Critical Correspondence
Marissa Perel in conversation with Katy Pyle, Jules Skloot, Cassie Mey, Francis Weiss Rabkin, Sam Greenleaf Miller, Effie Bowen, and Lindsay Reuter
In February 2012, artist/writer/curator Marissa Perel spoke with dancer/choreographer Katy Pyle about her queered ballet form, Ballez, and the early stages of her latest piece, “The Firebird,” which was presented at Danspace Project, May 16-18. Here, members of the cast of “The Firebird” join Perel and Pyle to discuss motivations for the piece, each performer's experience of Ballez, and alternative approaches to the idea of failure in queer performance.
Miguel Gutierrez in conversation with Marissa Perel
Miguel Gutierrez talked with Marissa Perel about his life transitions, the healing work of Feldenkrais, and his artistic process in the making of “And lose the name of action.” The piece had its New York premier Dec. 4-8 2012 at BAM’s Next Wave Festival and recently toured the MCA stage in Chicago. Gutierrez reflects, “I had been researching the brain, watching boring DVDs, reading books and so much of that research was dry. I suspected that the piece would have a dryness to it, or a kind of rationalism to it, like a powerpoint piece, or the lecture-demonstration-performance, where there’s an overheard projector, everyone’s wearing regular clothes, the house lights are on, and that’s it. What I did not expect to make was a big ole’ mutha-fuckin’ spectacle.”
Part 3: Daria Faïn and Robert Kocik in conversation with Marissa Perel
Choreographer Daria Faïn and poet Robert Kocik spoke with CC Co-Editor Marissa Perel about their opera/Greek tragedy/choral poem “E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E,” scheduled to open October 31, 2012 at New Yok Live Arts. Due to Hurricane Sandy, the production was canceled, but is now rescheduled for February 8-March 2 2013. In an e-mail, Robert explains why the hurricane is part of the process, describes his intended installation, “LOBBYING (acts of re-English),” and shares archival research.
Infiltrating the MoMA Atrium Part 2: Ralph Lemon in conversation with Marissa Perel on “Some sweet day”
Artist, choreographer, writer, conceptualist, Ralph Lemon, further discusses his artistic and curatorial concepts in relationship to race, and the work of Deborah Hay and Sarah Michelson for “Some sweet day” in MoMA’s Marron Atrium, October 15- Nov 4 2012 in conversation with Marissa Perel. The first part of this conversation can be found on the Art21 blog.
Adrienne Truscott in conversation with Marissa Perel on “…Too Freedom…” premiering Dec. 8 2012 at the Kitchen
Choreographer and performer, Adrienne Truscott, talked with CC co-editor, Marissa Perel while driving to help with Hurricane Sandy relief efforts in the Rockaways. They discussed Truscott’s LMCC residency at Governor’s Island, being alone in the studio, working with jornaleros, and the trials and travails of being a Wau Wau Sister. Truscott premiers “…Too Freedom…” at the Kitchen Dec 8-9 & Dec 12-15 2012.
Part 2: Daria Faïn and Robert Kocik in conversation with Marissa Perel
Choreographer Daria Faïn and poet Robert Kocik spoke with CC Co-Editor Marissa Perel about their opera/Greek tragedy/choral poem “E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E,” scheduled to open October 31, 2012 at New Yok Live Arts. Due to Hurricane Sandy, the production was cancelled, however in a series of posts exclusive to CC, Faïn and Kocik relate their process. In Part 2, the artists discuss working with a libretto, historical research, Chinese energetics, money as a shared resource, and levels of engagement with the work.
Part 1: Daria Faïn and Robert Kocik in Conversation with Marissa Perel
Choreographer Daria Faïn and poet Robert Kocik spoke with CC Co-Editor Marissa Perel about their opera/Greek tragedy/choral poem “E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E,” scheduled to open October 31, 2012 at New Yok Live Arts. Due to Hurricane Sandy, the production was cancelled, however in a series of posts exclusive to CC, Faïn and Kocik relate their process. For Part 1, the artists discuss the formation of the Commons Choir, phonemes, prosody, and freeing language from systemic and institutional oppression.
Jack Ferver in conversation with Marissa Perel
New York based performer, choreographer, writer and teacher, Jack Ferver spoke with CC Co-Editor, Marissa Perel via Google Hangout about the process of making his new solo, “Mon, Ma, Mes,” which will be performed October 6 at Le Skyroom for FIAF’s Crossing The Line 2012. Ferver discusses returning to Interlochen as a guest artist, sculpting performance out of chaos, the art of the Q & A and the performance of persona.
Sarah Michelson in conversation with Marissa Perel Part Two
Critical Correspondence co-editor, Marissa Perel interviewed Sarah Michelson on “Devotion Study #1 – The American Dancer,” which was presented at the 2012 Whitney Biennial. Since the publication of Part One of this interview, Michelson has been selected as the recipient of the 2012 Bucksbaum Award, which is given every two years to one of the artists in the Biennial. Regarding the process of preparation in the museum setting, Michelson reveals, “Sometimes, if the dancers were having a rough day, it was hard. There was no place to go. There was a green room that we thought was going to be locked, but it was an art installation, so it had to be open!”
Jillian Peña in conversation with Marissa Perel on The Guiding Light
Jillian Pena investigates “light” as a concept, belief and pop symbol with CC co-editor, Marissa Perel. Pena’s new work, The Guiding Light, premiers at Brooklyn Arts Exchange, [BAX] on Friday, April 27 and runs through Sunday, April 29 2012. “My mom was agnostic. She was like, ‘Just hide when they all pray. Just hide.’ They would tell us that our bodies were vessels for Jesus…I like the idea of the vessel, but when you really believe in something it’s like emptying out in order for that to fill you, which is sexy. So, I am interested in that physicality. Religiosity in a physical sense. What that means. What that looks like.”
All Things Seen: Claudia La Rocco in conversation with Marissa Perel
Renowned dance critic Claudia La Rocco discusses her journey into the profession, the culture clash between the dance and visual art worlds, her hunger for discussion about performance and the invention of P-Club, and why the starving artist model is gross. “I feel incredibly, incredibly lucky to have stumbled into performance and the way in which the field has activated my writing and changed it… I think that that doesn’t get acknowledged enough by writers, how there is an immense debt that you owe your subject.”
Queering the Point(e): Katy Pyle in conversation with Marissa Perel
Katy Pyle’s, The Firebird will be presented as part of the Brink series at Dixon Place, curated by Kimberly Brandt, February 28-29th. “I like playing with people. It’s almost like a place in a person that resonates. It’s like an intersection of fear and excitement, to me, laughter. And, confusion and not knowing! There’s a lot of emotion in there. When you hit that chord, something’s actually happening. There’s a real response that’s coming out.”
Priss-pot: Regina Rocke in conversation with Marissa Perel on “Boy Troubles”
Boy Troubles runs February 23-25th, 2012 at Danspace Project in a shared evening of work entitled, “From the Streets, From the Clubs, From the Houses,” as part of the Parallels Platform curated by Ishmael Houston-Jones.
Marissa Perel on Conversation Without Walls: Mutual Seductions
Artist Marissa Perel writes about November’s Conversation Without Walls at Danspace Project, entitled Mutual Seductions, which “presented a complex matrix of relationships between choreographers, theorists, visual artists and curators. A succession of three panel discussions developed and moderated by theorist/writer Jenn Joy, it was not only a space of conversation and investigation into ideas, but also a space of reflection for all of the speakers involved, which proved to be as challenging as it was insightful.”
