Ralph Lemon at the MoMA

On Saturday, January 29, I saw Ralph Lemon's performance with Okwui Okpokwasili, Untitled (2008)- held in conjunction with the On Line: Drawing Through the Twentieth Century exhibit at the MoMA- I was thoroughly disappointed. Maybe it was the packed crowds that caused constant obstructed views, needless to say I was surprised that the crowd stayed so ample. The MoMA's atrium space and two interesting figures were simply not enough to hold my attention. The movement was minimal and the interaction between Lemon and Okpokwasili looked like uncrafted contact improvisation. Studying the eclectic and eccentric audience members from my perch was far more fascinating. It looks like Xavier Le Roy's collaboration with Laurent Golding containing nudity and featuring music by Diana Ross in the same space February 2, 5&6 will give me much more to write about!

Jordana Che Toback

I love this press photo dancer/director/choreographer Jordana Che Toback is using to promote her new show with fellow choreographer Clarinda Mac Low opening at DNA tomorrow night (1/27) and running through Sunday.

For tickets and more information, visit http://www.dnadance.org/site/performances/dna-presents-winter-season-2011/splice-clarinda-mac-low-and-jordana-che-toback/


Jordana Che Toback has performed with choreographers including Mark Morris, Amy Pivar, Patricia Hoffbauer/George Emilio Sanchez, Pam Tanowitz, and Douglas Dunn/Joshua Fried. Toback is currently choreographing new work for her POON Productions ensemble while re-staging her 4th evening length work, TERRE for performances and parties in early 2011.

A Dirty Life

A farm is a manipulative creature. There is no such thing as finished. Work comes in a stream and has no end. There are only the things that must be done now and things that can be done later. The threat the farm has got on you, the one that keeps you running from can until can't, is this: do it now, or some living thing will wilt or suffer or die. It's blackmail, really.

The above passage is from the current book I'm reading, The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball. Kimball's synopsis of farm life reminded me of the pursuit of dance. A dancer's "farm" is their body and also never finished, but that is the beauty and probably what compels many dancers to continue. Perhaps blackmail-like a farmer, being a dancer is steady work that has no end, but carries many rewards.

The Guggenheim Presents: Works & Process 2011 Spring Series

Sara Murphy

This article was published on TheNewsGallery.com, January 7, 2011

For 27 years, the Guggenheim Museum’s Work & Process series has provided New Yorkers with unprecedented access to some of the most celebrated performing artists in the world by creating a forum where audience members not only experience the performances, but also get to see what happens behind the curtain with moderated discussions between the artists. Works & Process 2011 features nine events over the next five months (January-May), and kicks off a very dance centered series this weekend.

The first event presents the Pacific Northwest Ballet from Seattle dancing excerpts from Peter Boal’s new staging of the romantic ballet classic, Giselle. Using reconstructed choreography based on Stepanov notation circa 1903 and French sources from the 1840s, the program runs January 9, 10. The opening performance will also be streamed live over the web (accessible on the Guggenheim’s website) beginning at 7 pm (EST) on Sunday, January 9.



Other events of interest include John Zorn’s Music Interpreted (February 27, 28) featuring two commissions to Zorn’s scores by avant-garde choreographers Donald Byrd and Pam Tanowitz. Look for Tony award winning dancer Ashley Tuttle (Movin’ Out, ABT) in Tanowitz’s work. In addition to the two world premieres, Byrd, Tanowitz and Zorn will all be present to chat about their collaborations.

Also be sure to check out How Judges Judge- Youth American Grand Prix (March 6, 7), and American Ballet Theatre- On to Act II (May 1,2). Both events invite the audience to delve inside the dancer’s head. The Youth American Grand Prix is the world’s largest student ballet scholarship competition. The event will expose how the competition’s jury members select the winners as they critique an impromptu ballet competition in front of the audience. American Ballet Theatre has rounded up a panel of notable alumni to discuss what happens after dancers hang up their dancing shoes. A dancer’s dancer event, current ABT members will also perform excerpts from their upcoming Metropolitan Opera House season, so there’s something for every dance lover.

For a complete list of the Guggenheim’s Works & Process events, ticket information and performance times, go to www.guggenheim.org/new-york/education/works-and-process/events-schedule

Sara Murphy is a freelance dance writer and anthropologist in New York.

Educating The Dancing Body

Sara Murphy
December 2010

For a long time I didn't make, because my body was super colonized by this very particular vocabulary. I was like, 'that's just not me, that's Stephen or this particular era of New York.' I felt very defined by this. - Becky Hilton, former member Stephen Petronio Company

As I browsed through the latest Movement Research Performance Journal, I came across the above quote from dancer, teacher and choreographer Becky Hilton in an interview with Rosalind Masson. I loved this idea of the body 'being colonized'- the word has so many connotations- colonialism, robotic technician, being swallowed up. I remember feeling like my body was a bit "colonized" after I graduated from a BFA program in dance. But this is somewhat inevitable. When we're sent off into the "real" world, we get to discover how our body moves. When I was swimming in the sea of contemporary dance in New York, I realized I had to de-colonize and re-educate. I found my guidance from Susan Klein's work, Klein Technique (see December 26th posting, Healthy Practice: Klein Technique.)

