Critical Correspondence
Performa 09: William Kentridge at Cedar Lake
by Karinne Keithley As this blogging group was forming, we corresponded about what a Movement Research-based writing group looking at Performa might do. One of the many ideas which came up, beyond the initial sense that we weren’t going to review, per se, and neither were we going to get oppositional about dance world and […]
Performa 09: Art History with Benefits at X Initiative
by Ursula Eagly Popular music is popular in contemporary performance. I’ve been noticing this at dance shows for a few years, and here it was again: three gentlemen from the Bruce High Quality Foundation University busting out George Michael’s “Father Figure.” God, I love that song. So did the performers and most everyone in the […]
Performa 09: Auf den Tisch! at BAC
by Ursula Eagly “There is no discourse in New York!” “There is discourse in private, but not in the open.” “Artists are struggling just to make the work and don’t have time to talk about it, too.” Auf den Tisch! was an opportunity for discourse, provoked it even, with statements like those above. But most […]
Performa 09: Symphony n.1 at PS 122
by Karinne Keithley Symphony n. 1, created by the Italian collective Alterazioni Video and Icelander Ragnar Kjartansson, approached performance on its most ephemeral terms: an experience without residue. Attendance here was something like dining out. Structured as a kind of domesticated piece of noise art, five men in concert attire perform four formally demarcated symphonic […]
Responses: Empty Gestures – Christine Elmo’s Aimless Unicorns (one response)
by Mary L Hodges Your Unison Uses Unicorns opened with choreographer Christine Elmo walking back and forth along the diagonal of Dance Theater Workshop’s 2nd floor studio. She wore shiny black underwear, a modified gray t-shirt fitted to her frame, a gaudy curled mustache, and a blank face—too vacant even to be called deadpan. She […]
Correspondence from Wanda Gala at the University of Limerick #4
This past month at the IPEDAK conference on Dance Knowledge in Trondheim issues of the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage brought the notion of authenticity to the forefront of discussions. Firstly I must express that I attributed this to the amount of folk lore scholars at the conference, but upon reflection and recent articles concerning […]
Correspondence from Wanda Gala at the University of Limerick #3
Colin Dunne: A Contemporary Perspective on Irish Dance In 1996 New York dance critic, Marcia Siegel , in lieu of viewing an onslaught of big budget multicultural dance extravaganzas that season, reflected on her experience of Riverdance, as promoting, “tourism and political credibility” (1996:467). She ends her story in Hudson Review, Multicult-The Show, with the […]
Correspondence from Martín Lanz: NY 2/2, México 1/2
by Martín Lanz Landázuri Arriving, leaving, arriving, leaving, and arriving again… yes always visiting… Después de una corta visita a México, de regreso en Brooklyn quisiera comentar un fenómeno que se me hace interesante en este lugar, debido a un movimiento interno de la población en la ciudad de N.Y. generalmente en busca de un […]
MR Festival 2009: Role Call: Hostess, Prophet
by Clare Byrne MR Festival Spring 2009: Roll Call At the MARKET at AUNTS, the artwork – made on-the-spot, freely (and freely given away) by anyone who showed up to make it, the week before at FACTORY – was bartered away with beer, objects, art, and I’m sure winks and nods – all valuable commodities. […]
MR Festival 2009: Catalogue of Engagement – Create/Process: DEMOCRATIC DANCE SESSION
by Maggie Bennett MR Festival Spring 2009: Roll Call led by Milka Djordjevich Dance Theater Workshop, Robbins Studio, Sat April 25, 2009 Milka was giving us very challenging assignments. Create a loop of movement with one body part. Image 3 physical images (example: open lung with right foot forward, pelvis low, hart open to ceiling, […]
MR Festival 2009: Catalogue of Engagement: FACILITATE
by Maggie Bennett MR Festival Spring 2009: Roll Call 48 X 4 X 3 The Chocolate Factory, Long Island City, Sat April 25, 2009 9:30-10:30pm Megan Byrne, Festival Curator: “This was inspired by last year’s festival, they did 24 X 4 X 4 , and i went to that event and some of the work […]
MR Festival 2009: For All the Movers Out There: Intention Research
by Clare Byrne MR Festival Spring 2009: Roll Call Here’s a quote from the Roll Call press release on the free UNESCO Dance Day Event this Wednesday 6pm – 9pm, at Fred Torres Collaborations, 529 W. 29th St: “The future of dance lies where there are persons who do not dance. These belong to two […]
MR Festival 2009: Catalogue of Engagement: PARTICIPATE/ PERFORM
by Maggie Bennett MR Festival Spring 2009: Roll Call AUNTS FACTORY RPPP Loft, Bushwick, April 18, 2009, all day Making things is empowering, and inspiring. Show up, look at objects, imagine a transformation of the materials, and get to work. A few hours of input, and a product is created. I was overwhelmed with the […]
MR Festival 2009: Catalogue of Engagement: DOCUMENT
by Maggie Bennett MR Festival Spring 2009: Roll Call Democratic Dance Session, led by Milka Djordjevich Dance Theater Workshop, Robbins Studio, Sat April 26, 2009, 11:00am — 2:00pm Documentation is challenging when participation is the mode of engagement most encouraged. I felt as though i was betraying the event by extracting myself, picking up the […]
MR Festival 2009: Catalogue of Engagement: CREATE/ PROCESS
by Maggie Bennett MR Festival Spring 2009: Roll Call AUNTS FACTORY RPPP Loft, Bushwick, Sat April 18, 2009, all day Although I lack many skills of craftsmanship, I’m amazed by brain’s MacGyver ability to problem-solve, assemble objects to serve greater function. Need “Badge of Commitment and Acceptance of Friendship”: an old pot-warmer that fits on […]
