Talking to Young Dancers and Choreographers Today

February 19, 2008

Young people looking to pursue careers as dancers should first consider where they want to go. Those whose aim is to join one of the larger, established contemporary dance companies – Alvin Ailey, Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, José Limón – would benefit most from conservatory training, of the type offered at Juilliard, NYU’s Tisch School, or SUNY Purchase. Those pursuing a more “downtown” approach might seek out any type of technique class: improvisation, release technique, yoga-informed movement. Contemporary dancers in this area do not face the demand for virtuosity that typifies the “upscale” companies.

But any dancer today needs the discipline that comes from thorough training and study – reading, research, assignments, etc. – in one field or another. Whether artists come to dance from a scientific or an artistic background, whether they are multimedia experts, writers, musicians, therapists, or medical practitioners, they should have experience with the process and discipline of scholarship. It isn’t enough today to know about dance and only dance, although awareness of its history and directions is helpful.

Perhaps the best training for a contemporary dancer is to identify an artist who is inspirational and to arrange to intern with that person or work with his or her company, even without pay. It is an invaluable experience for the dancer-in-training to work closely with a choreographer or other performance artist who can be a mentor and guide.

With developing choreographers, I would emphasize the need for compositional tools. I encourage them to pursue a B.F.A and/or M.F.A., or to study in a program such as those offered by the Laban School in London or Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s P.A.R.T.S. – Performing Arts Research and Training Studios, in Belgium.

A key thing for choreographers and performers in contemporary dance to remember is, today, dance is global. No longer is it solely the province of New York City, or even of the United States. Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America are all seeing the expansion of the art form and the emergence of challenging choreographers, performers, and companies.

Contemporary dance is no longer restricted to proscenium stage performances. It has moved to outdoor sites and to a wide range of venues (studios, basements, churches, airplane hangars – the list goes on). And it is no longer solely the physical performance of the moment. Video and sites such as YouTube on the Internet help expand the possibilities for dance performances.

It isn’t enough for the young choreographer to have a surface knowledge of alternate media forms with which she or he works. Integrating other media, other areas of study, with performance again requires immersion and discipline. In general, it is rare for an individual choreographer to surpass others, becoming “known,” without having studied considerably and gone beyond the “movement, music, and lights” formula that informed modern dance in the early years. It’s a different day today.

Choreographers, too, need to allow themselves to be informed by other artists, and to be aware of the influences on their work – as well as those areas they may choose not to pursue. While familiarity with “the big ones” is good – Pina Bausch, Trisha Brown, Merce Cunningham, Akram Khan, Mark Morris, Shen Wei, for instance – the artist should not feel bound to follow the techniques and styles of those choreographers. It is useful to understand who and what have informed those artists, and to expose oneself to a broad spectrum of performance artists.

Ultimately, any artist’s development is fluid and follows a path of personal choices. What’s perhaps most important is for the artists to be aware of why they make the choices they do, and to be able to defend their choices and evaluate their work verbally. This articulation of one’s art is critical to one’s personal creative growth and professional development.

I would ask developing choreographers: What are you looking to achieve? How much time do you spend on your art? Are you crafting works only to meet performance deadlines and commissions, or do you have your own vision to which you devote your time? Who is your audience – and who do you want your audience to be? Are you thinking about how the audience perceives your work, and what level of “understanding” you want from them?

And of course, practically, you need to be aware of economic resources available. Do you know the funding game – what grants and fellowships are available, and how to get them?

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