense of brotherhood, a sense that we share this experience with other people. So it’s a lot about hope and the loss of hope.

What was the catalyst for the creation of Political Mother?

The work always starts with things that I deal with in my life. I did deal with collision of different worlds. I’ve seen and experienced in my own life, how you can see something that is happening just next to you, or very far away from you (something that is very powerful, very disturbing) and you can forget about it in five minutes. It can really disturb you, and then you just move on. I find our ability to have parallel worlds that are conflicting in a way, but actually exist sometimes very closely, kind of disturbing and worrying. But it’s also just the way it is. That’s the way we respond to the world. It started from this curiosity about our ability to care and then to not care.

In this work you use both traditional Jewish folk dance and live, hard rock music. What is the relationship between these two?

There are parallels between the social structures that allow people to feel connected to each other, and to feel connected to certain emotions that they need to express and want to experience. Rock can give you that angry experience, but it’s like a bubble in a way – you’re not doing anything, you’re just venting, you’re not changing the world at all, or yourself. Folk dance can give you this sense of belonging, a sense of identity. It helps direct people towards a certain way of thinking. I find this interesting – the social systems that help direct people to where you want to direct them. That’s the parallel that I’m looking at.

Hofesh Shechter Company is currently performing Political Mother and other works across Europe, and will be touring across the world well into the New Year.

Top photo: Israeli Choreographer Hofesh Shechter, photo by Carl Fox

By Rain Francis.

Born in Kingsley, England, Paul Lightfoot trained at the Royal Ballet School before joining Nederlands Dans Theater in 1985. He created his first ballet for NDT 2 in 1989 and went on to create over 40 works for Nederlands Dans Theater, in collaboration with his wife, Sol Leon. Since 2002, the couple – operating under the harmonious name Lightfoot Leon – have been Resident Choreographers for NDT. Rain Francis caught up with the charismatic Paul Lightfoot, on NDT1′s recent tour.

Your work, Silent Screen was performed as part of NDT 1′s tour. Tell me about Silent Screen.

Every piece has a different catalyst; for this piece it was silent movies. It was Hitchcock who said that silent film is the purest form of cinema. I’m a big film fanatic, and I love the genre of silent movies. It’s basically choreography, because it’s people telling a story without words. I wanted to use a film without anybody in it to create a surreal situation, where you have real people moving with the camera, and they can go to different places that evoke different feelings. I thought it would be beautiful to create a tromp l’oeil, a Victorian parlour trick. Phillip Glass was also a huge inspiration, and his Glassworks is one of his most famous pieces. I was very lucky to come across it at the right time for this project.

Nederlands Dans Theater 1 present Silent Screen by Lightfoot & Leon

Are there themes or ideas that you find yourself returning to in your work?

Yes. Silent Screen is an incredibly important piece for us. It is the journey of a man and a woman, which of course is in relation to Sol and I, the way we work, and the way we are. It wasn’t to tell our story, but it was to tell the story of emotions that every couple can relate to, during the stages of a relationship. Sol and I have been together 25 years; we’ve had many ups and downs and those things inspire you.

Do you always create together with Sol?

Always. Ever since the first piece. For the first few years the works only had my name on them, and Sol wasn’t really aware how much she was becoming a choreographer. She was helping me. We’d go home and chat, go into the studio and work something out, and slowly this partnership was growing. I like to share. Our partnership is highly irregular in the world of choreography. It’s like a dialogue; we combine our ideas, we respect each other, and move forward together.

Do you ever struggle for inspiration, or are you full of ideas?

It sounds very pretentious when I say I’ve got lots of ideas, but sometimes I think it’s a curse. Generally I’ve got too many. I have to chop them down, get to the essence. It can be very chaotic, but I work very instinctively. I’m a good planner but I immediately break all those plans, and follow my gut. With Sol there too it’s very important to remember that there’s somebody else there. You might be fixated on your idea but you have to be ready to let go of it, because the other person isn’t going to always be on the same wavelength.

Do you get to a point where you are satisfied with a piece of work, or could you go on tinkering with it?

