Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
ONE OF A KIND
The Kylin Research Project
5
Foreword
One very lucky generation of students at Codarts has been able to benefit
from this opportunity first hand while others have been following the project
through the Internet. Future generations will be able to draw insights from
this unique experience thanks to the extensive documentation that has been
published, part of which you are now holding in your hands.
Samuel Wuersten,
Director of dance at Codarts Rotterdam and member of the executive board
7
Dear friends,
The introduction you are about to read is not aimed at any method of
teaching or any institution in particular. It merely states some of my
convictions concerning the delicate balance betweenteaching and learning.
I have met very generous teachers who spend a great deal of time and
energy addressing the specific needs and problems of individual students.
Students should try to absorb as much material as is given to them but
they should never do so without examining it critically: there are too many
examples of teachers either being massively misused by dubious politicians
or simply manipulating peoples opinions themselves.
All the knowledge teachers have accumulated from their teachers, and from
their teachers teachers, should be passed on to students in a simple, inclu-
sive manner so that they may use it freely in the expression of their natural
curiosity, creativity and fantasy. Teaching should be a journey of adventure
and discovery. Good teachers give you confidence, frustrated teachers take
it away. There are millions of examples of both cases.
Ji Kylin
9
Introducing
One Of A Kind
The Kylin Research Project
by Friederike Lampert and Dsire Staverman
Lets go back to May 1998 when Nederlands Dans For One Of A Kind, Kylin invited and assembled an
Theater performs Ji Kylins choreography One Of A international team of artists from different disciplines
Kind for the first time. Two of the press reviews were in order to create an original work of art. The team
as follows: comprised a Japanese architect, an Australian com-
poser, a lighting designer from Germany, a costume
designer as well as a cellist from the Netherlands, and,
Nederlands Dans Theater is not only a last but not least, the international NDT group itself. The
architect Atsushi Kitagawara was responsible for stage
group that is able to reach large audiences,
design while Michael Simon was in charge of lighting,
it is also a research centre into the exchange Joke Visser and Yoshiki Hishinuma for costumes, but as
between the arts. [] One Of A Kind is a Kylin pointed out in an interview shortly before the
message from the maternity room of dance.1 first performance, the starting point was the music, and
vocal music in particular: I love vocal music because,
Ariejan Korteweg in de Volkskrant like dance, it is the only form of human music that can
be made without an instrument.
One Of A Kind is a rare work of art where The composer Brett Dean developed a soundscape
there is a total unity between the lighting, inspired by musical styles as diverse as sixteenth century
the dcor, the music and the dance. a cappella polyphony, avant-garde music by John Cage,
Inuit singing and overtone chanting by Tibetan monks.
Everything, including the cello, has its The resulting composition also used African percussion
proper place on stage.2 as well as birdsong from Deans native Australia. The
Patricia Boccadoro in Culturekiosque cellist on stage was Pieter Wispelwey, who played the
lament from Benjamin Brittens first cello suite.
All short films are archived at Codarts and can also be viewed at
oneofakind.codarts.nl.
One Of A Kind
14 15
Wassily Kandinsky
Impression III (Konzert) 1911, inspired by the music of Arnold Schoenberg
GMS 78
Stdtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus und Kunstbau Mnchen
One Of A Kind
The Research Team
Ji Kylin
Ji Kylin (born in Czechoslovakia He also created Nederlands In the summer of 2006, he created
in 1947) started his dance career at Dans Theater III, a company for a film entitled Car Men with the
the age of nine at the School of the older dancers, in 1991. After an director Boris Paval Conen and in
National Ballet in Prague. In 1962, extraordinary record of service, he 2013 another film Between Entrance
he was accepted as a student at handed over artistic leadership of and Exit with the same director. It
the Prague Conservatory. He left Nederlands Dans Theater in 1999 was choreographed on location in
Prague when he received a scholar- but remained associated the com- open brown coal mines in the Czech
ship for the Royal Ballet School in pany as house choreographer. He Republic. He has received many
London in 1967. After completing has created more than 100 ballets, international awards and honours in
his scholarship, he went to the 72 of which were for Nederlands the course of his career including the
Stuttgart Ballet led by John Cranko Dans Theater. His work is performed Officer of the Royal Dutch Order of
where he made his debut as a all over the world by more than 80 Orange-Nassau, an honorary doctor-
choreographer with Paradox for the companies and schools. He has not ate from the Juilliard School in New
Noverre Gesellschaft. After making only made works for Nederlands York, three Nijinsky Awards in Monte
three ballets for Nederlands Dans Dans Theatre but also for the Carlo (best choreographer, company
Theater (Viewers, Stoolgame and La Stuttgart Ballet, the Paris Opra, and work), Benois de la Danse in
Cathdrale Engloutie), he became Swedish television and the Tokyo Moscow and Berlin, an Honorary
artistic director of the company in Ballet. He has worked with many Medal from the President of the
1975. In 1978, he put Nederlands creative personalities of interna- Czech Republic and the Chevalier du
Dans Theater on the international tional stature, among them the Lgion dHonneur in France.
map with Sinfonietta. That same composers Arne Nordheim (Ariadne,
year, together with Carel Birnie, he 1997) and Tru Takemitsu (Dream jirikylian.com
founded Nederlands Dans Theater II, Time, 1983) and the designers Walter
which gave and still gives young Nobbe (Sinfonietta, 1978), Bill Katz
dancers the opportunity to develop (Symphony of Psalms, 1978), John
their skills and talents, and which Macfarlane (Forgotten Land, 1980),
functions as a breeding ground for Michael Simon (Stepping Stones,
young talent. 1998), Atsushi Kitagawara (One Of A
Kind, 1998) and Susumu Shingu (Toss
of a Dice, 2005).
19
Dr. Friederike Lampert Dr. Dsire Staverman
Friederike Lampert (born in Dsire Staverman (born in Hengelo, since 1988. The research for her 2006 the Master of Music programme at
Erlangen, Germany in 1968). She the Netherlands in 1954) studied doctoral thesis The Stage Music of Codarts since 2007. She was on the
studied ballet at the Frankfurt the violoncello in Amsterdam and Alphons Diepenbrock: Conception, editorial board for the Donemus edi-
University of Music and Performing musicology at Utrecht University. composition, performance focused tion of compositions by the Dutch
Arts followed by Applied Theatre She worked for several years as both on the revival of Greek Tragedy composer Diepenbrock and was
Studies at the Justus Liebig a violoncello teacher and a music on stage and the combination of working on the thematic catalogue
University Giessen. From 1988 to publicist. She has been teaching spoken voice and music in early of this composer. She also organises
2002, she worked as a professional music and cultural history in various twentieth-century stage music. She conferences for the Royal Society for
dancer (including Amanda Millers departments at Codarts Rotterdam has been research supervisor for Music History of The Netherlands.
Pretty Ugly Dance Company) and
from 2002 to 2006 she worked as a
research assistant in the Department
for Performance Studies and taught
dance theory and practice. Her
doctoral thesis Improvisation in
Artistic Dance was awarded the
Tanzwissenschaftspreis NRW (a
dance science award in North
Rhine-Westphalia) in 2006. Since
September 2007, she has mainly
been teaching dance theory and
practice. She organises conferences
on dance studies and is artistic direc-
tor of the K3 Youth Club at the K3
Centre for Choreography | Tanzplan
Hamburg at Kampnagel. From 2008
to 2010, she worked as a research
assistant with Tanzplan Deutschland
before becoming an associate
researcher for Ji Kylins professor-
ship at Codarts Rotterdam.
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a perform-
ing artist with roots in classical
and modern dance. He has been a
member of several groundbreaking UmaMedia
dance companies, including Ballet Owned by Barbara van den Bogaard
Frankfurt, Twyla Tharp Dance, Feld and Gerbert Toes, UmaMedia is a
Ballet, Pretty Ugly Dance Company company that specialises in visual
and Magpie Music Dance Company. storytelling. They were asked to
Working as dancer, choreographer, produce several short films for the
and teacher, he has developed a One Of A Kind research project.
unique approach to the discipline of It became clear when filming the
improvisation. He has collaborated first topic, Dance and Age, that the
with many pioneering musicians camera offered a new way of making
including the percussionist Han research processes in the perform-
Bennink, the violinist Mary Oliver, ing arts world visible. The camera
and the cellist/composer Alex then became the research eye for the
Waterman. He currently lives in entire project and helped explain,
Amsterdam and conducts work- in visual terms, the research, the
shops in movement analysis and experiences of those involved and
improvisation worldwide. the insights gained.
20 21
Sabine Kupferberg
Sabine Kupferberg (born in Michael Schumacher. In 1993, she
Wiesbaden, Germany, in 1951) took received the Prize of Merit from
her first ballet classes at the school Stichting Dansersfonds 79 founda-
attached to the citys municipal tion. A year later, the Netherlands
theatre. In 1968, she went on to public broadcaster NOS produced
Stuttgart to complete her dance a television documentary about
education and subsequently joined her achievements that was shown
John Crankos famed troupe the nationwide. In February 1998,
Stuttgart Ballett. She danced the another public broadcaster in the
companys entire repertoire, includ- Netherlands, the NPS, broadcast a
ing choreographies by John Cranko, separate documentary about her
Kenneth MacMillan and Glen Tetley. called Sabine Kupferberg, Woman of
It was in Stuttgart that she met Ji Thousand Faces, a film made by the
Kylin as he was starting to put his German film producer Reiner Moritz.
first choreographic ideas in prac- In October 1998, she received the
tice and in 1975 they both joined Dutch Golden Theatre Dance Prize
Nederlands Dans Theater. During awarded by the Dutch association of
this period, she not only danced theatres and concert halls (VSCD).
almost every Kylin work but also
worked and created with a large
number of other choreographers
including Hans van Manen, William
Forsythe, Mats Ek, Christopher
Bruce, Maurice Bjart, Nacho Duato
and Ohad Naharin. She was one of
the original members of Nederlands
Dans Theater III (a company espe-
cially created for dancers aged over
forty) after it was created in 1991
and again had the opportunity to
work with renowned choreogra-
phers. She worked with Mats Ek on
his 2003 production Tulips, and in
2003 and 2004 she worked closely
with the American theatre director
Robert Wilson on his production 2
Lips and Dancers and Space. In 2006,
she played the main role in the
dance film Car-Men, which received
several international awards (the
Prix Italia, the Golden Prague and
many others). She recently took
part in the celebrated production
Last Touch First by Ji Kylin and
22
Dance
&
Age
NDT 3
Last Speech
Good evening, friends. I would like to welcome you to this special evening.
Im sure youre asking yourselves what this evening is all about. There is a
reason for it, of course. Theres a reason why all these dancers are standing
with me on stage to say hello to you. Its a special evening in which wed like
to celebrate 15 years of NDT 3, a very special company that was founded
all those years ago and was fortunate to be able to work with some of the
worlds greatest choreographers and theatre-makers: Hans van Manen,
William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Robert Wilson, Maurice Bejart, to name only a
view. The company has created 53 ballets and travelled the world. It has been
to 31 countries and worked with 25 choreographers. It has been to Iceland,
Korea, the United States, Russia, Australia, China, Brazil, Japan and many
other countries. It has been proved that there is a great interest around the
world in seeing these people perform.
As I said at the outset of this companys life, older people, dancers who are
past their forties, have special tales to tell and we should listen in. Dance
isnt just about performing as many pirouettes and fouetts as possible and
jumping as high as we can; it is about something else. It is about experience,
about sharing ones life experience and feelings with the public.
I would like to thank all those wonderful people, all the choreographers, the
designers, the people who worked the lights, the technicians and costume
makers, all the people who have shared these fantastic years with us.
Obviously, I am saying all this because NDT 3 will stop existing in its present
form by the 30th of this month. You will not see NDT 3 for at least two years
in this constellation. The company has projects in the future. We hope these
projects will be well funded financially and will take off in the most glorious
way, but we still have to wait and see if this happens.
The strange thing is that we always see young dancers and think how won-
derfully energetic and dynamic they are, what fantastic technique they have
and so forth, but we dont realise that somebody like Ivn Prez will do a few
pirouettes as a younger man, then he suddenly reaches 40, then 50, then
60, and maybe he will have experienced some interesting things along the
way that he would also like to share with you. I think he should be given the
opportunity to do that.
I dont think NDT 3 should rely solely on sponsors in the future. I would like to
thank you, our sponsors, for the financial support you have given in the past,
are giving now and will give in the future, but I think NDT 3 projects for older
dancers should be funded by public money. I think they should be given the
opportunity to keep their dreams alive and to bring their fantasies and crea-
You can learn many things but you cannot tive ideas to life, just as young dancers do. This is why I am standing here, to
tell you this and to ask you for your support in this endeavour.
learn experience. You have to live it.
About this evening after I have finished my glorious speech, we will start
You have to live through it. And you should with a film, as I thought it might be interesting for you to see what has
live as intensely as possible in order to have happened in the 15 years of NDT 3. After the film, we will see NDT 1 in Bella
Figura, then NDT 2 in Chapeau and finally NDT 3 in Birthday. I wish you a
something to remember when you grow old. wonderful evening. Enjoy yourselves!
Ji Kylin
Ji Kylin, 2006
27
Far Too Close
29
Working on the Dance and Age part of
my lectureship was a fine experience for
all participants, including myself. We had
a number of dancers to work with, aged
roughly between 9 and 70. They all had
to perform the same choreography to
the Beatles song Yesterday. The result was
astounding and very, very moving.
Ji Kylin
As artistic director of Nederlands Dans
Theater for 24 years, I was often confronted
with the terrible task of having to say good-
bye to many wonderful dancers after theyd
worked with me for 10-15 years, during
which time theyd become truly great artists.
It had to be done as these dancers had
simply become too old to satisfy the physical
demands of the companys repertoire. Over
time, I found this totally unacceptable and
I realised that the departure of these very
experienced dancers was a terrible waste. It
felt natural to me to create a company like
NDT 3 to use the wealth of experience and When you work with younger dancers,
wisdom these dancers possessed, and to see you feel more like a teacher. When
them perform it on stage. you work with older dancers, youre
more like a colleague and you have to
Ji Kylin
respect their biographies. Your task is
to give them the opportunity to create
a repertoire that respects the experience
they have accumulated and allows
them to stand on stage with a sense of
dignity compatible with their age. You
give them the opportunity to express all
the experience they have gathered. In
short, they are the starting point. This
simple fact was immediately understood
by many of my colleagues. Many
choreographers of international stature
supported the idea and contributed to
NDT 3s unique repertoire. There were
pieces by Hans van Manen, Mats Ek,
William Forsythe, Maurice Bjart,
Robert Wilson, Michael Schumacher,
Carolyn Carlson and Christopher
Bruce and many others. The company
consisted of only four people but their
spirit took them to all the continents on
the planet. The creation of the company
was inspired by very simple but very
significant idea from Pablo Picasso: It
takes a very long time to become young.
Ji Kylin
Ji Kylin had his finger on the pulse when he founded The company was closed for financial reasons in 2006
NDT 3, a company for experienced dancers aged older after years of successful touring. A few years later,
than 40, in 1991. In contrast with the general view that the dance and academic worlds became increasingly
Its like not running for the bus dance careers are short, he worshipped the qualities of interested in ageing and in rethinking the aesthetics of
seasoned dancers. The new company performed works dance, and ageing as a dancer moved to the centre of
anymore. I just dont do it. In this by renowned choreographers all around the world and theoretical discussions and research, all of which proved
dance, the younger ones turn, but justified its existence. Kylin recognised the need to
redefine technique and the aesthetics of age and experi-
how Kylin had set the debate with NDT 3. How does age
affect aesthetics in dance? What does this mean for per-
I thought, Im not going to do ence. With a lifetime of expertise as well as unique gifts, formers and choreographers? How do people perceive
NDT 3 dancers performed masterpieces of subtlety and very young and older dancers on stage? What differences
that because Ill probably fall. refinement. are there between young and older dancers?
I dont take risks. I dont run for
the bus, I wait for the next one.
Martinette Janmaat (dancer aged 60+)
36 37
Participating Codarts students:
Ravid Arbabanel
Clarissa Bragna
Beau Delwel (Havo/vwo for Music and Dance)
Dieuwertje Derksen
Daphne Dudovich
Sayaka Haruna
Jamie Hendriks (Havo/vwo for Music and Dance)
Sayo Homma
Sonoko Kamimura
Keonjoong Kim
Marta Mazzoleni
Ilse Orozco
Allesandro Sebastiani
Sebastian Spahn
Michal Szymanski If you choose a career in
Theresia Wallberg
Beau Delwel dance, do it differently,
Tim Van Peteghem (singer) share it differently.
Zoltn Polgr (guitarist)
Michael Schumacher (dancer aged 50+)
Guests:
Martinette Janmaat
Sabine Kupferberg
Ton Lutgerink
Michael Schumacher
More to explore
Short film:
Dance & Age
You can learn many things
Questions:
but you cant learn experience.
How do trends in society influence the perception of ageing?
You have to live it, live through it.
How does ageing affect the body?
You should live intensely to have
How does ageing affect personality?
Why and how do choreographers work with older dancers?
something to remember when
What is the aesthetic difference in the performances of young and older dancers?
you grow old.
Literature:
Christoph Faircloth, Aging Bodies: Images and Everyday Experience, Walnut Creek,
New York, Oxford: Alta Mira pr, 2003.Jiri Kylian
Jacky Lansley, Fergus Early: The Wise Body: Conversations with Experienced
Dancers, Bristol, Chicago: Intellect, 2011.
Elisabeth Schwaiger, Ageing, Gender, Embodiment and Dance: Finding a Balance,
New York: Palgrave, 2011.
Aagje Swinnen, John A. Stotesbury, Aging, Performance, and Stardom: Doing Age
on the Stage of Consumerist Culture, London: LIT Verlag, 2012.
Virpi Ylnne, Representing Ageing: Images and Identities, New York: Pelgrave, 2012.
38 Michael Schumacher 39
Ive been around for a while but seldom
experienced so much opening-up and
sharing as Michael and Ji did in
the work process. It releases so much
tension. We are all insecure and it is
important to do this. Its rare for people
to understand the importance
of opening up, sharing, and avoiding
the authority game.
