Friday, April 04, 2003

This thing called dance poses big problems for me lately. Having recently done a butoh based performance, painted white and moving in slow motion on a chair holding a tea cup and having also recently given another workshop where we spent the majority of our time (several hours) examining our facial expressions in a studio mirror, I am wondering where its all going for me choreographically. Contemporary dance bores me mostly. The best thing I've seen in ages was Emio Greco at the Barbican last week. See the write-up on Emio on www.foxinternet.co.uk. I seem to have a real aversion to representation in dance but yet with the recent television and media domination of reality I feel overwhelmed. Give me narrative, fantasy... I can't watch the news. But dance surely reflects our times. Look at all the camoflauge skirts and cute camo tops in the stores. It makes me sick. Where is the place for dance in all this -- like fashion and TV it seems self-indulgent. Cheap entertainment. Made for the critics. The real issue for me is ... What form does dance take when it comes straight from the soul? I know that sounds new agey, maybe even wishy washy but how can I make dance now that grabs 'em by the balls and that someone will give me money to make??? Big problems ya see...