One of the hardest things for any young dancer to do is to be asked to stand still. To be with their body in quiet stillness is the bane of many 20-something dancers' existence. 'I want to move,' they say. What may not be apparent to the naked eye in Susan Klein's work is the immense amount of movement that's happening during her class. Because stillness is never really still.

Stepping into parallel to begin each class with a Klein roll down has become my meditation. When I first started studying, it was hard as hell! To be there with my body, with my tightness and my anxious thoughts- it was not easy. But as I pushed through the first few classes, I realized the power I was gaining by peeling back my layers. These "layers" hold years of movement colonization- overworked muscles, unhelpful habits and an utter lack of an anatomical education. Susan has helped me learn that the power of movement doesn't come from the muscles, but comes from the bones.

The idea is that by aligning our skeletal structures first, the muscles will follow, not vice versa. As this re-patterning happens, Susan teaches her students how to be "grounded." A popular term amongst dancers and dance educators, she breaks down what being grounded really means- working the connections between the sitz bones and tail bone to the heels- allowing the pelvis to sit on top of the legs without tipping forward or tucking under. Rather than focus on the abdominal muscles or the "core" (a term dancers have borrowed from pilates), Susan stresses that it is not the center muscles that dancers need to concentrate on in order to gain the floor. It is our skeletal structure that supports us and should, in my opinion, be the focus of traditional Western contemporary dance training.

I read an interview with Janet Panetta, the ballet master for Pina Bausch's company, who I've longed to take class with due to my Pina Bausch obsession. When asked why Pina wanted her dancers to study ballet Janet replied,

Pina loved good ballet. I think she believed in the ability of ballet training to inform the dancers’ bodies. I think she was partial to the physical attributes of the ballet body: the legs, the feet. She appreciated educated dancers. That is now clear with the ones who have no classical ballet background, but are very schooled in dance from their own cultures.

Notice here Janet's use of the word "educated." Susan often talks about how she thinks there needs to be a paradigm shift in the minds of dancers and other dance educators in order to understand her work. She hates the word "training." And Janet proves that a similar kind of understanding is possible in mainstream ballet technique. When asked why Pina chose Janet specifically to work with her dancers she explained,

...I teach technique in a very specific way that isn’t always done in ballet classes. It encourages less muscular tension by placing the bones properly and allowing the muscles to follow. Dancers do not fight with their bodies in my work, they gain function that makes them released in their movement. There is no ballet affectation. It is never my desire to make them better ballet dancers, just better dancers. In that sense, the form works as well as any and often increases the range of movement possibilities.

Gaining function by allowing the muscles to follow has become my new mantra as I continue to explore educating my dancing body. After gaining insight into Janet's teaching philosophy, I'm not surprised Pina put her in charge of her dancers. Janet has fostered dancing bodies with some of the most exquisite physical capabilities. Now, if only I can find a way to get Susan and Janet in the same room- a meeting of the minds surely not to be missed!

Sara Murphy is a freelance dance writer and anthropologist based in New York.

Read more of Gia Kourlas' interview with Janet Panetta in Time Out New York http://newyork.timeout.com/arts-culture/dance/42732/interview-janet-panetta

Dance on Camera Festival 2011

http://dancefilms.org/

Schedule:

Tuesday, January 25
1-6 Baryshnikov Arts Center – Billy Cowie Retrospective
7-9 Judson Memorial Church – Movement Research program

Wednesday, January 26
1-6:30 Baryshnikov Arts Center – Billy Cowie Retrospective
2pm Beacon School – Workshop with UK director Caswell Coggins
3pm Beacon School – DESTINO
6:30- 8 Baryshnikov Arts Center – Reception/Billy Cowie performs “Hi Jinks”

Thursday, January 27
1-6 Baryshnikov Arts Center – Billy Cowie Retrospective
6-8pm Bar Basque – Big Screen Project/Open Bar

Friday, January 28
11am Gallery/WRT – Laura Taler
12 noon Gallery/Walter Reade – Distribution Panel
1-6pm Baryshnikov Arts Center – Billy Cowie Retrospective
1:30pm Walter Reade Theatre - A NEW DANCE FOR AMERICA & ON THE SOUND
3:30pm Walter Reade Theatre – SHALL WE DANCE
6pm Walter Reade Theatre - CLAUDE BESSY, LIGNES D’UNE VIE
7:30 Frieda & Roy Furman Gallery/WRT – Reception
8pm Walter Reade Theatre – CHAPLIN DANCES