Sabine Kupferberg (dancer aged 50+)
Madonna does it, Meg Ryan does it, It isnt all about looks, however. in society: they had a voice in matters
Gwyneth Paltrow will soon do it and Many people also base their be- affecting the entire group (whether
Mickey Rourke has been doing it haviour, attitude and style on what clan, family or community) and their
for a long time. Theyre not the only they think is youthful. The social experience and knowledge were an
ones. Thousands of people of differ- construction of age has turned important source of information and
ent ages are using the same wonder youth into an ideal and a point of advice. Idealising age for its tranquilli-
drug, Botox, to remove wrinkles reference. The aim is to stay young ty, experience and wisdom facilitated
from their faces. Its an easy way to as long as possible in ones own its integration into the social fabric.
paralyse the skin with a neurotoxic head, in ones approach to the world
substance and arrest the ageing and in ones self-representation. Its In industrial and digital societies,
process temporarily. Injection with a paradoxical situation because the particularly Europe and North
nerve poison is one of many offers population in the Western world is America, the traditional tasks
promising a younger-looking body. actually getting older. and appreciation of old age have
In addition to Botox and cosmetic to a large extent disappeared.
surgery, there are creams, fitness The current obsession with youth Communities have become societies
programmes and muscle-building is so rampant we could forget that whose elders are no longer automat-
products, even clothes that alter longing for youthfulness has been ically advisors or decision-makers
your shape. But the goal is always with us for a very long time. The while extended families have largely
the same to appear to others (but wish for (eternal) youth is an integral been replaced by small or nuclear
primarily to yourself) as if you arent part at least of European cultural families. Generations of families only
your actual age. history: it can be seen, for example, tend to live together until members
in the figure of Hebe, the ancient of the younger generation have
goddess of youth who had the been reared and can provide for
power to rejuvenate elderly people; themselves, which means that the
or in the legend of the Holy Grail, status of elderly people is no longer
which promised immortality; or in determined by a social and spatial
the story of the Jungbrunnen, a foun- obligation to others. Their role in
tain that restored youthfulness to the family unit becomes unclear and
those who visited it and which was is different in every family. Many
immortalised in a painting by Lucas elderly people naturally accept fam-
Cranach the Elder from 1546. Todays ily responsibilities, such as tempo-
situation is not too different from rarily caring for grandchildren, but
the past, but there are some charac- they no longer always live in the
teristics that justify our speaking of same house as their grandchildren.
a specific and unique situation. The The spatial and social bond isnt
main difference between now and necessarily a close one and elderly
then is less in the intensity of the people cant always rely on the care
desire for youth and more in youths they need at home. Age therefore
unique position as the sole ideal. becomes a problem. It also loses its
reputation for being able to fulfil a
range of tasks across different age
The loss of old age as an ideal groups and life situations.
Up until not too long ago, getting
older was indeed considered un- If the basic family framework has
desirable, as it came with the risk of changed then so has the relation-
degeneration as well as other restric- ship between parents and children.
tions and burdens, even though it The hierarchy between them was
was accepted socially. Law, conven- called into question no later than the
tion and tradition, for example, em- 1960s while various forms of anti-
phasised the position of elders in a authoritarian or symbiotic education
community and assigned them a role are testament to the dissolution of
Jamie Hendriks 43
clear boundaries between parents protestors are raising their voices market and can be seen in all forms using slang, all measures aimed at is strangely excluded merely by the you live, consumer products and life
(older) and children (younger). against this final bastion of the old of media. They provide us with a putting age in the background and fact of looking at us. partners) makes it almost impossible
Elders exact tasks again become un- boys network too. Nowadays, it is highly visible notion of how a body pretending time can stand still. to relate them to each other and
clear in this scenario. The way they young, fresh employees who count should look. Knowing these images People with no interest in following Attempting to look and be young is balance them out. One way to deal
continue to act as role models needs for more than stale old members do not represent reality does not this trend have to accept the fact one type of behaviour that sees peo- with the conundrum is to delay life
to be negotiated on an individual of staff, as the former are believed to stop us comparing our own bodies, their appearance will be inconsist- ple interact with images rather than choices for as long as possible or, if
basis, which is not conducive to a embody the products the company and its imperfections, with them. ent with the desired timelessness people, for example when watching thats not possible, to act as if they
general appreciation of age. wants to create in the future. They are omnipresent, which makes and perfection evident in bodies television or using the Internet. The can be reviewed at any time, in other
them the central point of reference transformed by images. They also latest example of this is the use of words lingering in a mental state
In summary, whereas seniority was This fixation with youth is becoming in assessing our own appearance, have to endure looking different to mobile telephones that allow users where the opportunities of youth
once an important stage in the increasingly apparent in customer and, because they relate to eve- the way one should look, which is regardless of where they actually abound. This approach is supported
age structure and characterised by orientation. Even if most products ryone and everything, it is almost probably why so many people do try are to immerse themselves in a by the fact that many social ties are
special qualities, its role has now be- arent focused directly on preserv- impossible to avoid comparisons, if to embody the images we see. After completely different environment organised via formal or informal
come superfluous, a key reason why ing youthful-looking bodies, they only because there are people close all, having the perfect look not only and deal exclusively with their own agreements that can be terminated
we see old age as a problem and try are nonetheless designed and to us doing it. promises self-esteem and success visual preferences. (e.g. marriages, appointments, prod-
to reach it as late as possible. developed for customers imagined but also an experience of what it ucts, friendships or apartments).
to have young bodies and spirits. It These sugar-coated images are with feels like to be ideal another rea- Purchasing a product, adapting Such a mental attitude is linked to the
doesnt matter who actually buys us every day, laughing towards us son why such wishful thinking is as your own body, improving it in idealisation of youth. We are all par-
Capitalism and the world of work the products, to developers the from house walls, television sets persistent and penetrating as it is. line with images and in doing so ticipants in a competition to remain
This lack of appreciation for older customer is young. This orienta- or websites, and they show us an indulging yourself in the cult of the young as long as possible. Its a com-
people isnt limited to family units; tion is understandable, as products unattainable world that is nonethe- individual (even if everybody else is petition no one can win and in the
it is evident in all sections of society. need a constant flow of new, young less our world as it is a visualisation The narcissistic personality doing the same) fits perfectly into meantime we all grow old, sooner or
Modernitys outstanding cultural customers in order to survive. of our own dreams: it is a continu- The quest for youth and beauty a consumer society that offers and later, with or without Botox.
feature is an ideology of constant ous loop of idealisation in which using an image for guidance is promises everything to everyone.
newness: not only is everything There is even less interest in older our image of a dream world and indicative of a narcissistic personal- Once you start following this logic
in a state of perpetual change but people in the advertising world the dream world in the image feed ity type. Narcissism is often under- it isnt easy to stop. Anyone want- About the author:
everything should be in a state of where the focus is purely on people each other. The bodies in the images stood as forms of self-love, but the ing to escape such obliviousness Dr. Malte Friedrich is a sociologist liv-
perpetual change, or, better still, aged 40 or less. Only those in this look as though they could defy time. myth of Narcissus means more than to ones own environment and ing and working in Berlin. His areas
should be in a state of constant age bracket are considered to be suf- Whether we like it or not, this is our taking pleasure in your own mirror avoid the self-indulgence of body of research are urban culture, popu-
improvement. Anything that was ficiently open to influence for costly own self-created ideal of ourselves image, as it is also about forgetting contouring has to start making lar music, the sound of the city and
current or valid a few years ago is advertising campaigns to have an and we cant ignore it. The most everything beyond this self-observa- direct contact with other people opinion research. From 1999 to 2002,
already outdated, obsolete or even impact and result in product prefer- we can do is avoid it or oppose it, tion. Narcissists are focused only on again. However, this can often only he was research associate for the
irrelevant today. This even applies ences, so it is hardly surprising that but this does nothing to reduce its themselves. They cannot enter into be achieved by drawing attention German Research Foundation pro-
to theories proclaiming the demise promotional clips and photos show overall power. a meaningful interaction with others to the sculpted body. Narcissism ject Corporality and Urbanity. The
of this development. The desire for people in this age group. The same because they are so absorbed in asserts itself even in the attempt to Presentation of Ethnicity in Hip-Hop.
newness is a continuum, and again applies to areas of the media closely Most people dont try to escape this their own image. overcome it, yet another reason why He has been the head of the Institut
older people are seen as yesterdays related to the advertising indus- image world entirely but instead the quest for youthfulness has sunk fr soziologische Meinungsforschung
news, relics from the past or out- try, for example it is mostly young try to follow it and adapt and shape It is easy to detect narcissistic traits so deeply into our minds and is so since 2003.
dated models. people we see on television and film their bodies in line with collective in much of our behaviour. The stubbornly pursued.
screens or in magazines. The images requirements. Such efforts are sup- attempt to transform oneself into
As far as the workplace is concerned, are intended to encourage people to ported by an entire industry fully an ideal image in order to evoke
the days of seeing age as evidence buy. We are fed a vision of a perfect equipped with the right images as the impression of (eternal) youth Waiting for the perfect match
of experience and expertise are long life, which includes having a flawless, well as promises of being able to is typically narcissistic. Grooming There is a clear link between the
gone, as young peoples motivation healthy and active body. These im- make your body immaculate. The ones body is mainly about pleasing functional disability of old age, the
and enthusiasm count for more. ages stimulate our dream worlds and willingness to transform oneself others, but shaping ones body to upsurge in images of perfect bodies,
Experience has little value because the bodies we see are the idealised using images is commonplace and perfection has become a form of the consumer world and narcissism
working conditions and market en- models we need to bring our dreams has long exceeded the physical self-employment primarily con- that results in youth being the only
vironments are constantly changing. to life. Possessing the perfect body is limitations of the body. Cosmetic cerned with making an individual desirable state in our society today,
Looking to the future is more impor- a common daydream clearly sparked surgery which uses plastic inserts, dream-body scenario come true. but there is also another reason
tant than familiarity with the past. by the images of perfect, youthful suction tools, hammers and knives The fact efforts are also being made why nearly everybody is long-
The greater the demand for innova- bodies that flood our daily lives. to reshape the body is only a radi- for the benefit of others is quickly ing for eternal youth. Many of the
tion, the more avidly companies cal continuation of all conventional forgotten. At the same time, an opportunities and freedoms that
search for people who can spark it The obsession itself is mainly the attempts to conceal or reverse the increasing number of people are exist for large parts of the popula-
and implement change or at least result of an upsurge of images of physical affects of ageing by achiev- willing to reveal their naked bodies tion in industrialised societies dont
act as if they could. The idea that ex- young, naked or half-naked bodies ing a youthful look that didnt exist to others not in bid to make direct necessarily lead to a simpler lifestyle.
perience could be useful is now only worked to perfection by artists, previously. Media images of massive contact with other people but to Every decision reduces the numbers
really considered by the top brass photographers and videographers amounts of invasive and extensive feast on themselves via others vo- of possibilities, which ultimately
of large companies, the only group using digital image processing. body shaping normalise the results. yeuristic gazes. We want them to see amounts to a restriction of freedom,
of people where the old patriarchal These images accompany and The process is supported by youth us as we see ourselves. Its a narcis- while the diversity of possibilities at
age structure still survives, although illustrate each product on the fashion, taking-up trendy sports or sistic strategy in which the onlooker different levels (work, friends, where
44 45
What I observed and what I liked about this experience
was its optimism. It gave hope. The idea of creating
the same choreography for people of different ages
produced beautiful results. Both the older and younger
generations liked the song Yesterday by The Beatles.
It had a different meaning for each of them. For the
older generation, it seemed to remind them of a point
in the past. They have done a lot of things since, left
a lot behind and already experienced more than they
could have expected. The dance students still have
lots of questions to answer. Some are experienced and
know a lot but are still searching. The youngest ones
dont have much experience. They have more ahead
of them than behind them, but despite this theyre
working hard to get to know the world. For me as a
performer, it was more interesting to see the older and
youngest dancers on stage rather than dance students
my age as they performed with more expression and
looked very honest.The dance students were good
technically, correct in their steps, but I missed emotion
and pleasure. I noticed that Martinette and Ton were a
bit stressed, probably because of the pressure of having
to dance in front of a big audience again. Despite
that, when they started it was like they forgot all their
worries, left everything behind and totally enjoyed the
moment, taking the audience with them to a magical
world. I had tears in my eyes when they finished. It was
so sincere and it really touched me. I started to think
how I would feel at their age. I would hope to be as
honest as they are now. I hope the dance students learn
something from them.
Seeing Beau and Jamie (the youngest dancers) touched
me in a different way. They looked very cute and
innocent but at the same time I could see they had no
idea why they were dancing the piece and what it was
all about. They were funny but very focused on what
they were doing. I think there should be more projects
like this. Observing the differences between generations
is a great learning opportunity and helps us improve as
artists and dancers.
theJiri
Netherlands
Kylian will increase from 2.7 million in 2012 to
4.7 million in 2041. The number of people aged over 80
This article describes the medical process of ageing, will increase from 2025 onwards. It is estimated that 26%
particularly in dancers, and how you can avoid injuries. of the population will be aged 65 and over in 2040, one
People go through different phases as they age. After third of this group aged 80 or over. By comparison, the
birth, a person goes through the baby phase (up to percentage of people aged 65 and over in 2012 was 16%.
1.5 years), the toddler phase (from 2.5 to 6 years), the
pre-school period (from 2.5 to 6 years), the elementary The ageing process remains a mystery. More than 300
school period (from 6 to 12 years), adolescence (between theories exist about its origins or what causes it. What we
12 and 20), the adult period (between 20 and 60) and the do know is that ageing is an interaction between endog-
elderly period (from 60 years until death). The focus of enous (e.g. genetic, immunologic or neuroendocrine)
this chapter is on the final phase of life. factors and exogenous factors such as radiation, nutrition
or smoking. There are two types of cells in the physiology
of ageing, those that proliferate (reproduce) and those
that degenerate (cant reproduce). Cells that cannot
proliferate are nerve cells, cells belonging to the primary
sense organs, skeletal muscle cells and heart muscle
cells. Cells that can reproduce are blood cells and skin
cells, but the speed of reproduction decreases with age.
Dance and age doesnt sound like a marriage made Joints: Synovial joints allow movement. Cartilage covers
the ends of healthy synovial joints and provides shock
in heaven but in my understanding it shouldnt absorption. The joint fluid, or synovial fluid, reduces fric-
be viewed with scepticism. My long experience tion via lubrication and transports nutrients and waste
matter. Ageing causes the breakdown and ultimately
as a dancer, choreographer and artistic director, loss of the top layer of cartilage as well as a reduction in
the amount of synovial fluid. This is also known as joint
as well as my encounters with Asian cultures and wear-and-tear or degenerative osteoarthritis that allows
Australias Aboriginal people, has taught me that the bones in the joint to rub together causing pain. A
radiological sign of degenerative osteoarthritis is the nar-
we possess the ability to dance throughout our rowing of joint space due to the loss of cartilage. Figure
1 is an x-ray of a 51-year-old dancer with a normal hip
entire lives and can be respected for doing so. We joint on the left and a degenerative hip joint on the right.
can dance from the womb to the tomb. It is evident that there is narrowing of the joint space.
Degenerative osteoarthritis is most common in the spine,
Ji Kylin hip, knee, hand and foot.
49
Muscles: Ageing leads to a decreased ability of skeletal How can these injuries be prevented? Overuse injuries Older dancers Reference group
muscle fibres to contract, resulting in a reduction of are generally caused by a disruption in the balance
66 dancers, 92 injuries 345 dancers, 587 injuries
muscle power. It is possible to compensate for this with between a dancers load-bearing capacity and the
exercise, however. As far as muscle is concerned, it is a demanded load. Treating and preventing these injuries 1.4 injuries per dancer 1.7 injuries per dancer
matter of use it or lose it. is a matter of either increasing and enhancing the load-
Table 1: Comparison of older dancers with the reference group
bearing capacity e.g. by improving dance technique,
general fitness, control and the body centre (core stabil-
Research on ageing in dance medicine ity) or reducing the demanded load. Because degener-
A study of dance injuries in dancers and dance teach- ative changes cause a permanent decrease in a dancers Older dancers Reference group
ers aged 45 years and older2,3 was conducted out on load-bearing capacity, load reduction is the only option
Shoulder 4% 3%
the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Dutch in such situations. In my opinion, older dancers should
Dance Teachers Union (Nederlandse Bond van Dans take advantage of other qualities. Their added value lies Back 18% 14%
Kunstenaars). The study was carried out by A.B.M. (Boni) more in experience and expression and less in purely Hip 15% 10%
Rietveld, orthopaedic surgeon at the Medical Centre physical capabilities. Knee 25% 25%
for Dancers and Musicians (MCDM) department of the Ankle 3% 27%
Figure 1: An x-ray of the hips of a 51-year-old dancer with degenerative Medisch Centrum Haaglanden in The Hague. The MCDM I would like to conclude this chapter with a quote from
Foot 28% 16%
osteoarthritis in his right hip is a clinic that provides specialised care for professional Shanna La Fleur: It takes an athlete to dance, but an
and semi-professional dancers and musicians as well artist to be a dancer. Miscellaneous 7% 5%
as active amateurs. The goal is to diagnose, prevent Total 100% 100%
and treat injuries caused by dancing or playing music,
or injuries that hinder the ability to engage in such About the author: Table 2: Location of injuries
50 51
I was envious of the older dancers,
Ton and Martinette, at times.
I realised it would take me a long time
to achieve such expression. There were
a few moments when I thought,
I cant say the things they can say.
Ill just have to wait a bit.
Michal Szymanski (dance student aged 18+)
Allesandro Sebastiani 53
As a dance student, you do think about
getting older. You know a dance career
wont last forever. There will be physical
restrictions to deal with, but once an artist,
always an artist, as this performance made
clear. It also showed how you can keep
growing even if youre body no longer
allows you to do everything you used to.
This was beautiful to see.
You need to be a personality on stage and
be strong enough to open up to the public,
something both couples showed. You
also need more than just technique and
physical possibilities to get the message
across. You need to be honest too. We saw
this honesty in the children, in the doubt
and vulnerability they occasionally showed.
We could see they were anxious but at the
same time enjoying themselves. Instead
of hiding their emotions behind the
choreography, they used the choreography
to show their emotions. This doesnt mean
technique isnt important, it is. Technique
allows you to extend your movement
vocabulary and express a message better.