No, there’ve been very few pieces that we’ve tinkered with. There are other choreographers I know and love very much, who get itchy. So they return to older works and make changes. It’s funny, even if it’s a lot better, I feel that they haven’t succeeded. I think when pieces have been made, they’ve been made – there’s a certain kind of destiny to it. Imperfections can be very beautiful, and what make things or people special, so I don’t look to make the perfect piece, and I think that’s part of what makes it magical sometimes. I haven’t touched a step of Silent Screen.

You say you are a film fanatic. What kind of things do you watch?

I love everything. I am a bit of a maverick really, I go to anything. Of course I watch the commercial things. I have a 13 year old daughter, so I’m quite often going to see those ones. I can have as much fun watching those as with a much more artistic film, but generally it’s more enriching to watch the work of great directors.

So, what did you think of Black Swan?

I think it’s a good film. It isn’t realistic, in terms of what a ballet company is – it’s a dark, negative fantasy, and frankly, I can imagine someone in that frame of mind going that far. We do deal with obsession, and we do stare at ourselves all day in a mirror and judge ourselves constantly, and those things can turn into a sickness if you’re not careful. I saw it as a lot less of a ballet film and more as being about the destruction of a human being, and ballet was just a tool to describe her story. The film paints a very dark tale. I love thriller and fear and they’re very important elements to all of us.

What advice can you give to budding choreographers?

I would give them a warning, with all the kindness in my heart – make sure you’ve got something to say. It’s not good to do anything in life if you don’t really believe it. Choreography is sort of an exaggerated version of that, it will show you up very fast.

Also, it’s very important to have your own language. Work a lot with your own body first, don’t just wait for others to do all the hard work for you, because it is hard work. It’s hours in the studio, and you have to be dedicated to doing that yourself.

Don’t be afraid to be influenced. I was highly influenced by many people, in many strange ways. Hans van Manen was a giant inspiration to me, and Jiri Kylian of course. People say, ‘I can see you are influenced by Kylian’ – well, absolutely – where else am I going to learn from? I don’t see that as being somehow negative. It’s very important to learn from people who are lots wiser and more experienced, like we do in all walks of life.

By Deborah Searle.

Dee Caspary is a creative soul with a passion for choreography and music. Recently known for his work on So You Think You Can Dance, Dee choreographed and was Director of Staging for Justin Timberlake’s 2007 tour.  He has a long list of stage, screen and commercial credits as both a performer and choreographer and used his expertise to artistic direct the Nvitational dance festival in Los Angeles this past month. 18 days of inspiring, jam-packed dance and music performances at the historic El Portal Theatre, the inaugural Nvitational was a must attend event for all dance lovers.  Dance Informa sponsored the festival, attended many of the performances and sat down with Dee to discuss his vision for the festival and his career.

What was your vision behind the Nvitational?
My vision was to give choreographers an opportunity in Los Angeles to showcase a work on a theatrical stage. To give choreographers an intimate environment to allow them to create whatever they wanted to on a beautiful stage.

How was the festival received?
I feel like there were a lot of choreographers that did very well. I think it takes a couple of years, if you’re not used to doing theatrical works in a theatrical environment, to realise what kind of opportunities you can create. I think that the choreographers did a great job and I think every year it will get better because people will see what others are doing in that environment.

Tell us about your dance background
I grew up in a dance studio called Studio C run by my parents. The letter C stood for our last name ‘Caspary’. I was always surrounded by dance, with my older sister and older brother both professional dancers. I was more into sports growing up, but I did love to dance. I never really wanted to be a dancer. I loved music. The thing that made me become a choreographer was music and bringing a different kind of element to contemporary, or lyrical (as it was called back then).  I grew up in the competition world. I wasn’t too familiar with the concert world or the modern world. Living on the West Coast we didn’t see too much of that. My style is nothing in particular, it changes with what I put into my work, which I think is all driven by the music – how you hear, what you hear, what you’re trying to speak, what you’re trying to translate in a performance.

So were your parents dancers?
My parents were just the business side of it. My mother and father cannot dance – we would not allow them to [laughs]. They just saw something in my sister when she was very young. She had a lot of teachers tell her that she needed to get into something more serious than dance competitions. So Mom started bringing my sister up to LA. She was taking class in LA when she was like 11 or 12 years old. I think back then you had to be 15 or 16 years old. They were allowing her in the classes because she was a remarkable dancer. She was beautiful.

