MRPJ#16/Fame: Extras

“If increasing power made me nervous ( I consistently declined invitations to adjudicate festivals and competitions) fame took me by surprise. By fame, I mean, the degree to which members of the dance community outside New York and those who read about dance recognize my name. By the time I had written for about twenty years, I was better known that quite a few people I wrote about. This limited fame has brought perks — job offers, for one thing. And very occasionally it has startled me. Like the time a giggling Korean choreographer I have never seen before pointed me out to her friend in the hallway outside my apartment, or ( this was really heady) when an Air Canada representative took my name over the phone, and then asked Deborah Jowitt the dance critic?” — From The F Word by Deborah Jowitt

“We need to do that for each other, recognize each others work, and in-act the ritual of giving public speeches. Just because the culture doesn’t think what we do is important, it doesn’t mean it isn’t important. But the struggle of waking up everyday and constructing the world in which our work means something is exhausting. And toasts, dinner parties and award ceremonies do help. They let us know that our work is respected and taken seriously by people we respect and take seriously. Even if our mothers’ friends still don’t have any idea what we do.” — From A Defense of Fame by Lucy Sexton

“The point is there is no single formula for what gets presented or who makes it big: here, there, anywhere. And it would be stupid and impossible to try and tailor my voice for the market. Influence from other artists and technical training is inevitable. Respect too, if I follow the progress of my own creative ride.” — From The Gag Rule by Joanne Nerenberg

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