A film of extracts from choreo Friederike Lampert: This film physicality and abstraction. I think
graphies by Pina Bausch, William gave us some impressions of how our naked means of expression
Christian van Dijk Forsythe and Ji Kylin was shown choreographers deal with dance have a great deal in common and
before the interview. and voice. We saw different ways of are, in themselves, limitless.
combining the two: dancers talking
on stage or moving to a recorded FL: How do you start when you
opera or voice. There are many decide to work with words and
I like to call dance and voice the ways to produce vocal sounds and voice? Do you write texts?
many ways to present movement.
naked arts because we dont need any Whats so fascinating about com JK: Its different each time. You
extensions to our body to perform bining dance and voice? saw examples in the film. Tar and
Feathers is a tragi-comic piece with
(unlike musicians who need instruments Ji Kylin: I like to call dance and dancers wearing funny black wigs,
voice the two naked art forms. making grimaces and performing
or painters brushes). I think they Why? A painter needs a brush, a pantomime-like movements. It is
complement each other greatly because double-bass player a double bass, choreographed to the words of
a trumpeter a trumpet and so on, Samuel Becketts last poem What
they are the most personal art forms. but if I want to express myself with is the Word. This great man was a
60 61
FL: How important is it for you to FL: Dancers and musicians will FL: So youre going to experiment
understand the meaning of spoken be coming together in pairs in with these different couplings and
words, if at all? the upcoming Dance and Voice see what happens?
workshop: four guest singers and
JK: Sometimes its essential to four guest dancers, each from a JK: Yes. Were basically asking each
understand every single word, different discipline (Gregorian musician to prepare a short piece
but words can be also used as a singing, contemporary dance, rap, of music, roughly two minutes in
background soundscape. You know breakdance, countertenor singing, length, and then were going to
its a human voice but you use it as classical dance, overtone singing work with the dancers to create
wallpaper, as a base for something and kung fu). Tell me about the four short choreographies. When
more important. There are other experiment you want to do? its finished, were going to change
examples, for example my choreo the combinations, play around and
graphy Claude Pascal, which is some- JK: The subject is huge, as were the look at whats possible what works
thing of a pantomime. I wrote the themes we thought about explor- and what doesnt. Im interested
text myself. I was very inspired by ing. Dance and voice is endless. You in creating a third dimension by
Eugne Ionesco, a great Romanian have to categorise, so I decided on combining dance and voice. Imagine
playwright and a co-creator of four quiet obvious categories. Do the ballerina dancing to a rap singer,
absurdist theatre, which expresses you know what a countertenor is? or the kung fu master moving to a
the belief that life makes no sense Its a kind of sublime but artificial countertenor. They will all be mixed
whatsoever although we try to give expression of the human voice. up in the workshop in a way that will
it some kind of form and meaning. It I coupled it with classical dance, add another layer of adventure to
is very important to understand that which is physically very stylised and our experiment.
the words in Claude Pascal mean just as extraordinary, so you hear the
absolutely nothing whatsoever. I male singers incredibly high voice
Interview conducted in March 2011
also borrowed some text from Bram complemented by a ballerina en
Stokers Dracula for this piece. pointe. We also have a rap singer. Im
not familiar with rap music dont
FL: In your pieces, the sounds of worry, I wont rap for you and a
words are sometimes distorted breakdancer. These two cultures, rap
using technology. They become and breakdance or hip-hop, grew up
more of a musical pattern. When together. Theyre urban cultures of
does vocal sound become music? human need. They developed from
crime, poverty and being critical of
JK: The sound of a voice is music society. Rap and breakdance is an-
anyway, it doesnt matter what you other very obvious dance-and-voice
do with it. It would be fascinating to coupling. Then we have an overtone
record a simple sound like ahhhhh singer I have to say that Mongolian
and analyse its range of tones. Its singing is fascinating for its mysteri-
not only an ahhhhh you hear but ous, haunting quality and I cou-
an entire rainbow of aliquote tones. pled him with a kung fu master. We
There are all kinds of overtones and talked about martial arts. I think its
undertones in just that one sound, an art form. It isnt gymnastics. Its
so its music; voice is music. Classical a metaphoric art, a sublime art, so I
actors use the singing quality of thought it would be interesting to
their voice, so I think voice can be, have meditative music coupled with
and maybe should be, regarded as a kind of self-defence, kung fu medi-
musical expression. tation. It may not be appropriate,
Podium interview with Ji Kylin, led by Friederike Lampert
but it gives you something to think
about. The final coupling involves
a contemporary dancer reacting to
a Gregorian chant. The two dont
really belong together but I thought
it was an interesting combination
nonetheless. Gregorian chant is one
of the oldest voicebased musical
forms there is. Its highly spiritual
music. Theres a certain kind of spir-
ituality in contemporary dance that
can be coupled with the spirituality
of the early Christian church.
62 63
Jay Tjon Jaw Chong
We developed short choreographies
(about two minutes in length) for each
couple. The initial choreographies were
for matching singers and dancers, for
example a countertenor and a ballerina,
a breakdancer and a rapper or an
overtone singer and a kung fu master.
We then mixed up the singer-dancer
pairings and this became an extremely
interesting experience.
Ji Kylin
Kylin and Michael Schumacher The students observing the daily Some of the experiments with the
organised the Dance and Voice col- developments in the workshop various duets created more suspense
laborations for the main experiment: noted the added value generated by than others but all the performers
a nine-day workshop that coupled combining different dance forms and and spectators could appreciate the
vocal styles with dance forms. The vocal styles. close relationship between dance
aim was to present students with and voice, which in turn enriched
a wide range of dance and music Kylin and Schumacher created short their sense of perception and fine-
combinations that cross both histori- choreographies (each about two tuned their powers of observation.
cal and cultural boundaries and in so minutes in length) for each couple.
doing reveal the tension that can be Each piece began with a musical As Kylin said: We didnt try to
created by bringing together disci- score and the choreography then de- make works of art; we simply tried
plines that have evolved in different veloped with input from the singer to stimulate creativity and sensibil-
time periods, in different parts of the and dancer. Some phrases were fixed ity that dance students can use to
world and in different cultures. while some were improvised within approach the voice, the other naked
the overall choreographic structure. art form. We also tried to spark a cer-
The couples comprised profes- The spacing between the couple tain curiosity for putting together art
sional dancers and singers: a was carefully determined in order to forms that seemingly have nothing
contemporary dancer (Ederson examine the various ways the two to do with each other, merely to see
Rodrigues Xavier) and a Gregorian participants could relate to each what happens.
singer (Marcel Zijlstra), a kung fu other. The initial pairs where then
master (Jay Tjon Jaw Chong) and mixed up to experiment with more
an overtone singer (Borg Diem radical formations.
Groeneveld), a classical dancer
(Hannah de Klein) and a counter
tenor (Jorg Delfos), and a break-
dancer (Christian van Dijk) and a rap
singer (Rachel Raverty Manniesing).
70 71
Classical dancer Hannah de Klein
and countertenor Jorg Delfos:
Kung fu master Jay Tjon Jaw Chong This duet paired song and dance
and overtone singer Borg Diem from similar cultural backgrounds.
Groeneveld: Breakdancing and rapping work
well together in hip-hop culture as
In this coupling, the singer and each one supports the others strong
dancer moved without any physical rhythmic dynamic. In this coupling,
contact, in Kylins words like two the breakdancers movements were
planets in their own world. They set in a narrative context. Observers
both absorbed each others energy could imagine a short story involving
and spectators were captivated the singer and the dancer, the narra-
by the intense atmosphere they tive enhanced by the choreographed
created. Groenevelds ability to sing interaction between the two.
two notes at the same time created
a meditative sound that enhanced
the spiritual dimension of the kung
fu movements. Even though the
kung fu movement vocabulary is
regulated by rules and tradition, it
could nonetheless be translated into
a dance context.
72 73
Re-mixed formations:
74 75
Kung fu master Jay Tjon Jaw Chong
and countertenor Jorg Delfos:
I love it when two
Two art forms with extremely dif-
ferent cultural backgrounds came
original forms of human
together in this coupling. According artistic expression merge
to Kylin: This was one of the most
interesting formations: two very in an extraordinary way.
different forms of human expression Theres nothing more
that were created thousands of miles
apart and yet there is something beautiful than that.
that brings them together. I cant
tell you what that something is. Ji Kylin
Maybe Pascals phrase les extrmits
se touchent (extremities touch) goes
some way to explaining it. Either
way, it was a beautiful experience.
For the spectators, combining
seemingly polarised dance and voice
styles on stage created a kind of
third dimension.
More to explore
Short film:
Dance & Voice
Questions:
Do you think that the tone of a voice influences dancers movements,
making them slower/faster, or bigger/smaller?
Does a dramatic melody imply dramatic expression and dramatic movement?
Does musical support give dance more colour? If so, why?
What kind of relationships may emerge between movement and voice?
How can you search for specific qualities of movement using the voice?
Literature:
Borg Diem Groeneveld, Stem en Boventonen. Oefeningen, improvisaties,
klankmeditaties, Panta Rhei, 1993.
Eric Salzman, Thomas Desi, The New Music Theater: Seeing the Voice, Hearing
the Body, New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Merce Cunningham, Meredith Monk, Bill T. Jones, Art performs life, Minneapolis:
Walker Art Center, 1998.
76
It was interesting to see the
Report by an
two try to push together Overtone Singer
like magnets, but they
by Borg Diem Groeneveld
couldnt do it because they
were both the same pole.
Connor Schumacher (dance student) My career as an overtone singer began in 1985 when As a musician at the start of my career, I was looking
I met Michael Vetter, a German recorder player and for things that were out of the ordinary, for pioneers in
Zen master. He discovered overtones while working music. I didnt want to be restricted by a conservatory. In
with Karlheinz Stockhausen who asked him to produce Vetter, I discovered everything I needed for my develop-
them with his recorder and voice while performing ment: contemporary improvisation, Zen meditation and
Stockhausens contemporary compositions at the overtone singing. No musician in this part of the world
German Pavilion at Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. Vetter later had heard of overtone singing in the 80s and 90s, so
spent ten years as a Zen monk in Japan from 1973-83. everyone, including speech therapists and musicians,
On his return, fans of the New Age genre welcomed his were flabbergasted that you could sing two notes at
spiritual music and his orientation towards Zen. the same time. The phenomenon is well known today,
but few people master the technique. Overtones are
implicit in many forms of (ethnic) music for example
in Indian music, in the singing of (Sanskrit) mantras or
in Gregorian chant but explicit techniques are rare.
Overtone singing is most common in the folk music of
Mongolian and Tuvan singers who combine the articula-
tion of overtones with a very strong drone of the vocal
cords, hence the name throat singing.
79
People generally lose their sense of space and time Another experiment was to link modern dance with If I attempt to characterise Jis work, I would say that About the author:
when listening to overtones. Tibetan monks believe the overtone singing. Vetter taught me how to use gestures he tries to make things simple, to take away what is Borg Diem Groeneveld is an overtone singer and
singing of overtones is a sign of contact with the gods. to illustrate my improvisations and Ederson Rodrigues unnecessary or blurs the image. His suggestions are breath/voice therapist. He has released several CDs of
Singers have to be alert in order to maintain the balance Xavier used these movements in his dancing and in simple, open and leave space for personal interpretation. his solo improvisations and written the book Voice and
between overtones (as well as their embellishment) doing so wove himself into the music. The connection He asked me to walk very slowly in a big circle around Overtones (Borg Diem Groeneveld: Stem en Boventonen.
and the singing itself, on which the overtones depend. was both tangible and visible in his movements; he liter- Jay, then he asked me to walk slower, to stop from time Oefeningen, improvisaties, klankmeditaties, Panta Rhei
Vetter called this die Liebe zum Grundton or love of the ally carried me around like a musical instrument around to time and to create pauses in the singing. Gradually 1993). He is currently the director of his own school for
fundamental. and brought me to the ground. The interference with doing less generated more depth and increased the breath/voice therapy and vocal improvisation.
my body also produced changes in the voice, so it was a focus on the movements Jay made.
In Ji Kylins choreographic experiment, I noticed how reciprocal effect.
encircling a kung fu master (Jay Tjon Jaw Chong) with Playfulness, joy and humour had a natural place in the
overtones exaggerated spatial and temporal disorien The combination of overtone singing with Hannnah improvisation with Ederson. There was something tragic
tation: while Jay occasionally seemed to be hanging de Kleins classical movement was also interesting, about his putting me down on the floor, as if I was dying,
in the air, the singing, by creating a circle around him, as Ji inspired her to do lots of nothing during the but there was also something absurd about it. His copy-
made the music sound like the harmony of spheres. improvisation. ing of my gestures gave these movements a completely
different meaning.
Ji and Michael Schumacher came up to us after the Working with the dance students on breath and voice,
first rehearsal to tell us how deeply moved they were by it was interesting to see how easily they were able to Working with Ji and Michael on these experiments
these initial experiments with their own concept. As a use movement to produce breathing and singing. The released a lot of energy, creativity and joy. It wasnt hard
participant, it isnt so easy to get an impression of what best example of this was when I asked them to stand labour and seriousness quite the opposite!
we developed, but it was nonetheless very exciting to back-to-back like Siamese twins and explore movement
sing overtones in a solemn style while occasionally spy- possibilities while giving free reign to their voices. The
ing Jays unbelievable moves from the corner of my eye. students said the focus on breathing gave rise to new
patterns of movement.
The other couplings were also amazing. Ji and Michael
really brought them to life. The Handel aria sung by Jorg
Delfos generated completely different possibilities for
Ji to develop a fixed choreography with the classical
dancer, Hannah de Klein, but when Jay took the place of
the ballerina his unbelievable musicality was clear in his
use of the singing as an orientation for movement.
80 81
I think both partners
the dancer and the singer
had to leave tradition behind
and discover a new direction.
Thats what made it
so interesting.
Borg Diem Groeneveld (overtone singer)
However, naked art forms do have specific character In Jactations, the sounds produced are as important as
istics that make them unique. According to Ji Kylin, the singers visual or rather physical performance. As a
such art forms are practices that require no ex tensions of listener and observer, I can only imagine the physical
the body; there are no artefacts behind which the artist effort the singer has to make in order to create these
might hide and the artist or performer is fully exposed to sounds, the violence he has to exert on his vocal chords.
the audience. We can see the intensity of the physical activities
required to execute the musical score in the singers
In this essay, I will discuss what it might mean for an facial expressions, in the sweat on his forehead and in his
art form to be naked. I will suggest that such art forms bodily movements. This piece attacks the singers entire
foreground a very important aspect of all art: that it in- body, not just his vocal chords.
volves the body. More specifically, art makes the body
move, and here I mean both the artists and observers The sounds in Jactations generally appear violent and
bodies. These movements can often be quite violent, aggressive, but why? Theyre not aggressive because of
again for both the artist and observer. their referential meaning; they do not depict any violent
act, nor are they an actual representation of violence.
Nevertheless, the piece does affect me in a very pro-
found physical, almost violent, way. How can a naked
voice be so physically violent towards both the listener
and the singer himself?
88 89
About the author: Notes:
Vincent Meelberg is senior lecturer and researcher 1. See Vincent Meelberg, Touched by Music: The Sonic Strokes of Sur
Incises, in Sonic Mediations: Body, Sound, Technology, ed. Anthony
in the Department of Cultural Studies at Radboud Enns and Carolyn Birdsall: 61-76, Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars
University Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and at the Publishing, 2008, for an elaboration of the notion of sonic stroke.
Academy for Creative and Performing Arts in Leiden and 2. Rolf Pfeifer, Josh C. Bongard, How the Body Shapes the Way We Think:
A New View of Intelligence, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006.
The Hague.He is founding editor of the onlineJournal
3. Marc Leman, Embodied Music Cognition and Mediation Technology,
of SonicStudies.His current research focuses on the Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2007.
relationship between musical creation, embodiment and 4. For an extensive discussion of musical gesture, see Rolf Inge Gody,
Marc Leman (eds.), Musical Gestures: Sound, Movement, and Meaning,
affect. In addition to his academic activities, he is both a
New York: Routledge, 2010.
musician (a double bassist in several jazz groups)and a 5. Peter Szendy, Membres fantmes: des corps musiciens, Paris:
composer. Minuit, 2002.
6. See the interview with Lionel Peintre in the documentary Georges
Aperghis: Storm beneath a Skull (2006), directed by Catherine
Maximoff.
7. See the interview with Georges Aperghis in the documentary
Georges Aperghis: Storm beneath a Skull (2006), directed by Catherine
Maximoff.
90
Teachers and students from Codarts at the Dance and Voice symposium
Dance
&
music
Theres no sound without movement
and no movement without sound. Were
constantly involved in some kind of
movement and music all our lives. Even
if we are not consciously active, the
Earth is dashing through the universe
at incredible speed, so theres always
movement and theres always sound.
Ji Kylin
ngel Perez Cantero and Chika Tatsumi in John Cages 433, choreographed by Ji Kylin
Experiencing the Interaction
Whats funny is that dancers are always aware of between Dance and Music
music but musicians arent always aware of dance. by Friederike Lampert and Dsire Staverman
Why is that? Well, if you want to see something
you need to turn your head, but if you want to hear
something you dont need to turn anywhere. The close relationship between dance and music
and how the two interact formed the basis of the
Interaction between dance and music requires an aural-
visual dialogue, but how does it work?
The sound is always around you. research workshops planned by Ji Kylin and Michael An improvisation workshop was set up to see whether
Schumacher for this part of the lectureship. Both dance dancers followed musicians, or vice versa, and how an
Ji Kylin and music can be practised either as improvisation appropriate dialogue could be created. A second experi-
(which Kylin describes as being alert, using ones ment observed the dance-music relationship when a
fantasy and inspiration of the moment) or as a fixed third medium (new technology) is involved. In this work-
composition. shop, dance and music students worked together on a
real-time composition involving motion tracking tech-
nology and infrared light. The workshop was designed
as an experimental field that would allow participants to
familiarise themselves with technological methods: try-
ing them out, observing and researching them. As work-
ing with technology is time-consuming, the session was
defined as work in progress, the aim being to increase
participants awareness of the specific requirements
for working with technology as well as to deepen their
experience of the dance-music collaboration.