What projects are you working on at the moment?
Right now I’m working on next season’s Nvitational in my head and I’m teaching a lot. I’m going to be abroad teaching for a week in the first week of September. I do a lot of dance intensives and other festivals as well – teaching and speaking at seminars. I’m also just trying to relight the fire in myself for creating new works this season and for whatever opportunities come my way. A lot of things start to pick up in the Fall, so I won’t be in LA very much. But I will be around the country and in Canada and Italy over the next month.

What do you look for in a dancer?
I look for clarity in a dancer, someone that is very aware of their body and you can really see it. And most importantly someone that is musical, someone that can really see and listen at the same time. I think that a lot of dancers and choreographers have great moves and great steps, but it really takes a talented individual to make the moves of the choreography emulate a little bit of self and be aware. I think being aware also translates into listening to the music. You can tell those dancers that really hear, feel and listen.

As Choreographer and Director of Staging for Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveShow tour, what was it like to work with him?
Justin is a pro. Working with Justin on that tour was so motivating because during breaks Justin would be on the drums playing around or be on the keyboard trying to do things. You could just tell that the guy gets it and he understands his opportunity. You can tell the guy works extremely hard. He’s so talented because he works at his craft. You get a sense that everyone else wants to be great because he is, when you’re in that working environment with him. As much of a professional that he is, he’s also just a good guy.

What has been the highlight of your career?
Working with Justin Timberlake was a highlight. To get a job like that was truly amazing because of what I got to see and what I got to learn.

When I was young I did a lot of stuff. I was on Kid’s Incorporated as a dancer and I danced with Paula Abdul on a couple of her videos when I was 12 years old. As a child I don’t think I really appreciated what that high was or the rollercoaster it was. I toured with New Kids On The Block when I was young. That was kind of like the last thing I did. I remember thinking ‘wow, does it get any better than this?’ I know that that was really special when I was a kid.

As far as a choreographer goes, I’ve really embraced SYTYCD and the opportunity it gives to do duets. I love it. But the pinnacle for me was when I was doing my own shows at the El Portal Theatre. I was working with dancers and creating my own projects and that’s again why the Nvitational is so important to me. I remember how fulfilling it was and how great of a process it was. Nowadays people can’t afford or don’t want to pay the rent, or the labour, to put on a show. Nobody’s just doing their own shows anymore, or as much as they used to. Doing my own shows was a great thing for me in my career and a great time to be creative. It was really remarkable.

What are your future goals and dreams?
I definitely want to direct someday. I want to direct vision movement. I don’t know what that entails or if that’s more on the lines of videos or on the line of short films, but I want to tell more stories with music. I think a lot of musicians don’t realise how influential music is in the dance world. Ever since MTV started to go to the reality side and show less music videos, it’s been disappointing. It would be really cool to see music videos come back. I would love to direct and collaborate with artists. When I did the light bulb piece for SYTYCD this year I used a song called Skin and Bones by Dave Roch. Ever since I used it on the show, it’s now on iTunes all over the States. Dave emailed me and said ‘I don’t know if you’re the one to thank, but now my stuff is hitting the States’. I was like, ‘well let’s take it to another level, let’s create a video’. So that is what I’m looking to do. I’m looking to get more in contact with artists and do things that are really special and different.

Opportunities to show your work in New York.

By Katherine Moore.

Living and working as a dancer in New York City can be quite a challenge, especially if you’re new to the city. Young dancers arrive in the Big Apple full of dreams, but often with very little concrete information about how to begin their dance careers.

This task can be even more daunting for aspiring choreographers looking for venues to show their work. In many cases, young choreographers have just graduated from college dance programs, where they had unlimited space, resources, mentorship, and guaranteed venues and performances to demonstrate their burgeoning creative talent. Making the big leap to showing work in New York can be extremely challenging for a multitude of reasons, but for emerging artists and for those who hope to gain an MFA in dance and enter higher education, choreographic experience outside of undergraduate work is an essential component of a career in dance. 

Luckily, the dance scene in New York is vast and varied in its opportunities for young artists. With a little pre-planning and organization of application materials, choreographers can find themselves performing and showing work all over the city in venues specifically designed for emerging artists and new work. These venues allow choreographers to gain exposure, feedback, and networking opportunities with their peers. For some dancers who have been unlucky in their search for dance employment, these venues give young artists the ability to take their performance career under their own control by creating opportunities to be seen doing what they love most: dancing.