Saturday, January 29
11am Gallery/WRT – Screendance talk: Douglas Rosenberg
12 noon Gallery/WRT – Presentors Panel: Neil Sieling, Judy Gladstone
1-6pm Baryshnikov Arts Center – Billy Cowie Retrospective
1:30pm Walter Reade Theatre – CHAPLIN DANCES
4pm Walter Reade Theatre - CLAUDE BESSY, LIGNES D’UNE VIE
6:15pm Walter Reade Theatre – THE LAST TIGHTROPE DANCER IN ARMENIA
8pm Walter Reade Theatre – FLAMENCO FLAMENCO

Sunday, January 30
12 noon Gallery/WRT – Talk on FELIX: Gabriela Estrada
1-6pm Baryshnikov Arts Center – Billy Cowie Retrospective
1:30pm Walter Reade Theatre – THE LAST TIGHTROPE DANCER IN ARMENIA
3:30pm Walter Reade Theatre – FLAMENCO FLAMENCO
6pm Walter Reade Theatre – ALL THE LADIES SAY & EBONY GODDESS
8pm Walter Reade Theatre - DANCING DREAMS

Monday, January 31
1-6 Baryshnikov Arts Center – Billy Cowie Retrospective
1:30 Walter Reade Theatre – SHALL WE DANCE?
4pm Walter Reade Theatre – ALL THE LADIES SAY & EBONY GODDESS
6pm Walter Reade Theatre - BÖDÄLÄ – Dance The Rhythm
8pm Walter Reade Theatre - PASSION: LAST STOP KINSHASA

Tuesday, February 1
1-6 Baryshnikov Arts Center – Billy Cowie Retrospective
1:30pm Walter Reade Theatre - PASSION: LAST STOP KINSHASA
4pm Walter Reade Theatre - BÖDÄLÄ – Dance The Rhythm
6pm Walter Reade Theatre - A NEW DANCE FOR AMERICA & ON THE SOUND
8pm Walter Reade Theatre - DANCING DREAMS
10pm Gallery/WRT – Reception to celebrate Jury Winner

Healthy Practice: Klein Technique™

Sara Murphy
December 2010

This article appears in the 2010 Winter issue of Dance UK News (http://www.danceuk.org/shop/our-magazine-dance-uk-news/)

Susan Klein’s movement education system, Klein Technique,™ is the most comprehensive system of educating dancers I have come across in my training as a contemporary dancer. Susan has been teaching her codified exercises to the international dance community for 40 years, yet her work has gone relatively under-noticed by dance academia. Why hasn’t the Western dance academy been more receptive to Klein Technique™? One reason may stem from the dance world’s tendency to segregate, particularly when it comes to training and technique methods.

Klein Technique™ has a significantly different approach to the body than traditional ballet and contemporary training, yet it has the ability to train dancers just as sufficiently, if not better, than more widely practiced techniques such as Cunningham, Graham or the RAD system. Instead of focusing on an aesthetic outcome- focusing on form- Susan created exercises to help increase coordination and connections throughout the body on the level of the bones using the muscles of deep postural support. Students who study Klein Technique™ increase their movement potential and artistry, but don’t reach the frustrating plateau often seen in traditional training, because they’re taught to use principles that underlie all movement. Without the restriction of a formulaic style, these principles allow for an in-depth understanding, so each student can reach their unique movement potential. Though Klein Technique™ was developed as a result of Susan’s own personal struggle with a knee injury in her early career as a contemporary dancer in New York, her system benefits healthy dancers and non-dancers alike.

“Klein Technique™…serves as a way for people to work through individual injuries, to understand the workings of their own bodies and to heal themselves…the aim of my work is…for each person to get a body felt understanding of who they are, what their injury means and how to access the innate intelligence of their body rather than to ignore it. For the healthy dancer, it is a technique of discovery…it’s a way to learn to dance and move from an internal knowing rather than an external shaping,” explains Susan.

By going directly to the bones rather than the superficial muscles, Susan believes there is a better chance of changing and improving the function of dancers’ bodies. In her work, the body is discussed, analysed and understood--both intellectually and somatically--to teach dancers how to gain a highly developed kinesthetic awareness of their bodies by teaching them to move from an anatomical perspective rather than just a visual one.

You won’t be directed to “hold your center” or “pull up” in a Klein class. Alternatively, these are replaced with directions such as “lengthen your tail bone down to your heels” and “connect your sitz bones through your heels into the floor.” By educating dancers about how the human body functions in movement--taking theoretical concepts and applying them to the dancing body through daily exercises--Susan’s work has the ability to fill a void in traditional dance training. By working on the level of the bone, dancers learn to stop gripping their muscles and let their skeletal system work for them, maximizing their unique movement potential and minimizing injuries.

Sara Murphy is a freelance dance writer and anthropologist based in New York.

Information and articles written by Susan Klein can be accessed at www.kleintechnique.com

Classes are held at:
Susan Klein School of Movement and Dance
60 Beach Street, 4A
New York, NY 10013
Click below for class schedule http://www.kleintechnique.com/schedule.html

Contact Susan Klein:
Tel 212-226-6510
Email susan@kleintechnique.com