100 101
Participants in the Dance and Music Participants in the Dance and Music
(Improvisation) workshop: (New Technology) workshop:
More to explore
Shortfilm:
Dance & Music
Questions:
You can learn many things
How do you see the interaction between dance and music? Who inspires whom?
but you cant learn experience.
How does the sound quality/timbre of the music relate to the movement?
You have to live it, live through it.
Do you think the type of instrument used influences the interaction between
a musician and a dancer?
In what ways can dance relate to music? You should live intensely to have
something to remember when
Literature:
you grow old.
Stephanie Jordan, Moving Music. Dialogues with Music in Twentieth-Century
Ballet, London: Dance Books Ltd., 2000.
Anna-Teresa de Keersmaeker, Bojana Cvejic, A choreographers score: fase, Jiri Kylian
Rosas danst Rosas, Elenas Aria, Bartok, Yale: Yale University Press, 2012.
Fedor Lopukhov, Writings on ballet and music, edited and with an introduction
by Stephanie Jordan, Wisconsin: University of WI Press, 2002.
Steve Reich, Writings on Music 1965-2000, edited with an introduction by Paul
Hillier, New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Katharine Teck, Making Music for Modern Dance, New York: Oxford University
Press, 2011.
This is far more important than the No two art forms are example, composers like Lully not Schneitzhoeffer, Giselle by Adolphe
only wrote the music for the move- Adam or Copplia by Lo Delibes.
as glued or rather
results you actually see. super-glued together
ment but also danced alongside the These ballets were quite flexible
king: dance and music were united in terms of both steps and score,
Ji Kylin like dance and music. and there was no strict separation which meant they could be edited,
between musician and dancer either. added to or remoulded for different
The two are indeed linked, both occasions and casts. The dance-
historically and aesthetically, in a As the virtuosity of ballet technique music relationship continued in
relationship that has developed increased, closer relationships the late-nineteenth century, the
over centuries. developed between composer golden era of Russian ballet, when
and choreographer in order to Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky worked with
fulfil common artistic intentions. the choreographers Marius Petipa
Professional dancers were now and Lev Ivanov to create famous
appearing on stage rather than at classical ballets such as Swan Lake,
court, initially in divertissements in The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty.
I think the biggest challenge
the entractes of eighteenth century The idea was to translate music into
Stravinsky challenged his choreo of music in the 1920s. Rudolf von hear the dancing indeed indicates the musicians and dancers
Extraordinary choreographer-
graphers to work in innovative ways, Laban, for example, studied human an embodiment of the music by composer collaborations have also
as the musical structures of the movement using the bodys own dancers, but, in contrast to the idea improvised
been formed, for example William and we didnt
compositions were more complex
and less common.
rules of dynamics, impetus and
relation to space. His writings on
of mirroring the music, which St.
Denis and Shawn had promoted
know if or how the
Forsythe and Tom Willems, who
composed music only for dance
dance and his choreographic nota- before, his approach was not for collaboration
and the music was never performed would work.
The peak of this Diaghilev-style You can learn many things
tion method Labanotation became dance to imitate musical notes of separately. By contrast, much ballet
relationship between music and important steps in the systematisa- a piece but to instigate a dialogue music also has a concert existence,
Wessel van Oostrum (dance student)
dance was Vaslav Nijinskys highly but you cant learn experience.
tion of dance. It also liberated dance between two independent which means that the music for
controversial choreography to You have to live it, live through it.
from its dependence on musical forces.9 Both modernist thinkers, Le Sacre du printemps or the suite
Stravinskys Le Sacre du printemps
(1913).4 Obviously influenced by
structures.7
You should live intensely to have Balanchine and Stravinsky also
distanced themselves from the
from Swan Lake can be performed
on its own, without dance, but this
mile Jaques-Dalcroze and his something to remember when Romantic idea of art as an expression doesnt work in reverse, i.e. perform-
school of eurythmics (or rhythmic you grow old. of emotions, instead tending to ing the Swan Lake choreography
gymnastics) in Hellerau, Nijinsky focus on more concrete qualities without the music, particularly
eschewed traditional ballet vocabu- (such as rhythm, group formations because the choreography was
lary and instead tried to embody the Jiri Kylian and the appearance of the steps) always intended to be danced
complicated rhythmic patterns in by playing down meaning and to music.
the musical score.5 expressiveness. Balanchines expert
understanding of music scores made
him a trailblazer for plotless ballets
in which the interaction of music
and movement is executed at a very
sophisticated level.
106 107
Speaking of Kylins deep under-
Whats funny is that dancers
While Kylin is strengthening the
are always aware of
About the author:
standing of music and his way of music but
Ifdialogue
you musicians
include
between dance arent
allandfive
music sensesalwaysthen
Friederike aware
youre
Lampert, of adance.
herself former
fusing expressive and formal aspects
in the choreography, the composer Why
in his work, future choreographers
dealing is bethat?
will also with Well,
aware ofmany ifmore
these two you want
art
dancer, has a PhD in theatre science.
Her mainto
parameters worksee something
than
is teaching dance
If you include all five senses then
Steve Reich, says: Of the many
you neednormally
youd to turn your head,atbut
be working
forms intermingled relationship,
withif you
in dancewant to hear
theory and practice. She has worked youre dealing with many more
other choreographies that have
been made to my music, undoubt-
regardless of ones own ideas about
something
and
them.music you dont need
compositions.
Dance history has shown
Hamburg University and was a
If to turn
I ask
research anywhere.
dancers
assistant for educational parameters than youd normally
edly the most remarkable is Ji how versatile and different the
to feelThe the sound is
withalways projects and dance techniques at
around you.ifTogether be working with in dance and
Kylins Falling Angels (1989) done toapproaches to dance and music can their skin,
Tanzplan and
Deutschland.
Drumming Part One (1971). ... Many
Ibe,
ask musicians to smell
but they all have one thing in
Ji Kylinthe movement
with Dsire Staverman, she was a music compositions. If I ask
choreographers (and also a few
music critics early on) focused on
common: the high aesthetic tension
with
produced their nose,
when dance andthen
music you
research associate for Ji Kylins
Onehave a whole
Of A Kind research project at
dancers to feel the sound with
the formal organization of my early are used successfully together.
different field of possibilities.
Codarts Rotterdam. their skin, and if I ask musicians
pieces to the unfortunate exclusion
of all the interpretative and expres- to smell the movement with
Michael Schumacher
sive nuances that make my, and
indeed all, music, come alive. Kylin,
their nose, then you have a whole
on the other hand, saw both aspects different field of possibilities.
at once and fused them perfectly in
his choreography. While the dancers Michael Schumacher
often form straight lines and work in
unison, there are sudden, frequent,
and surprising microvariations of
personal nuance and psychological
expression often extremely amus-
ing that perfectly compliment
all the small accents, stick noises,
and interpretive irregularities that
happen in any performance of
Drumming Part One. The effect of
his brilliant choreography was to
capture in dance just the fusion of
intellectual rigor, rhythmic accuracy,
and unpredictable interpretive
individuality that is at the heart of
any successful performance of
this music.11
Notes:
1. Fedor Lopukhov, Writings on ballet and music, edited and with an
introduction by Stephanie Jordan, Wisconsin, 2002, p. 4.
You can learn many things
2. Lapukhov, Writings on ballet and music, p. 16.
3. Quoted in Making Music for Modern Dance: Collaboration in the
but you cant learn experience.
Formative Years of New American Art, Katherine Teck (ed.), New York,
2011, p. 14.
You have to live it, live through it.
4. See Millicent Hodson, Nijinskys Crime against Grace. Reconstruction
Dance student Roosmarijn Prins in a real-time composition involving motion tracking technology and infrared light
Im not saying that whatever we
created is the right way to approach the
Organisation and Inspiration:
ephemeral co-existence of music and Personal Reflections on Collaborations
dance. The experiment was designed to
sharpen our senses, stimulate openness between Dancers and Musicians
to interesting solutions and help shape by Jan-Bas Bollen
our own opinions about dance and
music. This is far more important than
the results you actually see. Releasing some of the
Introduction The starting point
When I was asked to write a text for Ji Kylins One Of A As I have been involved with the combination of the
structures we usually work with
Kind professorship at Codarts, the initial subject offered two disciplines from an early stage in my career, I have
Ji Kylin
feels unusual but its the best
to me was dance and music. However, when I made a
little note in my diary about the deadline, I wrote music
experienced many different approaches in collabora-
tions between dancers and musicians. Although most
way to create something new.
and dance text. This slip of the pen made me aware of dance productions are initiated and financed by either a
the fact that I cannot conceive of the two disciplines in dance venue or dance company, from the moment the
Michael
any particular order withoutSchumacher
immediately thinking of the creators of the music and those of the choreography
reverse. It also became apparent to me that making any start their artistic relationship, any form of collaboration
definitive statements about collaboration between the is still imaginable.
two disciplines would be futile, since for any scheme or
process I can think of there are many alternatives. In the I often find myself puzzled by the mysterious turns that
following article, I will instead reflect on several aspects collaborations can take. One would assume that long-
of collaboration between dancers and musicians from a distance artistic relationships, such as the one I maintain
personal point of view, and I will especially touch upon with New Zealand-based choreographer and filmmaker
some of the consequences the use of electronic music Daniel Belton, would more likely to suffer from artistic
and interactive technologies have in this context. I think the biggest challenge
disconnection than those based in one location, but I
structures we usually
Indeed work
there is a fine with
line. Ill come back to this subject
feels unusual
for mebut
at workits
herethe best and inspiration.
briefly later on. For now, let me say that the key elements
are organisation
way to create something new.
Michael Schumacher
114 115
However, there is a hidden pitfall. As Joseph Butch About the author:
ThisDutch
Rovan describes: [] the cause and effect relationship programme
composer, sound isdesigner,
aboutinstrumentalist
enhancing the Its difficult working with
between sound and gesture has remained an elusive
problem.
and digital artistJan-Bas Bollenhas written music for
senses
manyavailable to us
soloists, ensembles as human
and theatre beings,
productions.He
composers and dancers,
He continues: [] designing an interactive system
enhancing them using technology, sharpening
frequently collaborates with dancers and developing the concept and
is somewhat of a paradox. The system should have choreographers including Ross Cooper (UK) and Daniel
components (dance input, musical output) that are them or Bollen
Belton (NZ). giving them
teaches other
composition andangles.
new media working with advanced
obviously autonomous, but which, at the same time, at Codarts Music Conservatory in Rotterdam. technology, but it was also
must show a degree of cause-and-effect that creates a Ji Kylin
perceptual interaction. Unless the mapping choices are really exciting. I think this
Notes:
made with considerable care, the musical composition
and choreography can easily end up being slaves to the 1. Jonathan Burrows, A Choreographers Handbook, Routledge UK, 2010, is the future.
ISBN 978-0-415-55530-2, p. 58.
system. In some cases, interaction might not occur at 2. Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, Rhythm, music and education, translated Lisa Kapan (dance student)
all. Not in a technical sensethe movement will indeed from the French by Harold F. Rubinstein, New York / London: G. P.
control the musicbut in the sense that no one (except Putnams Sons, 1921, p. 236. Digitised by the University of California,
Los Angeles, and available at: www.archive.org/stream/rhythmmu-
perhaps the performers) will notice that anything special siceduca00jaquiala/rhythmmusiceduca00jaquiala_djvu.txt
is going on!6 Rovan then postulates several points that 3. Burrows, p. 59
are centred around the notion of what he calls gestural 4. For extensive literature on this subject, I refer to the publications
of cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Jessica Grahn, assistant professor in
coherence and are to be used as guidelines.
the Brain and Mind Institute and the Department of Psychologyat
Western University, in London, Ontario. A listing of her writings can
It is interesting to realise that although the term gestural be found on: http://www.jessicagrahn.com/articles.html. A particu-
larly good starting point is J.A. Grahn, M. Brett, Rhythm and beat
coherence suggests a movement or dance perspective,
perception in motor areas of the brain, in the Journal of Cognitive
it is in fact applied here to a synthesis of both disciplines. Neuroscience, Vol. 19, No. 5, May 2007, pp. 893-906.
In western art speak, we do not have a single word to in- 5. A common practice worth mentioning here is the use of so-called
clude both dance and music, as is the case in many other working music. Only two weeks before the premiere of Looking
for Peter in 1996, the choreographer Gonnie Heggen invited me to
vocabularies in the world, for example in most African replace 60 minutes of working music, a collection of tracks by dif-
languages. Yet, this would be most appropriate for an ferent artists that was used during rehearsals, with original material.
interactive situation such as the one described above I was commissioned to stay true to the tempi and atmospheres of
the working music but a common aesthetic approach was never
and, more generally, for a collaboration.
discussed. Choreographic work on the piece was in an advanced Dancers checking the Wii remotes with Jan-Bas Ballen
stage, although not finished, so there was no room for me to refine
my electronic language to the movement repertoire within the
choreography. I used a combination of recorded instruments and
Conclusion
sequenced tracks to produce a CD in time. It was a successful show
I have stated above that the primary human organisa- and at first I thought we must have had luck on our side. However,
tion of material is within our own bodies and that more gradually I started to realise that the restricted freedom itself had
complex levels of organisation are affected by both provided me with an aesthetic framework juxtaposed with the given
style of the choreographer.
personal and societal factors. I looked at various ways in 6. Joseph Butch Rovan, Artistic Collaboration in an Interactive Dance
which dancers and musicians can connect and consid- and Music Performance Environment: Seine hohle Form, a project
ered what electronic music can mean for these collabo- report (2002), CEMI-Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia,
University of North Texas, U.S.A. Document downloadable at: peo-
rations and specifically how its parameters could also be
ple.brunel.ac.uk/bst/documents/josephbutchrovan.doc
of interest to dance. Furthermore, I proposed that the
creation of interactive setups should recognise the need
for a combined gestural and sonic coherence that could
lead to deeper connectivity between the two disciplines.
UmaMedia filming and interviewing Ji Kylin, Jason Akira Somma and Michael Schumacher
[] the affinity between the dance and the movies The fourth project in Ji Kylins One Of A Kind professor-
seems unquestionable []1 wrote the dance critic and ship at Codarts Rotterdam took place in February 2012
writer Walter Sorell in 1967. New technology in the film and dealt with this new dance dimension by focusing on
world has indeed changed the face of dance. the interaction between dance and visual technology.
An opening symposium saw Kylin, Michael Schumacher
and Sabine Kupferberg discuss the topic with various
guests, among them well-known choreographers and
filmmakers.
126 127
Participants in the Experiments with Animation Suit Participants in the Mixing Live Performance and
and Animation Film workshop Live Video workshop:
In collaboration with the Academy of Art and Guido Badalamenti
Design St. Joost Davey Bakker
Pauline Briguet
Students from the Academy of Art and Design Eva Calanni
St. Joost: Laura Casasola Fontseca
Rezvan Abbaspour Thibault Pierre Desaules
Charlotte Apers Thijs Huizer
Laura Dumitru Myronne Rietbergen
Olivia Ettema Gianmarco Stefanelli
Setareh Goudarzi Angela Tampelloni
Ruben Monteiro Adrian Wanliss
Imge Ozbilge Guilia Wolthuis
Marlyn Spaaij
Wouter Zaman
Notes:
1. Walter Sorell, The Dance Through the Ages, London:
Codarts students:
Thames & Hudson, 1967, p. 291.
Caspar Bik
Sonia Egner
Maurizio Giunti
Asja Lorencic
Wessel Oostrum
Ewa Sikorska
Emmely Tunders
More to explore
Short film:
Dance & Film
You can learn many things
Questions:
but you cant learn experience.
How do you see the interaction between dancer and filmmaker?
You have to live it, live through it.
Do you think visual technology can extend the borders of dance? If so, how?
What influence does film have on the structure and rhythm of choreography?
You should live intensely to have
Do you think film makes dance less or more physical?
something to remember when
Literature:
you grow old.
Larry Billman, Film Choreographers and Dance Directors: An Illustrated
Biographical Encyclopedia, With a History and Filmographies, 1893 Through
1995, North Carolina: McFarland &Jiri
Co., Kylian
1997.
Do you think you can stop
Erin Brannigan, Dancefilm: Choreography and the Moving Image, New York: training as dancers now
Oxford University Press, 2011.
Elizabeth Mitoma, Dale Zimmer, Ann Stieber, Envisioning Dance on Film and because you can do everything
Video, New York: Routledge, 2003. with technology? No way!
Walter Sorell, The Dance Through the Ages, London: Thames & Hudson, 1967.
Ji Kylin
32 Dance students working with the video feedback system created by Jason Akira Somma 37
When I started using a video camera Some Thoughts on
to film dance, I immediately noticed
that the framing actually extended Dance Film
my understanding of how I perceived by David Hinton
myself as a three-dimensional being. For
instance, seeing myself from behind while
dancing made a huge impression on the Introduction Given these fundamental affinities, Although there are some fundamen-
why is dance film mostly an awkward tal affinities between dance and film,
development of my own dancing, and also Dance and film were born to be and unsatisfactory form? The main there are some fundamental difficul-
how I perceive dance in general. together. What is a film camera
after all? A machine that records
problem is that almost all serious
dance people are theatre people.
ties too. For instance, films are made
out of shots, and a shot can be a very
Michael Schumacher movement. Who moves in the most They get their training in the theatre, confining thing for a dancer. Once
interesting way? Dancers, of course. make their living in the theatre, and you are in a shot, you are no longer
So dancers are the most interest- make their reputations in the theatre. simply a figure in a space, because
ing people to put in front of the A lot of the qualities they value are you are also part of the composition
camera. This is what they thought at theatrical qualities. of an image. As soon as you move,
the birth of cinema, and, for me, it you start to transform, and possibly
remains true. The trouble is, of course, that what unbalance, that composition. So
works in a theatre is mostly quite there is an immediate tension there,
To create a shot is to create an im- different from what works in a film. between the filmmakers desire to
age of action. To edit shots together Time, space, energy, presence, dyna make an image and the dancers
is to give shape to a sequence of mics nothing translates directly desire to move.
actions. There is this deep con- from one medium to the other. You
nection between filmmaking and cant make a good film simply by There is also the problem that film
dance-making: they are both about filming good theatre. language is based on the edit.
giving structure to action. And they Theatre dance is designed to be seen
are both musical endeavours in the The drama learned this lesson a from a fixed position in relation to a
sense that their success depends on hundred years ago. The earliest film fixed space, but, in a film, every edit
the success of their rhythms. dramas were records of theatrical relocates the viewer in relation to the
performances, but actors learned performer and the space, disrupting
very fast that what was effective on the flow of energy and the reada
screen was quite different from what bility of the body. For the filmmaker,
was effective on stage. Nowadays, the edit is a crucial tool for making
everyone simply takes it for granted structure, but for the dancer it can
that what is required in a film drama easily become a blade that shreds
is entirely different from what is their performance.
required in a theatrical drama.