These opportunities take creativity, organization, and initiative to bring to fruition, and in an effort to make the task more manageable for our inspired readers, we have compiled a listing of some choreographic opportunities suited for emerging dance artists and works-in-progress in New York. Each has its own set of requirements and dynamic character, some requiring fees and extensive documentation, but with a little pre-planning and, of course, some talent, young dance artists could be performing all over the city before they know it.

The Steps Performance Lab

http://www.stepsnyc.com/steps-beyond/performances/the-performance-lab/

 Green Space

-Fertile Ground Performance Series

-Take Root Performance Series

http://www.greenspacestudio.org/performance.html

Dance New Amsterdam

-RAW material

http://www.dnadance.org/site/artist-opportunities/gene-pool/

-Works in Progress

http://www.dnadance.org/site/artist-opportunities/works-in-progress/

Movement Research

-Open Performance

http://www.movementresearch.org/performancesevents/openperformance/

-Movement Research at Judson Church

http://www.movementresearch.org/performancesevents/judsonchurch/

Danspace Project

-Draft Work

 http://danspaceproject.org/forartists/about_our_programs.php

Amalgamate Dance Company

-Amalgamate Artist Series

 http://amalgamatedance.com/schedule/amalgamate-artist-series/

Williamsburg Art neXus

-WAXworks

http://www.triskelionarts.org/?page_id=1166

Chen Dance Center

-newsteps

http://www.chendancecenter.org/index.php/the_theater/series/

Jennifer Muller/The Works

-HATCH Presenting series 
http://jmtw.org/educational-programs-hatch-presenting-series.html

Dance Theater Workshop

 -Fresh Tracks 

 http://www.dancetheaterworkshop.org/freshtracks10 

Harkness Dance Center, 92nd Street Y

-Fridays at Noon 

http://www.92y.org/Uptown/Dance-Performances-and-Events/Fridays-at-Noon.aspx

-Sundays at Three

http://www.92y.org/Uptown/Dance-Performances-and-Events/Sundays-at-Three.aspx

Photo:  © Patrick J Hanrahan | Dreamstime.com

Test your dance knowledge!

By Rain Francis

1. Which name is best associated with Tanztheater?

a) Isadora Duncan

b) Alvin Ailey

c) Garry Stewart

d) Pina Bausch


2. Which modern dance expert choreographed for the films White Nights, Hair and Amadeus?

a) Paul Taylor

b) Twyla Tharp

c) Mark Morris

d) Rudolf Laban
 

3. Jacob’s Pillow is an annual dance festival held in which US state?

a) Massachusetts

b) New York

c) Iowa

d) Colorado

4. Mikhail Baryshnikov and Mark Morris founded a dance company in 1990. What was it called?

a) Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet

b) White Oak Dance Project

c) White Nights Dance Project

d) Baryshnikov Morris Dance Company

5. Which of the following is NOT a work by American choreographer, Twyla Tharp?

a) In the Upper Room

b) Movin’ Out

c) Fancy Free

d) Fugue

6. In which work would you find Herod, Herodius and St. John the Baptist?

a) Salome

b) Spartacus

c) A Midsummer Night’s Dream

d) Sinfonietta

7. Which Australian contemporary dance company has its home in Adelaide?

a) Dancenorth

b) Expressions Dance Company

c) BalletLab

d) Australian Dance Theatre

Choreographer Jiri Kylian. Photo by Joke Schot

8. Choreographer Jiri Kylian is best associated with which company?

a) Nederlands Dans Theater

b) Sydney Dance Company

c) Rambert Dance Company

d) DV8 Physical Theatre

9. Who choreographed Appalachian Spring?

a) Rafael Bonachela

b) Mats Ek

c) Martha Graham

d) Merce Cunningham

10. Which work allegedly caused a riot when it was first performed?

a) Romeo and Juliet

b) Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)

c) Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes

d) Falling Angels

Answers:
1 – d, 2 – b, 3 – a, 4 – b, 5 – c, 6 – a, 7 – d, 8 – a, 9 – c, 10 – b