Theres also the problem that most
Im sure that screen dance will dance films are a collaboration
eventually evolve away from theatre between a filmmaker and choreo
towards cinematic sophistication in grapher. They are both used to
all the ways that dramatic films have being in charge of the structure of
done. New ways of performing will the work they make, and they tend
emerge, which will redefine dance to have different instincts about
virtuosity in screen terms. But this where structure is going to happen.
It was also very a humbling experience
evolution hasnt been accomplished The choreographer is likely to think
yet, and, for the moment, working in of structure as something inherent
to learn that you dont always have to
dance film remains largely a process in the performance (i.e. something
do big movements. Small movements
of experiment and exploration. that exists prior to shooting) while
the filmmaker is likely to think of it
can have a great impact.
as something created in the cutting
room (i.e. something created after
Adrian Wanliss (dance student)
shooting).
134 135
Dead Dreams made a big impact Dance for camera: Once the film was finished, the In theatre, a performance con- The beauty of dance for camera lies For a long time, I used to say that
when it was first shown. We had Touched objection was soon made that the sists of a single unbroken flow of in all the freedoms it brings to think the best dance films were kung fu
made something almost like a silent movement was too small to qualify energy, sustained for as long as about movement in ways that are movies, because the people who
movie for television that communi For a short time, in the 1990s, the as dance. But one of the points we the performer is on stage. In film, a impossible in theatre. You can show made those movies were much more
cated with the audience in a very BBC started to commission Dance were trying to make was that, in a performance can be a fragmentary angles, details and subtleties of the alert and imaginative about using
visceral way, through their guts. We for Camera films. A lot of the work film, no action has scale in and of thing, which the audience experi- body that are impossible in theatri- the freedoms of film than the sup-
live in a very talky culture, and the seemed to consist simply of theatrical itself. Its weight, presence and value ences a few seconds at a time. This cal dance. You can make different posedly serious dance-film people.
tendency in television is to make dance performed in interesting loca- depend entirely on its relationship to means that a film dance can contain kinds of relationships between
everything more and more wordy tions. I thought any serious attempt the camera. a lot of action that is implied but sound and image. You can think in Of course, a lot of people have made
and explicit. It was refreshing for me at dance for camera had to go deep- In a theatre, the scale of a move- not seen. It also means that put- non-theatrical ways about perform- a lot of very good screen dance. But
to make something that was mute er, and aim towards a more wholesale ment depends on its relationship to ting the performances together is ers and performance. You can even when I consider the power, sophis-
and did not explain itself, and left re-thinking of what dance is. the fixed space of the stage, but in a completely different process than dispense with gravity, if you like. tication and seriousness of the best
room for the viewers own imagina- a film, there is no fixed space, and it is in the theatre. It is not about theatrical dance, I dont see the same
tion to work. I thought the fundamental question everything depends on the size of orchestrating the flow of bodies I think the freedoms of film can qualities in dance film yet. How often
we had to ask ourselves was: If you the shot. The most muscular leap through a space, but about the linear sometimes be disturbing rather is there the same buzz of excite-
I had discovered in dance film an area were inventing a choreographic will feel feeble if you make it a tiny arrangement of fragments in time. than liberating for choreographers, ment around a dance film as there
of television where, almost in secret, language for film rather than the element in a wide shot, whereas the In Touched, combining the perfor- because all the physical practicalities is around a new theatrical work?
it was possible to make one-off, theatre, what would be the charac- smallest twitch will feel significant if mances was like assembling a mosaic that normally discipline their work no Almost never.
unique and adventurous films. The teristics of that language? Of course, you make it the dominant element or a jigsaw puzzle. longer apply. The number of dancers
beauty of it was that dance film was Maya Deren started addressing this in a close-up. In a film, a look can be can change in a blink from two to Right now, an accomplished
so ignored and despised by senior question back in the 1940s, but the bigger than a leap, and we felt that Touched was also a film where we did twenty. The space they are in can choreographer might devote their
executives that no one had invented process of thinking and experimen- any serious dance for camera should a lot of work on the sound track. In change in a blink from a cupboard whole life to thinking about theatri-
any rules or formulas for it yet. That tation that she began still has far to take account of this fact. dance film the sound is particularly to a football pitch. There doesnt cal dance, while dance film will be
was too good to last, of course, and go. Most dance films are still uneasy crucial, because sound can be felt in even have to be any continuity in the something they address occasionally,
most of the television money for hybrids between theatrical and We also saw the movement of the the body in a way that images cant. movement. You can dispense with as a sideline. I dont think well see a
dance films has now dried up in cinematic ideas. camera itself as a crucial part of the In other words, the sound actually anything preparatory or transitional really mature screen dance culture
Britain, at least. movement content of the film. After has a visceral and physical effect on simply by cutting it out, leaving only until choreographers are working as
I got together with choreographer all, when you move the camera, the viewer, and this is very important the peak moments. You can make a regularly, diligently and confidently
Wendy Houstoun and we decided to essentially what you are doing is set- if you want to communicate with dance full of ellipses in time. in film as they do in theatre.
set ourselves the challenge of mak- ting the viewer on the move. Theres people through their guts, not just
ing a dance film that could have no a visceral aspect to this, because through their eyes and intellect. Time-wise, of course, theatre is lum- I think theres also probably a feeling
existence as a piece of theatre. The any movement of the camera itself bering, in the sense that everything in some quarters of the dance world
way we began was to ask ourselves is going to be felt in the body of the What you can do with sound in a has to unfold evenly in real time. that dance, by its very nature, has
a formal question: Is it possible viewer far more powerfully than any film, which you cant do in theatre, Film, on the other hand, can be as to be live. After all, what does not
to make a dance film entirely in movement of a performer in the is place every sound absolutely nimble as you like in time. TIme can live dancing consist of exactly? For
close-ups? The close-up is a potent frame. But theres also a visual aspect, precisely in relation to the action, be sped up and slowed down. You me, its a big part of the screen dance
part of film language, but it doesnt in that, when you move the camera, and mix the sounds so the audience can land before you leap, or leave enterprise to answer that question,
really exist in theatre, so we felt this you are guiding the eye of the viewer hears exactly what you want them to before you arrive. A dance on film and it gets very interesting very
challenge would force us to think through the action. Dance for camera hear. If you want the dancers breath can, as it were, dance back and forth fast, because it quickly evolves into
about dance anew, in a genuinely can be about choreographing the to be louder than the music, you can in time, so that time becomes an the philosophical question: what is
cinematic way. eye of the viewer, as well as choreo- make it so. added dimension within which the dance?
graphing the performers. dancer can move, something that
Much as Im interested in formal One of the things we did on Touched doesnt exist in theatre. Im not going to try to answer that
ideas, its the emotional impact of a Our film was about several different was to create more than twenty here, but perhaps we should at
film that matters to me most. Here, characters all taking part in the same different sound tracks that ran in Rarely have we seen choreographers least consider the analogy of music.
the idea of making the film in close- social occasion, but because the film parallel through the film (atmos seize on such freedoms to make Theres live music and not live
ups led us to look at our performers was shot entirely in close-ups you pheres, effects, body sounds, music, work of true cinematic rather than music (i.e. recorded music) and
very closely, and this quickly led us never saw them all in the same shot. and so on) and then we had different theatrical complexity. Too often, the everyone understands the difference
into emotional territory to do with The way we made connections be- tracks cutting in and out on picture freedoms afforded by film are seen and no one sees any problem. A live
intimacy. It also forced us, in the tween them was by intercutting. This cuts, so that the texture and density as novelties to be enjoyed briefly or performance has certain virtues, and
choreography, to work with small, is a commonplace of film grammar, of the sound was constantly chang- It was also very a humbling experience
played with light-heartedly. But, for a studio recording has different vir-
subtle actions. Before long, we real-
ised that our film was going to be a
but once you apply it to dance the
whole idea of what a performance
ing, often in abrupt ways. This
created a disorientating, drunken
to learn that you dont always have to
me, it is these freedoms that make
film a different language from thea-
tues. Its obvious and unproblematic.
I see no reason why the same should
dance of hands and faces. is becomes very different from a atmosphere, which was appropriate do big movements. Small movements
tre, with different rules, and there- not apply to dance.
theatrical dance performance. to the action in the film. fore different possibilities.
can have a great impact.
Adrian Wanliss (dance student)
136 137
Practically speaking, Id say that Documentary choreography: One particular preoccupation with Third, there is a rhythm to do with I have also heard the objection that Ending
dance film has, so far, made only Birds Birds was rhythm, and the rhythmic the way I actually make the edits. Birds does not count as legitimate
a few stumbling steps towards relationships between actions. We I can make a tight edit so that the dance because the birds have no When I started making dance films,
achieving not live dancing on a One evening I was standing at a bus decided from the beginning that hop comes right on top of the jump, dance intention in what they are in Britain in the late eighties and
sophisticated level, but thats one stop in Leeds, a city in the north of we werent going to cut images or a looser edit so there is a breath doing. But, for me, of course, all the nineties, they were financed by
thing that makes dance film an England, watching thousands of to music, because we felt that the between the hop and the jump. intention lies in the editing. In the television and shown on television.
interesting form to work in. Theres birds flocking over the town hall. results would be glib. The film does (Im talking about real subtleties of cutting room, you have more control They went round the world, and they
still lots of territory to be explored, I felt like I was watching an extra have music, but that came late in the editing here whether you leave over the movement of a bird than reached far bigger audiences than
lots of challenges to be met, lots of ordinary dance, and it struck me that process. Most of the time we worked two or four frames on the end of a any theatrical choreographer ever live dance ever could. Unfortunately,
problems to be solved. there was no reason why I shouldnt in silence, determined to create shot but the magic of a film may lie has over the movement of even the most of the support from television
use the movements of birds to make something that qualified as a dance in these subtleties, just as the magic most obedient dancer. has now dried up, and these days it
a dance film. Why not? Birds have through its visual rhythms alone, of a piece of music may lie in finding For me, Birds opened up the is very hard to get money to make
an extraordinarily rich vocabulary of irrespective of what the sound was exactly the right distance between possibility of making all kinds of dance films.
movement, including a wonderful doing. one note and the next.) films using the same combination
ability to fly. of documentary observation and At the same time, the technology
I grew fascinated by the fact that as Fourth, theres a rhythm to do with film editing. It pointed me towards you need to make screen work
At that time, I was coming to the soon as you start editing, you are the pattern of edits in the film. This working with not only new move- the cameras and editing equipment
realisation that more and more of immediately dealing with four differ- is largely a question of whether ment vocabularies, but also new has become ever more cheap and
the structure of the dance films I was ent kinds of rhythm. I dont consider the edits are coming at regular or movement qualities. A large part readily available, so making some-
making was being created in the cut- myself at all musically sophisticated, irregular intervals. Mostly, of course, of the beauty of bird movement, thing for the screen is far less daunt-
ting room. It dawned on me that film and Im sure a more musical person the viewer is not consciously aware for instance, lies in the fact that it is ing and expensive than it used to be.
editing is, in itself, a choreographic could take the principles of Birds to of this, but if the edits are coming at entirely authentic. The birds have no All over the world there are people
activity. Why not make a dance from a much higher level than I did, but regular intervals, they will experi- sense of putting on a performance making no-budget dance films just
the actions of birds, using editing simply an awareness of these four ence this as a kind of rhythmic pulse. for the camera. because they want to. Somehow, de-
alone to give those actions form, rhythms is interesting, I think In Birds, there are many sequences spite the lack of money, it still feels as
rhythm, structure, meaning and where the edits are placed at math- The beauty of movement observed though there is a lively screen dance
every other quality one might want First, there is the rhythm inherent in ematically determined intervals, in is quite different from the beauty of culture out there, largely sustained
in a dance? the shot. By this, I mean the rhythm order to achieve this rhythmic pulse. movement performed, and I liked by eccentrics and enthusiasts.
of the bird that is the subject of the the idea of making dances from un-
That was the beginning of the film shot. A bird hopping along a branch, When Birds won the IMZ Dance performed, unselfconscious actions. I certainly feel as though Im see-
Birds. I went on to watch hundreds of for instance, has its own rhythm of Screen Award, there was a certain Why not extend that idea to people? ing dance films all over the place
hours of bird footage in the archive stops and starts. What was inter- amount of scandal because some Why not make dances with people these days, partly because so many
of the BBC Natural History Unit, and I esting was deciding how much to people refused to accept that it was who dont know they are dancing? adverts and YouTube sensations
discovered more magical bird move- allow the bird to move according a dance film at all. They felt that a I have gone on to pursue this in other look like dance films to me. A lot
ment than I ever dreamed existed. to its own rhythm, and how much dance film must have dancers in it. found-footage films like Snow and All of people who are working with
That taught me a principle that has to impose my own rhythm upon My view is that anything that moves This Can Happen. video in the art world are essentially
stayed with me ever since: one way it through editing. If the bird went and can be filmed can become a making dance films or screen dance
of finding beautiful movement is by hop-pause-hop, I could cut out the legitimate part of the movement One thing that is particularly impor installations, and lots of people are
searching for it in the world, rather pause, and thereby impose my own content of a film dance. tant to me about documentary combining screendance with live ac-
than creating it in a studio. rhythm, or leave in the pause, and choreography is that any film made tion in theatre shows. The worlds of
thereby allow the bird to stay in its In fact, one of the most exciting this way is a pure dance film, in that dance, film, theatre and visual art are
I also quickly discovered that all own rhythm. things about making dance on film is the dance and the film are one all intersecting much more than they
the challenges of working on a film that it gives you access to all kinds of and the same thing: a single rhythm used to, and dance-film thinking fits
like this lie in how you connect one Second, there is the rhythm to do movement possibilities that are not and a single structure. The dance is very happily into this new cultural
image to the next. It isnt so hard to with the ordering of shots. If I have available in the theatre. If you want a not something that exists indepen- environment.
find beautiful or fascinating images one shot of a hopping bird and one movement that feels like a thousand dently of film technique but is some-
of bird movement. The demanding shot of a jumping bird, there is imme- birds taking off, you can use a shot of thing created by film technique. One great thing about dance is that
work lies in deciding how to com- diately an infinite number of different a thousand birds taking off. It would it leaps over all barriers of language,
bine one action with another, how to films I could make with just those be perverse not to take advantage For me, this wholehearted inter so a good dance film on the Internet
build structures of action. I felt that two shots, simply by repeating and of this. section of the ideas of dance and can go round the world like wildfire,
it was through structure that the raw re-ordering them in different ways. It was also very a humbling experience
film represents a beautiful opening and be enjoyed equally in Shanghai,
movement would acquire music and
meaning and be transformed into
A rhythm might start hop-jump-
hop-jump, or hop-hop-jump-jump, or
to learn that you dont always have to
up of opportunities. It enlarges our
sense of what a film might be, and
Moscow, Lagos and New York. I see
a lot of hope for the future in that.
dance. hop-hop-hop-jump, and so on. do big movements. Small movements
what a dance might be, and where I think the universality of dance is
dance might be found. Documentary going to make dance film ever more
choreography proposes that dancecan have a great impact.
important in the increasingly global
can be not just an activity done by culture of the future.
dancers, but also a way of looking at Adrian Wanliss (dance student)
the world.
138 139
The success of Wim Wenders recent About the author
film about Pina Bausch is also an David Hinton is a director of arts doc-
interesting development, because it umentaries and performance films.
played to audiences more accus- He worked for ten years on The South
tomed to watching fiction films than Bank Show where he made docu-
dance performances. I like the idea mentaries about artists of all kinds,
that dance film can cross over into including Francis Bacon, Bernardo
the territory of narrative cinema. Bertolucci, John Cleese, Alan Bennett
Mainstream filmmaking looks very and Little Richard. He has also di-
tired these days, full of repetition and rected television versions of several
clich, and it needs to be refreshed stage shows and collaborated with
by new ways of thinking. Dance film many choreographers to create origi-
might provide that. nal dance works for the screen. He
has twice won BAFTA awards for his
I think for dance film in general documentaries, and his dance films
these are still the pioneering days. have won many awards. He teaches
Theres a huge amount of work to be dance film workshops all over the
done, and its fun to do, because the world.
freedom is there to experiment as
much as you like. The masterpieces
of dance film havent been made yet,
so the future looks very exciting and
Im very optimistic about it.
140
There is another very simple
reason why film and video have
such an important place in our
consciousness:whenever we see a
film of a living artist, the film seems
dead, but whenever we see a film
about someone who has died, the
only thing that seems to be alive is
the film. This is something we felt as
children. Moving pictures are one of
the greatest ever inventions and they
do exactly what they promise: they
moved me when I was a child and
they move me today.
Ji Kylin
32 Guido Badalamenti and Thibault Desaules dancing with video feedback system created by Jason Akira Somma 37
New Perspectives on Dance
Podium interviews with
Ji Kylin, Michael Schumacher, Jason Akira Somma,
Sabine Kupferberg, Boris Paval Conen, Ed Wubbe and David Hinton
Turning Dance into a new Art Form Ji Kylin: Film and dance, or video and dance, is of
course something we have lived with for many years
Podium interview with now. It becomes increasingly more important by the
Ji Kylin and Jason Akira Somma, minute. One of the reasons why dance is less developed
conducted by Michael Schumacher than other art forms is because there was no record of
dancing for centuries and millennia. It was only with
Three films were shown during the interview: Amelia by the introduction of film that there was suddenly the
douard Lock, Anonymous by Ji Kylin in collaboration possibility of actually seeing how people moved and
with Jason Akira Somma, and Waltzing Jessica by Jason danced. This was a new beginning for the dance era.
Akira Somma. In fact, when you watch the old silent movies, theyre
more dance than film. Theyre pantomime, because in
a silent movie you cant watch two people sitting at a
table talking. You wouldnt know what they were talking
about because you cant hear them. There are many
reasons why film and dance are important, the main one
being that you can record what has happened, but there
are many other aspects. You can use close-ups, you can
look at dance from different angles, you can make dance
on location, in which case the film becomes unique,
unrepeatable, and then of course theres the possibility
of using the latest technological developments that turn
dance into a completely new art form. There are prob-
ably one thousand other reasons why video, film and
dance are important in the development of dance.
145
MS: Would you interact and work with dancers differ MS: Lets see the next example, a film by Jason called The Making of Car Men Friederike Lampert: When did the idea of making a
ently for a film project compared to a stage production? Waltzing Jessica. dance film with Ji Kylin come about?
Podium interview with Ji Kylin,
Its like not running for the bus
JK: Definitely. You will probably see it in the examples.
Choreographing for a camera on location is a totally dif-
JAS: This is my first venture into dance film. I made it
when I was 21 or 22 years old. There was no budget for
Sabine Kupferberg and Boris Paval Conen,
conducted by Friederike Lampert
Boris Paval Conen: The idea that Ji and I should work
together came about in 2002. The initial idea was to
anymore. I just dont do it. In this
ferent ball game to a stage choreography, where people it. I made it after earning some money bartending and make an adaptation of an existing stage piece, then, one
146 147
[A clip from the film Car Men is shown] FL: Is being screened by the camera different to Dance Film: Friederike Lampert: Ed Wubbe, in your long career as
performing on stage where you have a gap between A genuine Duet between Dancer and Camera a choreographer, when did you start to get interested
BPC: What I love about these two examples the mak- yourself and the audience? in film and dance?
Its like not running for SK:
ing of and Car Men itself is that the making of, where
we see the rehearsal in The Hague, was shot with no
the bus
Dancers or performers are always visually trained, so
Podium interview with Ed Wubbe (director of Scapino
Ballet) and David Hinton (filmmaker), Ed Wubbe: I actually dont know. People started asking
anymore. I just dont do it.
light and no equipment: I was running around with the Invery
were this
critical of ourselves when dancing or perform- conducted by Ji Kylin and Friederike Lampert me if I would be interested in doing a dance film, or a
FL: Did you rehearse the choreography in the studios something to remember when David Hinton: Sure. Its an extract from Strange Fish,
in The Hague? Or did you rehearse it in the coalmine you grow old. a film I made with the DV8 Physical Theatre. It was a
in the Czech Republic? 50-minute film made for television. This is just a two-
minute extract.
SK: We rehearsed in the studio in The Hague and also Jiri Kylian
on location in a surface coalmine. We rehearsed more [An extract from Strange Fish is shown]
on location because the weather conditions were very
different there and lots of problems arose, so we had to
keep changing the choreography to fit the ever-chang-
ing weather conditions. It was hard work.
148 149
FL: Is there a difference between physical presence on exciting is the fact that I understand about camera way. When youre doing that, youre just using the cam- understand film language better, so they know that
stage and on screen? movements, I understand about editing rhythms. And in era as a way of harvesting movement material. Then the what theyre creating actually makes sense in the lan-
the end, he creates a dance that uses film language in a way you structure it has very much to do with the edit- guage of shots and edits.
Its like not running for the bus
DH: Yes, I think there is. The reason why, as a filmmaker,
I like working with dance is because through dance you
very sophisticated way. ing. Thats a perfectly legitimate way to make films and
Ive made films like that, just out of found footage. I just
FL: So is dance film its own genre?
150 151
Its like not running for the bus
anymore. I just dont do it. In this
dance, the younger ones turn, but
I thought, Im not going to do
that because Ill probably fall.
I dont take risks. I dont run for
the bus, I wait for the next one.
Martinette Janmaat (dancer aged 60+)
Sometimes we were
talking about the same
Waltzing Jessica by Jason Akira Somma. You can learn many things thing in a different
but you cant learn experience. language.
You have to live it, live through it. Wessel Oostrum (dance student)
You should live intensely to have
something to remember when
you grow old.
Jiri Kylian
32 Caspar Bik 37
Choreographing the Dialogue
between Performance and Camerawork
in Fred Astaires and Gene Kellys
Hollywood Musical Films
by Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck
One of the first records of dance on Fred Astaire continued this es-
film is the Serpentine Dance, which tablished convention of filming
was invented by Loie Fuller in 1891. dance with an almost static camera.
It was a popular motif and we can Either the camera will dance or I
find recordings of it by Alice Guy, the will, he said. But both of us at the
Lumire brothers, Thomas Edison same time, that wont work.1 In his
and others. opinion, camera movements had to
be subtle and were only allowed to
The performance took place right in make sure that he and his partner
1: Serpentine Dance by Lina Esbrard (1902), front of the camera, which mimicked were always in the centre of the
by Alice Guy the situation of a seated theatregoer. frame. Editing was considered cheat-
We see a stage defined by the wood- ing and was therefore to be avoided.
en floor and empty background. This meant that combining good
The performance space is limited moments from different takes was
by the size of the camera frame. For not possible and he had to make
technical reasons, the camera had to sure his performance was the best
be static on a tripod, which meant from beginning to end in every take,
that pans or movements were not just like a performer in the theatre.
possible. Neither colour nor sound Dance sequences often take place
were possible at this time either. The on stages (e.g. in a nightclub) or
dancer performs for the camera as if stage-like settings (e.g. in a ballroom
it were a spectator and sometimes or pavilion). Astaire also insisted
2: Les Kiriki Acrobatas Japoneses (1907),
by Segundo de Chomn looks directly at it. This remained the that all song-and-dance routines
standard mode of framing dance for be seamlessly integrated into the
a long time. plotlines of the film and are used to
advance the story. The plot often
Even at this time, however, there follows a simple pattern: boy meets
were a few attempts to enhance girl, girl gets annoyed by boy, boy
a particular performance in a way wins girl by dancing. All the camera
only film can do. One way was to does is witness what Astaire would
manipulate the material after the have been doing anyway.
filming, for example by tinting the
individual celluloid frames by hand
and thereby adding colour, or even
allowing continuous colour changes
(Picture 1). Tricks were also used
during the shooting. In Picture 2, for
example, the camera is mounted
on the ceiling with the performers
lying on the floor. The choreography
creates an illusion that defies the
laws of gravity.
156 Dance students in the Mixing Live Performance and Live Video workshop 157
When Astaire chose to break his own Kelly grew up in Pittsburgh (Steel The camera not only supports the The leg belongs to Cyd Charisse,
rules and use special effects, he did
so in the most exquisite way, always
City) in the Midwest of the United
States, in a family of Irish immi-
Its an interesting way of looking at how the human body can
performer but also controls the gaze
of the spectator as it defines the
who Astaire described as beautiful
dynamite. Donen, who directed
making sure that his skilful dancing grants. He spent much of his time be abstracted, or how your feelings can be enhanced through
space around the dancer (wide angle the film, said: We needed someone
remained the centre of attention. on the street or playing ice hockey shots or close-ups) and thereby de- who could stop a man by just stick-
Royal Wedding (1951) is such an and other sports. He was influenced technological means. It isnt just about the obvious visual dimension;
cides where to direct the audiences ing up her leg. Cyd was stunning. We
theatres and dance shows all over tap from an African-American a pure cine dance. In other words, Ji Kylin As the music changes, the shot
the U.S.A. and England until, at the teacher, John W. Bubbles.) Kelly was to do something that would be continues by following Kellys gaze
age of 33, she fell in love with an interested in ballet and folk dance, impossible in any other medium. [] without taking his point-of-view
English Lord and her brother moved and modern dance la Martha I didnt want to do a trick number, (POV) as it travels along Charisses
on to Hollywood. Graham. He was determined to but I did want to use the visual long legs, takes in the cigarette in
bring the joy of dance to the kind of medium in a way so as to express an her hand then moves up her body
6
In the song Youre All the World people he grew up with. He called it emotional struggle.5 (7) to her face, which is looking slyly
4: Shoes with Wings On from the 1949 film
to Me, rather than dancing with a dance for the common man. down at Kelly kneeling in front of
The Barkleys of Broadway
partner in person, Astaire dances In Stanley Donen, who had also her (8). The camera then jumps back
with the photograph of a girl he Cyd Charisse, who danced with both trained as a dancer, Kelly found the to a medium-long shot to reveal
adores and who has just expressed Astaire and Kelly, said: Kelly is the perfect co-director for his vision. three suspicious men at her table.
some interest in him. We see a man more inventive choreographer of They created the choreographies Kelly, slightly confused, takes his
literally head over heels, dancing the two. Astaire, with Hermes Pans together. Donen then operated the hat from her foot (9) then follows
on the ceiling and up and down the help, creates fabulous numbers camera while Kelly performed in her off screen. Instead of follow-
walls. The set was built inside a huge for himself and his partner. But front of it, as in Singin in the Rain ing Kelly and Charisse, the camera
rotating barrel with the camera lined Kelly can create an entire number (1952). 7 takes a closer look at the three men,
up and attached to the room so that for somebody else, as he did for especially the scar-faced man in the
it rotated with it (Picture 3). me. I think, however, that Astaires In the films Broadway Ballet middle who is tossing a coin and
coordination is better than number, the camera captures seems to be the one in charge (10).
Another example is Stepping Out Kellys. He can do anything he the flirtatious but silent dialogue This shot tells us that this particular
with My Baby from Easter Parade is a fantastic drummer (and piano between two performers as it man is not merely a bystander but
(1948). Towards the end of the song, player). His sense of rhythm is unfolds through dance, movements, will play an important role later on in
Astaire is shown dancing in slow uncanny. Kelly, on the other hand, gestures and the use of a few well- the scene, probably using money as
motion while the chorus of dancers is the stronger of the two. When chosen props. his tool. All three protagonists in this
in the background continue to move he lifts you, he lifts you! Fred could scene have now been introduced
at normal speed. The trick was ap- never do the lifts Gene did, and The scene takes place in the painted 8 with a portrait shot and a prop.
plied afterwards by combining two never wanted to.2 backdrop of a nightclub. A few
different shots in the same frame: people are sitting at tables scattered
the slow-motion film of Astaire was Kelly himself once said: I wanted around the dance floor on which
superimposed onto the normal- to do new things with dance, adapt Kelly is dancing alone, swirling
speed film of the chorus of dancers. it to the motion picture medium.3 and jumping energetically and
He understood that the camera was completely absorbed by the music.
In Shoes with Wings On from The more than just a recording device, The camera follows his movements
Barkleys of Broadway (1949), Astaire that it could actually enhance the by panning slightly to the left or
tries on a pair of tap dance shoes experience of dance. As the experi right, maybe zooming in or out,
that have a life of their own and mental filmmaker Maya Deren says: but always showing him in full (5), 9
dance him through a battle with The camera is a partner to the the conventional way of filming
another seven pairs of shoes (4). dancer and carries him, or acceler- dance. Then, in order to introduce
ates him, as a partner would do to a new plot, the camera shifts from
While Astaire represented the the ballerina, making possible pro- witnessing to storytelling: Kelly
epitome of male elegance and gressions and movements that are falls to his knees and slides rapidly
casual style, moving effortlessly impossible to the individual figure.4 across the floor directly towards
from the world of backstage the camera, only to be suddenly
Broadway to ballroom parties and stopped by a leg that comes in from
charming the ladies with singing the left, surprising both him and us
10
and dancing, Gene Kelly saw himself in the audience (6).
as the common man.
158 159
Charisse circles around Kelly, shaking The camera angle changes when At this moment, Kellys behaviour Charisse slides down Kellys body
her derriere and looking at him over Charisse takes off Kellys glasses (14), changes. He throws away the ciga- and ends up lying on the floor until
her shoulder (11). She blinds him by uses them to tease him and then rette Charisse has put in his mouth, he steps over her. The camera is just
blowing smoke in his eyes (12). He finally drops them on the floor to takes her hand and brusquely lifts above them taking a birds eye view
is too embarrassed to respond to kick them away with her long legs. her onto his chest (17). The camera or an externalised POV of Kelly, just
her gaze, let alone her actions, and Again the camera follows Kellys jumps to a portrait shot and we see as weve seen it before (19). When
he stands, almost paralysed, in the gaze by looking down while keeping two equal partners looking at each he pulls her back up to eye-level, the
middle of the frame (13). The camera Kelly himself in the frame (15). The other with intensity in preparation camera moves down and returns to a
switches or zooms between full- camera then follows Kelly as he gets for a heated pas-de-deux (18). standard frontal shot. This pattern is
figure and portrait shots, depending 11 up and returns to eye-level with 17 repeated once more until the music
on Charisses action, but always Charisse (16). slows down and we return to a por-
remains statically in front. trait shot because the two of them
are just about to kiss (20).
12 18
13 19
14 20
15
16
160 161
An unexpected distraction suddenly When Kelly tries to run after her, In the famous Singin in the Rain The scene starts with Kelly escorting
enters the frame from the left, just as the mans two companions enter number from the same film, the the lady of his heart to her house
Charisses leg did at the beginning the frame unexpectedly from the story is very simple: its a man sing- and kissing her goodbye. Happy
of this dance dialogue. This time sides and hold him back (23). The ing and dancing in the rain. The and in love, he starts to dance in the
its a diamond bracelet that catches camera jumps to a wide angle, over camera no longer functions as a rain (25), captured by a camera that
Charisses attention (21). The camera Kellys shoulder, to show that these storyteller but as a dance partner. always knows exactly how much
pans back to reveal the owner of men are also tossing coins, making In the scene itself, Kelly chooses the space to give him: zooming into
the bracelet: the scar-faced man it clear to Kelly that he should mind rain, an umbrella, the lamppost, the an intimate close-up on his face to
tossing his coin. He walks out of the his own business and get back to puddles and streets as his dance show his big smile as he cuddles up
frame with Charisse following him, 21 dancing (24). partners. 25 to a lamppost and sings, The suns
her eyes on the object of her desire in my heart / And Im ready for love!
(22) in the same way Kellys eyes Nstor Almendros, Truffauts (26), then moving back to a full-
followed her onto the dance floor at cameraman, described the effects of figure-shot to allow Kelly to express
the beginning of the scene. composition in the frame as follows: his emotions in dance form with the
Horizontal lines suggest repose, arms wide open, ready to embrace
peace, serenity. [] Diagonal lines the world (27). A couple walks by,
crossing the frame evoke action, protecting themselves with a news-
movement, the power to overcome paper, but Kelly doesnt even need
obstacles. Curved compositions that the umbrella in his hand when he
move circularly communicate feel- sings, Let the stormy clouds chase
22 26
ings of exaltation, euphoria and joy. / Every one from the place / Come
In the art of cinema, the director on with the rain / Ive a smile on my
of photographys skill is measured face, and again we zoom into his
by his capacity to keep an image big smile (28).
clear, to clean it, as Truffaut says,
by separating each shape (be it a In front of a shop window (29),
person or an object) in relation to a framed by the camera panning left
background or set; in other words, and right to follow his movements,
by his ability to organise a scene almost as if they were dancing a
visually in front of the lens and avoid waltz together, he sings, I walk
23 confusion by emphasising the vari- 27 down the lane / With a happy refrain
ous elements that are of interest.7 / Just singin / Singin in the rain.
Kelly twirls his umbrella like a dance
partner or uses it to mimic playing
a guitar. He bows to the girl in the
window and then, in a close-up, is
drenched by the rainwater falling
from the gutter (30).
24 28
29
30
162 163
He continues to tap through the About the author:
puddles with his brown shoes Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck is a Its an interesting way of looking at how the human body can
white would have been too bright, short-film maker and also creates
black too subtle. The overall colour video installations for the stage and be abstracted, or how your feelings can be enhanced through
palette is toned down to blue, grey
and brown, with the occasional
exhibitions. She teaches at various
institutions including HTW Berlin,
technological means. It isnt just about the obvious visual dimension;
use of red or green. Every now and the Folkwang University of the the point of view of the camera can have a decisive influence on the
then, a lit shop window provides a Arts in Essen and the Pictoplasma
backdrop, the window sometimes Academy in Berlin. She runs work- aesthetic and psychological resolution of the artistic product.
showing figurines or other depic- 31 shops for children and young adults
tions of women. In any case, there is in collaboration with, for example, Ji Kylin
just enough colour and information the Berliner Philharmoniker. She
to support the dance but never too is a member of the pre-selection
much to distract attention from it. committees as well as the juries
of various short-film festivals in
When the full orchestra kicks in, the Germany and abroad, including
camera moves up to a generous the Berlinale.
birds-eye view and Kellys move-
ments become wider and more
and more playful, almost childlike Notes:
32 1. Astaire quoted in: Jenelle Porter, Dance
(31). During the violin solo, Kelly with Camera, Pennsylvania: University of
balances on the kerbstone that cuts Pennsylvania, 2010, p.13.
a diagonal through the frame. It is 2. Charisse quoted in: Larry Billman, Film
Choreographers and Dance Directors: An
the diagonal that emphasises his Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia, With
speed and the quick, small steps he a History and Filmographies, 1893 Through
makes (32). 1995, New York: McFarland &C, 1997, p. 68.
3. Kelly quoted in: H.W. Wilson, Current
Biography Yearbook, New York: H.W. Wilson
He then splashes in big jumps Co., 1987, p. 245.
through the puddles again accom 4. Deren quoted in: Jenelle Porter, Dance
with Camera, Pennsylvania: University of
panied by full orchestra music
33 Pennsylvania, 2010, p. 11.
in front of a sign saying Mount 5. Kelly quoted in: Jenelle Porter, Dance
Hollywood Art School. Suddenly, with Camera, Pennsylvania: University of
a policeman the audience notices Pennsylvania, 2010, p.14.
6. Donen quoted in: http://www.specta-
before Kelly does, just as in a chil- tor.co.uk/features/796481/what-cyd-
drens puppet show, stops him (33). charissetold-me-about-singin-in-the-rain/
(10/10/2013).
7. Almendros quoted in: Judy Mitoma (et
The camera shows Kellys apologetic
al.), Envisioning Dance on Film and Video,
face, filmed slightly from above (the London: Routledge, 2002, p. 222.
POV of an authority figure, higher in
rank) with the policemans back like List of pictures:
34 Picture 1: Serpentine Dance by Lina Esbrard
a solid wall in the foreground. Im
(1902), by Alice Guy, http://www.youtube.
dancin and singin in the rain, he com/watch?v=hgbNYmQKWGk (8/2/2014)
sings politely to the policeman, as if Picture 2: Les Kiriki Acrobatas Japoneses (1907),
by Segundo de Chomn, http://www.
to say, Whats wrong with that? (34).
youtube.com/watch?v=xJTq9a5BAmQ
(8/2/2014)
The last shot of him is a wide-angle Picture 3: Youre All the World to Me from
shot of the street. Kelly gives his the film Royal Wedding (1951), by Stanley
Donen, http://www.youtube.com/
umbrella to a passer-by and then dis- watch?v=i0g3g6AvLtM (8/2/2014)
appears into the cityscape, turning Picture 4: Shoes with Wings On from the
him back into a common man again, film The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), by
Charles Walters, http://www.youtube.com/
just like you and me (35). 35 watch?v=qxDjPkb6QoI (8/2/2014)
Pictures 5-35: Singing in the Rain (1952), by
Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen, http://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=7YWBOfsXsDA
(8/2/2014) and http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=7YWBOfsXsDA (8/2/2014),
DVD Singing in the Rain (1951), A Metro-
Goldwyn-Mayer Picture, copyright: Turner
Entertainment Co. and Warner Bros.
Entertainment Inc.
164 Ji Kylin with dance students during the Mixing Live Performance and Live Video workshop 165
Dance
&
design
We had panels on wheels, and
a duet performed with different
arrangements of the panels, which
were black on one side, white on the
other. The surroundings changed
the meaning of the choreography
completely. The same story can be
told many times, but its surroundings
can change its meaning. The
formation of the panels also changed
the direction of the choreography.
Ji Kylin
32 Dance students rehearsing the choreography Stonehenge, which was created by Ji Kylin and Michael Schumacher during the Dance and Design workshops 37
Dancers as Architects
The effect of the costumes surprised me.
Some things happened that we didnt
expect or
by Friederike Lampert and Dsire Staverman think would happen.
Grey Timmers (dance student)
Ji Kylin in a podium discussion with architect Atsushi Kitagawara and interpreter Keiko Taylor
Design was the focus of the final project of the Ji In the Dance and Design symposium, Kylin and Michael
Kylin lectureship at Codarts Rotterdam. It took place Schumacher introduced the topic using filmed record-
in May 2013. Costume, light and stage design as well ings of the formers dance works No More Play and One
as architecture play significant and obvious roles in Of A Kind (stage design Atsushi Kitagawara, light design
choreography. Design is a key element of a dance Michael Simon) as well as a duet by Michael Schumacher
performance, as it can have a supportive, restrictive or and Han Bennink. Dr. Nathalie Bredella (architect and
even destructive influence on choreography. researcher at the University of Arts in Berlin) then gave a
lecture on body and space, and focused on architectural
The topic was first addressed in broad terms in a sympo projects that explore spatial experiences using new
Jouke Rouwenhorst, costume by Karine Guizzo sium involving guests from the world of design and technologies, for example Diller + Scofidios Blur Building
architecture. Then, in two workshops, dance students created for EXPO 2002 in Switzerland. The symposium
from Codarts could experience in physical terms the was concluded with a podium discussion involving
impact of costume, light and set design on choreography. Kylin, Schumacher, the stage designer Ascon de Nijs,
Its really interesting how you can The topic extended beyond the boundaries of dance, as
its content is also of interest for students and teachers of
the designer and choreographer Sjoerd Vreugdenhil and
the costume designer Erika Turunen.
create a new dimension with costumes. the two other Codarts academies: music and circus.
171
For the first workshop, Dance and Costume, the dancer
and costume designer Karine Guizzo created eight
The results of the workshops were shown in the final
Dance and Design event, which also marked the end
The effect of the costumes surprised me.
different costumes, one for each of the participating of Ji Kylins three-year professorship. Special guest Some things happened that we didnt
students. Each costume was based on a different base was the renowned architect Atsushi Kitagawara
model, was made from different materials and had its (kitagawara.co.jp) who designed the set for Kylins 1998 expect or think would happen.
own style. The four-day workshop, which was led by dance piece One Of A Kind. Kitagawara, whose work in-
Kylin and Schumacher, investigated the interaction cludes numerous architectural projects as well as urban Grey Timmers (dance student)
between costume and dance, and in particular the effect planning, landscape and furniture design, described
costumes can have on dance. Each of the dance students his collaboration with Kylin in 1998 as an unforget-
learned a different choreography while wearing their table experience. Dancers are architects, he said.
normal training clothes. Each student then put on their They create the space instantly. In One Of A Kind, Kylin
respective costume and developed an individual inter- explores the possibilities and limitations of space within
pretation of their dance. Kitagawaras set design of complex spatial structures
and faades.
The possibilities and restrictions imposed by the
costumes increased the students awareness of the inter
action between movement and costume. Participants
realised that costumes do indeed influence movement,
but also that movement transforms the look of costumes
in unexpected and surprising ways, for example the
dancer wearing the hairy costume performed exagger-
ated movement that allowed the hair to swing, while the
dancer in the box costume could only execute a reduced
spectrum of movement but this in turn gave rise to new
One Of A Kind, photo by Joris-Jan Bos
movement.
Laura Casasola Fontseca (dance student)
All students including those who were also given the on the project Dance and Design:
chance to experiment with dance and costume on the
final day of the workshop reported their discoveries in The goal of the project was to play At the end of the second day, we landscape. We not only played with
a concluding feedback round in which the influence of and to discover how a given set started looking at how we could integrating ourselves into the dance
costume design on movement was obvious. For his part, design could influence the creation use the panels in the space: how material and set but also with the
Ji Kylin emphasised what he called the moment of of a piece. The workshop only lasted we could play with the colors and way we used the set: travelling with
incarnation, the point at which a costume allows you to one week four working days and how could we move them. It turned it through space, moving it on the
become somebody else, or something else, on stage. a performance so the result was out that it was hard to move them spot (tilting it, turning it, etc.) and
really just an overview of what can without the dancers being seen even making noise with it. Lighting
A second four-day workshop led by Kylin and happen when you incorporate set behind them, so the next day we also played a really important role.
Schumacher focused on stage and light design. There design into dance and vice versa, but used handles. Ellen Knops used it to create different
were ten students involved as well as ten large panels, it promoted playfulness, innocence atmospheres and to create shadows
black on one side, white on the other, and fitted with and childlike desire for discovery. We We also had smaller versions of the and shapes with the panels. She also
wheels to enable them to be moved on stage. Guest had to allow our minds to open and panels that Jir Kylin and Michael played with dark and light, with the
lighting designer Ellen Knops was responsible for the try to achieve something new that Schumacher used to create some seen and unseen.
lighting. The choreography developed for the workshop would either work or not in the end nice effects and positions they
(Stonehenge) was a duet performed by different couples but would nonetheless be the result recorded with a camera. Then it was I thought the result was fantastic. It
with different arrangements of the panels, which were of interesting research. time to put it all into practice. The was clear even from this small over-
moved by the other dancers either between or during duet was repeated for the whole ten view that there are many options
each duet. Students experienced the effect of space On the first day, we prepared the minutes of the piece but it was used for mixing dance and set design. I
and lighting on a dance piece. Creating the space with set. It consisted of ten panels, each in many different ways. For some also realised how a set is not only
bodies and the movable panels, they learned how the one approximately two meters by 1 parts of the piece, the duet was the dcor but can also be part of the
choreographic process is also a continuous dialogue meter, black on one side, white on main element and the panels just movement and used to make a clear
with the set and light design. The shapes and move- the other. At the base of each panel dcor, which created a nice effect, statement. There is a huge range of
ments of the dancers bodies interacted with the set and was a small platform that protruded but in other parts the panels were possibilities for using set design on
lighting to produce an interwoven effect on stage. The about 30cm to the front and back. the main element, and their mov- stage but it should also be clear how
dancers created lines and shapes with the panels and Each platform had four wheels so it ing and turning from one colour to and why its being used, the purpose
each performance of the duet gave rise to surprising was possible to move them. Once another was a kind of dance in itself. should be coherent. When using a
new formations. the set was ready, we started creat- In the latter case, the dancers had set, it is important to bear in mind
ing a duet with different pairings: to work with the panels as the other that it takes time to arrange it, so the
man-man, woman-woman and dancers were moving them. At one rehearsal period may take longer.
man-woman. It was about a minute point, the panels were also used as There is also the risk and excite-
long and it took us the first two days part of the image, a dancer being ment of dealing with the set in a live
to create it and clean it up. lifted behind them so both she and performance. For me, this was an
the panels created a mysterious amazing experience.
172 173
Participants in the Dance and Costume workshop:
Dane Badal
Eva Calanni
Titel The effect of the costumes surprised me.
Some things happened that we didnt
Laura Casasola Fontseca Jiri Kylian
Izabela Orzelowska expect or think would happen.
Jouke Rouwenhorst
Gianmarco Stefanelli Grey Timmers (dance student)
Grey Timmers
Adrian Wanliss
More to explore
Shortfilm:
Dance & Stage Design
Dance & Costume
Final Event
Questions:
How do you see the interaction between costume designer and dancer?
What influence does costume design have on choreography?
What influence does light design have on choreography?
In what ways can stage design and dancers interact?
Can you imagine dancers creating their own set design?
Literature:
Jane Collins, Andrew Nisbet, Theatre and Performance Design: A Reader in
Scenography, New York: Routledge, 2010.
Markus Hallensleben, Performative Body Spaces: Corporeal Topographies
in Literature, Theatre, Dance, and the Visual Arts (Critical Studies Series),
Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, 2010.
Billy Klver, Julie Martin, Barbara Rose (eds.), Pavilion by Experiments in Art
and Technology, New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1972.
Henri Lefebvre, The Production of Space, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1991.
174 175
What I like about design and architecture on
stage is that your brain is really active. You
dont only deal with the shape you can create
with your body but also how it combines with
the other lines in the space.
Alina Fejzo (dance student)
32 Angela Tampelloni, Guido Badalamenti and Peter Copek rehearsing the choreograpy Stonehenge 37
Discussing Dance and Design
Podium interviews with
Ji Kylin, Sjoerd Vreugdenhil, Ascon de Nijs and Erika Turunen,
conducted by Michael Schumacher and Friederike Lampert
The most obvious and strangest thing is Three clips from different works were shown before the
interview: two pieces by Ji Kylin, No More Play and
that everything is design: my jacket, this
One Of A Kind (stage design by Atsushi Kitagawara), and
microphone, the sofa, the floor, this com- a duet (one of a series of three duets called Triple Dutch)
puter, the lighting, the seating. Everything that Michael Schumacher made with Han Bennink for
is design. Everything you look at. Can the Holland Dance Festival in 2003.
design be art? Of course it can be, but
Michael Schumacher: How did the work for One Of A
design isnt necessarily art. Do you know Kind begin?
what the most brilliant piece of design is?
Im not actually sure if it was designed by Ji Kylin: I was asked by the Dutch government to make
anybody, but its one of the most perfect a piece based on the Dutch constitution. I decided to do
something about individuality and the rights an indi-
designs around: an egg. If there were to be
vidual has. It starts with a woman sitting in the audience.
an independent competition for design, the She then dances her way through the spectators and
egg would win everything hands down. Its
If you have the chance and
across a bridge built over the orchestra pit, then stays on
perfect, perfectly irregular. Its symbolic and stage for three acts and two intermissions before disap-
Iit think wearing a costume is
the Itopportunity
has life within its shell. represents the to do it into the back of the stage. Atsushi Kitagawara,
pearing
a wonderful
universe, the sun,gift
the weve
differently,
gift been a great Japanese architect I really admire, designed the
do it differently,
of procreation and stage. Michael Simon did the lighting hes like a light-
given. It means we dont have
so on.
share it differently. ing architect. Just a little anecdote about how the col-
laboration started Michael Simon and I were walking
toKylin
Ji represent only ourselves through
Michael Schumacher (dancer aged 40+) Tokyo. We knew it had some incredible twenti-
on stage: we can take on eth century architecture, so we bought a big book and
went on a pilgrimage through the city. We kept saying,
other personalities, be other Oh, this is a fantastic building! And this one is fantastic,
characters. Thats the beauty and that one too! until we realised that all buildings
we really loved were by Atsushi Kitagawara. We finally
of theatre. I always enjoy stumbled over an incredible building that looked like
two concrete blocks with a golden harmonica squeezed
that moment of incarnation, in between them. This is again fantastic, we said. As we
of becoming something or got closer, we realised it was Atsushis office. We rang the
bell and said, Hello! Thats how it all began.
someone else.
MS: How did you work with Atsushi Kitagawara? What
Ji Kylin was the dialogue that led to his producing this design
for you?
179
Thats how this design actually came about. Sjoerd Vreugdenhil: Whats so interesting is that the were the case why would everyone buy it? I wanted to FL: Do costumes develop throughout the whole
dialogue between dance and design is actually a restric- use this chair because for me it represents something. choreographic process?
MS: In the moment on the stairs that we just saw in tion, either because of the costumes or because of the I would often use it in sets for Club Guy & Roni because
the One Of A Kind clip, it seemed as if the dancers were set design itself. Ive had my dancers work on stones for me this chair comes straight out of reality. Its not ET: They develop over a much longer period of time.
on escalators. Theres something about the perspec before. What does this mean for the dance vocabulary? beautiful, but maybe that makes it even more realistic. I usually start with choreographers about a year before
tive that makes it look as if the steps are moving. How does it change? What kind of different impulses It has a sort of honesty. You create a beautiful image, the premiere and we meet whenever we have the time.
does working on stones produce? I was very fortunate but also put something ugly in there. Its never a wholly
JK: The design had to be re-adjusted to serve the to have one studio with stones in it, so for ten minutes homogeneous image. Maybe thats the characteristic I FL: What are the best moments in the process?
choreographic intent. Atsushi is an architect, not a stage we could work with them, then there was so much dust was trying to find, to create a beautiful image and then
designer. This is precisely what was exciting about the that we had to run to the other studio to work out the to destroy it. ET: Theres a moment that usually comes in the middle
project, getting someone from outside the theatre world choreography. I loved this change of dynamic, of the of the night when Im so tired I think you cant work any
to create with me. I enjoyed it tremendously. I should work and vision. I dont think Im the greatest choreogra- FL: When do you have your most creative moments? more that day. Then suddenly I start to combine and
add that the cellist in the piece is Pieter Wispelwey, pher. I prefer to work with whatever aesthetic that arises Where do they happen? At home, on stage, in the park? mix things in my head, all the thoughts the choreo
whose musical contribution was of essential importance. each time. grapher has been giving me, and I listen to music. Then I
AdN: In a way, being a stage designer is a very solitary suddenly want to do something completely different to
MS: The second piece we just saw, No More Play, has no FL: Are there any playful moments in the creative business. Youre on your own in a room with a small- what the choreographer and I talked about. Sometimes
dcor. The architecture is created by the lighting alone. process? scale model. Youre only with the dancers, choreogra- its a kind of automatic handwriting. It just comes
phers, costume designers, light designers and techni-
JK: The piece was inspired by a small marble sculpture SV: Most of the playful moments are actually in the cians at the end. It goes up and down a lot, but my most FL: What are the worst moments of this work?
by Alberto Giacometti. Were all familiar with Giacometti, pre-production stage. I like my solitude. I have so much creative moment is when Im half-asleep in the morning.
but we only know those long, thin iron figures. This fun on my own, thinking, trying to work it all out, and Thats when you have ideas because youre still in a ET: Everybodys work is really important: the sewers, the
sculpture was a tiny piece of marble with all kinds of then coming into the studio and thinking, Okay, this blurry state of mind thats not very rational, not very tailors and the people who cut the costumes. They really
rectangles and curved shapes in it. I reproduced those isnt going to work, and then seeing how you react. For considered. I keep a little notebook next to my bed and respect the dancers and the entire artistic group that is
shapes in the lighting. Of course, the lighting is also a me, its about the product rather than me. You work with make a very quick note of ideas to develop later on. Then working together with them. Then suddenly comes the
way of dividing the space. We used lighting to divide up amazing people. You learn from them and they inspire theres the whole development stage where you talk to moment when the costumes are on stage and every-
the space just as much as we used it to light up the space you, and they can even give you something through collaborators such as directors and choreographers, and bodys really nervous and unsure, and I think thats the
for the dancers. miscommunication. Beautiful things can appear. I mean, then theres another very creative moment when every- worst moment for me. I can often see that something
180 181
AdN: What I always try to do especially with sets that SV: But sometimes things change on both the choreo-
interaction with the dancers is to make most of the graphic and design sides. You react and the whole thing
sets inside the studio, but it isnt always possible. The becomes something different. This is why I think you
dancers should have time to make it work, to figure have to be able to react really fast, as then it can lead to
things out, Oh, I cant move here so Ill do something something else.
else. In this way, the stage design is also developed dur-
ing rehearsals and I think thats the best way to make a AdN: Its also beautiful that theatre is made together.
As long as I kept focusing
piece, especially with choreographies. The stage design I could never create my designs without any interaction on the costume and
workshop should be next to the dance studio so you can with the choreographer or director. Stage design is not a
adjust things. Thats the most workable situation. form of sculptural art you practise on your own. choreography, I could
MS: Yes, then you can interact with it and integrate JK: I would like to ask our three guests a question
actually discover a lot
yourself into it very well, so you feel comfortable Is there something youve always dreamt of doing but of movement, even while
with it. have not yet had the chance to do it? If so, what is it?
dancing in a box.
JK: In the works Ive done or am working on, I work [Silence]
Izabela Orzelowska (dance student)
with the entire set and all the costumes, as it changes
how people feel the space and how they feel inside the JK: I mean professionally not personally, of course.
costumes. The ideal situation is to have the studio, the
costumes and the set. The problem isnt money, its time. [Laughter]
Time is the biggest problem we have. If I plan a piece
and know it will take two years to have all the costumes ET: I have one strange dream as far as costumes are
and the set, I will be a different human being by then. concerned, that I would like to do a contemporary Swan
This is really a huge problem. If Im a writer or a painter, I Lake in which all the swans look ruined, wet, greyish and
Izabela Orzelowska, costume by Karine Guizzo
wake up in the morning and say, Okay, I have this idea, forlorn. Then, suddenly, they all open their wings on
and I write it down, or I start writing or painting, but stage and start to shine something like that.
being a choreographer is a multi-disciplinary job. There
are so many elements you have to work with. Your task AdN: Maybe its a kind of set-designers dream, but Id
is to organise things cleverly and quickly so that you can like to be able to adjust the set live. There would be a
make costumes and sets at great speed so that you dont base, but I would be able to change the set as a dancer
lose your momentum or inspiration. Maybe you need or performer improvises new steps or text. Id be like a
computer technology, I dont know. But you still need painter, putting paint on canvas, looking at it for a while,
the physical items. You need costumes on bodies. You wiping the paint off then creating something new. Every
need a space for dancers to walk on. This is something performance would be different. Of course, its sort of
for future generations to figure out. impossible, but thats what I dream about.
MS: I was in a production years ago where we worked SV: Now that these three-dimensional printers are
and worked but werent given the costumes until the coming out, I would like to create a kind of three-
final week of rehearsals. They were made from real dimensional printer that allows dancers to create the set
leather and they looked fabulous, but no one could while theyre creating the movement. So the set, like the
move in them. No one could lift their arms or their choreography, starts from nothing. Ive already pro-
legs, so it was a crisis moment. You can learn many things
posed the idea and it requires a lot of research. It might
come true in five, seven or ten years or so. For me, it
ET: I think its a question of how you cut the material. but you cant learn experience.
would be amazing if the dancers were actually creating
You have to live it, live through it.
the set.
MS: Exactly. Then you can be flexible.
You should live intensely to have
JK: But if you know what the restrictions are, you can something
Interview conducted into
May remember
2013 when
base the choreography on it. you grow old.
MS: Right. If you already begin with the restrictions,
they inform the movement. Jiri Kylian
Laura Casasola Fontseca and Gianmarco Stefanelli rehearsing the choreography Stonehenge
Tuning the Body. On World
Exhibitions and Atmosphere
by Nathalie Bredella
Starting with the notion of atmos- In developing a concept of aesthe According to Bhme, atmosphere
phere, I would like to draw atten- tics based on atmosphere, the plays an essential role in perception
tion to some architectural projects philosopher Gernot Bhme defines and he stresses that, when entering
that explore spatial experiences uti- atmosphere as something between a room, we do not perceive objects
lising new technologies. Particularly the subject and the object, stress- first then later ascribe atmospheric
in the context of world exhibitions ing that an aesthetic of atmosphere attributes to them but rather feel the
or fairs, architecture can act as a must mediate between the aesthet- atmosphere first and then identify
medium that addresses cultural ics of reception and the aesthetics of individual objects. Referring to the
changes related to technological product or production.1 Given that in German term Stimmung or gestimmt
developments. Pavilions of such our everyday life we do not usually werden (in English tuning or to be
expositions are known for circum- pay close attention to our emotions tuned), he describes the effect of
venting commercially orientated (unseren Befindlichkeiten), art is atmosphere: Whenever I step into a
applications of technology while at needed, according to Bhme, as a room, my mood will be set (tuned) in
the same time pushing architecture realm where we can pay attention to some way or another by this room.
into extended fields and focusing atmospheres and feelings without Its atmosphere is crucial for my
on visitors sensorial perception of any obligation to act.2 feelings. Only after having moved
changes in the environment. In the into the atmosphere I will eventually
following, I will focus on visitors As Bhme notes, architects as well recognize and identify one object or
bodily interactions with the techno as designers and artists are skilled another.3 This implies that percep-
logically advanced environments in how to create atmospheres. And tion is more than just identifying
of expositions as well as on the he stresses that architectures ability objects or sense data: it comprises
creation of atmospheres that, so to to produce certain atmospheres emotion and affection, an insight
speak, tune visitors bodies. in spaces (which evoke emotional that directs our attention to the
effects in viewers and users of these body, which is the presupposition for
spaces) indicates that architecture is experiencing atmosphere. As Bhme
also political. Thus, the interest in the writes: The aesthetics of atmos-
mechanisms of creating an atmos- phere shifts attention away from
phere raises the question whether the what something represents, to
atmosphere can be a valid criterion the how something is present. In
for thinking about architecture in this way, sensory perception as op-
political terms. posed to judgment is rehabilitated
in aesthetics and the term aesthetic
is restored to its original meaning,
namely the theory of perception. In
order to perceive something, that
something must be there, it must be
present; the subject, too, must be
present, physically extant.4
Guido Badalamenti, Davey Bakker and Rodrigo Azevedo rehearsing the choreography Stonehenge 187
Atmosphere and E.A.T.s Pepsi Designed by Fujiko Nakaya, the The creation of atmosphere by
Pavilion water vapour sculpture, which architecture
The ephemeral constructions of resembled a moving cloud, spilled Diller + Scofidios project Blur
world exhibitions and fairs consti- over onto the public plaza in front of Building, built for the Swiss National
tute a special architectural genre in the pavilion.9 Setting the outside and Exposition in 2002, explored the
which modern cultural phenomena the inside of the pavilion in motion tradition of world fair spectacles
are on display and technological creates a shift in the understanding namely to enable unexpected
effects challenge the visitors senses. of architecture away from the idea of experiences by creating an empty
Notably, exhibitions after the Second a solid building towards an unex- construction on water. In her lecture
World War embraced a variety of me- pected and provisional one. Architecture is a special-effects
Figure 1: The Pavilion. Photo: Shunk-Kender Figure 2: Construction photograph of Blur Figure 3: Aerial view of Blur Beat Widmer,
dia in order to create multi-sensory machine, Liz Diller characterises the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, courtesy of Ennio Bettinelli, courtesy of Diller Scofidio courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfro
environments and these provided As Bhme argues, atmospheres are Blur Building in the following words: Roy Lichtenstein Foundation + Renfro
a testing ground for deploying new produced, they are not merely a Aside from keeping the rain out and
architectural concepts. subjective projection of the viewer, from producing some usable spaces,
and he points out, with reference to architecture is nothing but a special
In the Osaka Expo 1970, the Pepsi Hermann Schmitz, that the current effects machine that delights and
Pavilion was designed and pro- belief in atmospheres as a result of disturbs the senses.11 For Diller, the The structure of the Blur Building, As with the Pepsi Pavilion, the envi- Thinking through the body
grammed by Experiments in Art a projection is misleading. Atmos- concept of architecture as a special situated right in the lake and made ronment of the Blur Building can only As shown in the examples of national
and Technology (E.A.T.), a New pheres fill spaces; they emanate from effects machine addresses the rela- accessible via a pier, resembled a be grasped through physical pres- and world exhibitions, focusing
York-based organisation devoted things, constellations of things, and tionship between atmosphere and Buckmintser Fuller geodesic dome ence. In our context, the key insight on atmosphere means addressing
to co-operations between artists, persons. The individual as a recipient emotions: We wanted to make an (Figure 2). Its lightweight metal struc- is that experiencing atmospheres space via the interaction between
engineers and industry. Initiated by can happen upon them, be assailed architecture of atmosphere, a mass ture housed 35,000 high-pressure presupposes the existence of the observer and observed. The Pepsi
Billy Klver and Robert Whitman, by them; we experience them, in of atomised water.12 The building mist-nozzles creating a fog mass body. This reinforces Bhmes point Pavilion expanded the role of the
the project was led by a core design other words, as something quasi- reminds us of the etymology of the that made the building. Water was that human kind must be thought artist in contemporary society and
team and a group of over 75 artists objective, whose existence we can word atmosphere, which derives pumped up from Lake Neuchtel, of as body. To corporally sense tried to eliminate the separation of
and engineers from the US and also communicate with others. Yet directly from meteorology and filtered and shot out as a fine mist oneself means at the same time to the individual from the technological
Japan.5 they cannot be defined indepen- whose synonyms connote the airy, through the high-pressure nozzles. sense ones being in an environ- progress. Visitors were encouraged
dently from the persons emotionally cloudy or indefinite. A technological device created an ment, means to sense how one feels to explore the artificial environment
The dome of the pavilion, 120 feet affected by them; they are subjective artificial element, the cloud, and here.14 Therefore, we can say that forming his or her own personal
in diameter, was built of white PVC facts (H. Schmitz).10 Hence, atmos- The Blur Building was one of the the atmosphere emanating from it is only because we have bodies experience.
panels fixed onto a steel structure. pheres emanate from things and pavilions built on the Arteplages the construction with its changing that we are tuned in certain environ-
A slanting tunnel gave entrance to a can assault the viewers. They are not sites. Placed around the lakes of morphology enveloped its visitors in ments. While on the one hand aesthetic
space called Clam Room with a Dome only in the subject but outside in the Neuchtel, Yverdon-les-Bains, the artificial fog (Figure 3). Prevented pleasure can be attributed to atmos-
Room upstairs. The inside of the world. Atmospheres create a new Murten, and Bienne, each pavilion from seeing their surroundings, phere, on the other hand aesthetic
dome was fitted with Mylar mirror, reality in which the perceiver and the was faced with the challenge of pre- visitors were in a way thrown back manipulation is also present.15 This
which produced three-dimensional perceived are inherently interrelated. senting technological, scientific and to themselves. The blurring of their raises the question whether aesthet-
images suggesting a hologram. An It is precisely the oscillation between economic developments that were eyesight caused a loss of visual ics based on atmosphere can be of
electronic environment was inte- the architecture and the visitors having an impact on Switzerland. orientation, which demonstrated hu- critical importance. Arguing for an
grated into the habitable structure emotions, which finds expression The Blur Building delivered a corporal mans dependency on vision. When aesthetic of atmosphere, Bhme
using interactive programs. Various through the atmosphere of the Pepsi experience, which inspired Jonathan watching and simultaneously feeling rejects aesthetics when mainly
concerts and happenings took place Pavilion. What came to be known Glancey of the Guardian to write the mist gradually break up, visitors interested in value judgments and
inside the dome and visitors were as one of the first immersive art and an article entitled I have seen the had to activate other senses in order in separating good art from bad
immersed in the images created by technology projects of the 20th future - and its wet.13 to regain orientation. Heightened art Bhmes critique of aesthetic
mirror reflections and spatialised century depended on the partak- awareness of our dependency on arrogance (Kritik des sthetischen
electronic music.6 Krger describes ing of the visitor, whose physical bodily senses as implied by the Blur Hochmuts) acknowledges all
the Pavilion as a living responsive presence was the pre-condition not Building encourages us to be aware artefacts that satisfy human needs
environment.7 Barbara Rose also only for experiencing the environ- of the effects of the environment on and demands equal recognition for
highlights the experience of the ment but also for creating the latters our bodies. all products of aesthetic activities,
project as opposed to viewing art atmosphere. such as advertisement, set design
in a museum or gallery context. She In an age where emergent techno or so-called real art.16 This means,
stresses the communal and colla logies promise immediacy and for instance, the rehabilitation of
borative process that led to the simultaneity, Diller + Scofidio instead kitsch based on recognising aesthe
evolution of its form as well as the use technology to produce interrup- tics as a basic human need and the
integrated sensorial response it trig- tion and hesitation. The Blur Building showcasing of oneself or Aus-sich-
gered.8 Ever-changing densities of creates an artificial environment in Heraustreten as a typical feature of
water fog, generated by an atomis- which visitors are exposed to the our nature.17
ing device, enshrouded the exterior unpredictable, and their ability to
of the dome (Figure 1). see an object is disturbed.
188 189
The aesthetic of atmosphere cannot About the author:
be considered as a critical perspec- Nathalie Bredella studied architec-
tive, in that it accepts everything as ture at the Technical University in
legitimate. Yet, Bhme points out Berlin and the Cooper Union, New
how his aesthetic of atmosphere York. She received a Ph.D. in archi-
possesses a critical value. For Bhme tectural theory with a dissertation on
the creation of atmospheres can architecture and film:Architekturen
and must be criticised when used des Zuschauens. Imaginre und reale
to manipulate people. In particular, Rume im Film. She was a Research
he refers to background music in Fellow at the Internationales Kolleg
shopping malls and the imposition fr Kulturtechnikforschung und
of lifestyles. Medienphilosophie (IKKM), Bauhaus
University Weimar. She is a research-
However, analysing how atmos- er at the Institute for the History and
pheres are produced is a critical act Theory of Design at the Universitt
in itself because it allows us to set der Knste Berlin (UdK). Her current
ourselves at a critical distance. This project for the German Research
is all the more necessary in an era of Foundation (DFG) investigates the
aestheticisation of politics and the subject of architecture and new
great economic power of advertis- media.
ing. Yet within Bhmes aesthetic of
atmosphere, the distinction between
the legitimate and the illegitimate
use of atmospheres proves difficult
to identify. There are no pre-given
criteria to be found. Rather, it chal-
lenges us to reflect on the ways we
experience a place by making us
aware of our senses. We therefore
should pay close attention to the
effects of atmospheres and under-
stand what needs they really satisfy
or fail to satisfy. Notes:
1. Gernot Bhme, Atmosphere as an Aesthetic Concept, in Daidalos,
No. 68, June 1998, pp. 112-115.
2. Gernot Bhme, Atmosphre, Frankfurt/M.: Suhrkamp, 1995, p. 17.
3. Gernot Bhme, Atmosphre: Essays zur neuen sthetik, Frankfurt/M.:
Suhrkamp, 1995, p. 15. [Translation by the author.]
4. Gernot Bhme, Atmosphere as an Aesthetic Concept, in Daidalos,
No. 68, June 1998, p. 114.
5. www.zakros.com/projects/pavilion/original_new.html (23/09/2013).
6. For a detailed account on the Pepsi Pavilion, see Billy Klver, Julie
I dont like it if the light dictates where
Martin, Barbara Rose (eds.), Pavilion by Experiments in Art and Technol-
ogy, New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1972. you have to look because I think the
7. Billy Klver, The Pavilion in Billy Klver, Julie Martin, Barbara Rose
(eds.), Pavilion by Experiments in Art and Technology, New York: E.P. audience can decide for themselves
Dutton & Co., Inc., 1972, pp. ix-xvi, p. x.
8. Barbara Rose, Art as Experience, Environment, Process, in Billy what they think is interesting. I like
darkness and light because then youre
Klver, Julie Martin, Barbara Rose (eds.), Pavilion by Experiments in Art
and Technology, New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1972, pp. 60-104,
p. 60.
9. Billy Klver, see footnote 6, p. x.
10. Gernot Bhme, Atmosphere as an Aesthetic Concept, in Daidalos,
forced to really watch. If youre watching
No. 68, June 1998, p. 112, p.114.
11. www.ted.com/index.php/talks/liz_diller_plays_with_architecture.
something in bright lighting, you can
html (23/09/2013).
12. Ibid
just let it in. If its in a dim light, you
13. www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/jun/10/artsfeatures
(23/09/2013).
have to ask yourself what youre seeing.
14. Gernot Bhme, Atmosphre, Frankfurt/M.: Suhrkamp, 1995, p. 31.
[Translation by the author.] You have to focus on your own.
15. Here and in the following, the text follows the authors publication
Architecture and Atmosphere. Technology and the Concept of the Body, Ellen Knops (light designer)
in: Kari Jormakka et al. (eds.): Architektur der neuen Weltordnung,
Weimar: Verlag der Bauhaus-Universitt Weimar, 2011, pp. 550-559,
pp. 558-559.
16. Gernot Bhne, Atmosphre, Frankfurt/M.: Suhrkamp, 1995, p. 42.
17. Gernot Bhne, Atmosphre, Frankfurt/M.: Suhrkamp, 1995, p. 41.
190 Thibault Desaules, Gianmarco Stefanelli and Alina Fejzo rehearsing the choreography Stonehenge
You could see the creativity of
the dancers, how the costume
influenced their performance
of the choreography and what
they made of it.
Ji Kylin
Participants in the Dance and Costume workshop, from left to right, Adrian Wanliss, Gianmarco Stefanelli, Izabela Orzelowska, Dane Badal, Eva Calanni,
32 Laura Casasola Fontseca, Jouke Rouwenhorst and Grey Timmers, costumes by Karine Guizzo 37
Credits
Thank you to all those involved in the project
Codarts Rotterdam
Samuel Wuersten, director of dance / board member
Patrick Cramers, secretary of the board
Caroline Harder, head of the Bachelor of Dance programme
Ingrid Stoepker, head of the Bachelor of Dance in Education programme
Hans Boerrigter, communications & pr
Co-ordination
Ellen Dijkstra, Sanja Maier-Hasagic, Keith-Derrick Randolph
Codarts teachers
Jan-Bas Bollen, Dr. Hilke Diemer, Alberto ter Doest, Connie de Jongh,
Antien van Mierlo, Ren Uijlenhoet, Dr. Henrice Vonck
Research team
Ji Kylin, Michael Schumacher, Sabine Kupferberg,
Dr. Dsire Staverman, Dr. Friederike Lampert
UmaMedia
Barbara van den Bogaard (direction, editing), Gerbert Toes (direction, 1st camera)
Roos Breukel (2nd camera), Jasper Bruijns (3rd camera)
Website oneofakind.codarts.nl
Jasper van der Hoeven, Robbert van Kolck
Co-authors
Dr. Nathalie Bredella, Jan-Bas Bollen, Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck, Dr. Anandi Felter,
Dr. Malte Friedrich, Borg Diem Groeneveld, David Hinton, Dr. Vincent Meelberg
Interviewees
Ji Kylin, Boris Paval Conen, David Hinton, Sabine Kupferberg,
Ascon de Nijs, Michael Schumacher, Jason Akira Somma,
Erika Turunen, Sjoerd Vreugdenhil, Ed Wubbe,
Codarts students and teachers
Photographers
Joke Schot, Wijnand Schouten, Joris-Jan Bos
Graphic design
75B, Rotterdam
Printing
Veenman+, Rotterdam
195
Titel
Jiri Kylian
197
ONE Of A KIND
A professorship held by the choreographer Ji Kylin at
Codarts Rotterdam, started in October 2010. Working
with artists and experts from different disciplines, as well
as with associate researchers Dr. Friederike Lampert and
Dr. Dsire Staverman, Ji Kylin has been conducting
research into a series of themes: Dance and Age,
Dance and Voice, Dance and Music, Dance and Visual
Technology, and Dance and Design. Students from various
departments of Codarts Rotterdam participated in the
research workshops, which were led by Ji Kylin with
Michael Schumacher and many other teachers and artists.
oneofakind.codarts.nl