{"id":29148,"date":"2022-12-05T18:20:56","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T18:20:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/2022\/12\/05\/what-is-contemporary-dance-dance-informa-magazine\/"},"modified":"2022-12-05T18:20:56","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T18:20:56","slug":"what-is-modern-dance-dance-informa-magazine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/2022\/12\/05\/what-is-modern-dance-dance-informa-magazine\/","title":{"rendered":"What is modern dance? – Dance Informa Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Dance Informa had the fantastic alternative to select the brains of three world-renowned modern choreographers. Learn what Hofesh Shechter, Franck Chartier and Desmond Richardson needed to say about modern dance and its function in modern society.<\/p>\n

How would you outline modern dance? What differentiates it from different associated kinds and motion vocabularies?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hofesh Shechter, creative director of Hofesh Shechter Company<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"Hofesh<\/a>
Hofesh Shechter. Photo by Hugo Glendinning.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cContemporary dance is the art form that allows anything and everything that is of our time or of relevance to be put on stage. In that sense, it must be the most open, non-defined, experimental and in some ways freeing forms of dance performance. Anything that matters to anyone has a place, or should have a place, on stages that present contemporary dance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Franck Chartier, co-artistic director of Peeping Tom<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, contemporary dance is an opening of the mind, of forms, which stretches to all other disciplines such as music, theatre, circus, martial arts, etc. This mix of disciplines can tell a story, and represents a creative opening where there are no limits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Desmond Richardson, co-artistic director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"Desmond<\/a>
Desmond Richardson. Photo by Rachel Neville.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI would define contemporary dance as an investigation into different pathways to fulfill total body movement. What differentiates it from other related styles and movement vocabularies, in my opinion, is the freedom that is inherent to the torso, the extremities and the mind. A dancer cannot forget about the structure of their technique, yet they can be liberated by it to propel them through the multiple challenges the style demands.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is distinctive concerning the modern dance scene in your nation, and the way do you suppose it compares to the modern dance works popping out of different elements of the world?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chartier<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"Gabriela<\/a>
Gabriela Carrizo and Franck Chartier of Peeping Tom. Photo by Virginia Rota.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cBelgium has always been an important breeding ground for new experiments in theatre and dance because of the way the government supports innovation and up-and-coming creators. That\u2019s why we started Peeping Tom there. Our own work is very much focused on hyperrealist set designs, which help us bring a more cinematographic, theatrical element to the dance. We love to put the audience into a very concrete atmosphere and, from there, to take them into mental states.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shechter<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure what you mean by \u2018my country\u2019\u2026 I\u2019ve lived in the UK for the last 20 years and have a dual nationality. I think you mean where I was born \u2013\u2013 in Jerusalem. I think the distinctive nature of contemporary dance in Israel stems from Israel being a very extreme place where most of the time people are \u2018live on the edge.\u2019 Many global conflicts are more vivid and raw in Israel, which makes someone who grew up there question social and cultural structures, power division and the way things work, and why. Politics is \u2018in your face\u2019 in Israel, and that makes for stronger commentary from artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richardson<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is distinctive about the contemporary dance scene throughout the world is that there is a commonality of exploration that I\u2019ve found in all my travels.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did you grow to be a recent dance practitioner? How did your dance journey start, develop and evolve over the course of your profession?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"Hofesh<\/a>
Hofesh Shechter Company in \u2018Grand Finale\u2019. Photo by Rahi Rezvani.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Shechter<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI discovered dance through folk dance in Jerusalem. I had very little knowledge of what \u2018contemporary dance\u2019 was until I was perhaps 12 or 13 years old. I fell in love with the art of dance for many reasons: improving my relationship with my body and the awkwardness I felt around it, experiencing amazing social interactions with others, and seeing its potential as a liberating and fascinating form of expression. Sharing experiences with others is one of the most powerful things that life can offer, and dance allows us to do just that. I was a professional dancer for a few years and after being afraid to \u2018jump into the cold water\u2019 of choreography for many years, I finally jumped. The fact that I make the music to my choreographies as well makes it an incredibly creative venture for me. Music has always been a big part of my life, and I feel privileged to have music as part of my creative process; it forms an inseparable part of the experience of my choreography.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richardson\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I don\u2019t consider myself just a practitioner of contemporary dance, yet I feel it is part of the journey of being a full dancer. My dance journey initially started in hip hop in the style of popping. Then, I fell in love with classical ballet after viewing a documentary on Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. I attended the High School of Performing Arts in New York City, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center NYC, and the Sommer Dez Tanz in K\u00f6ln, Germany. My career has evolved in many ways \u2013\u2013 from concert dance and Broadway to commercial projects, fashion and TV shows, as well as becoming a master teacher in the U.S. and abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chartier<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"Peeping<\/a>
Peeping Tom in \u2018Triptych\u2019. Photo by Virginia Rota.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI come from classical dance, but then I met some really interesting people and began researching human anatomy, searching for a more natural state on stage. After that, I discovered the force of music and narrative. I liked to create characters, which serve as a for the work, while at the same time conserving the virtuosity of classical dance, which at times can get lost in contemporary dance. I also recently developed an opera, Dido & Aeneas<\/em>, which was an interesting experience because it was the first time I started from an existing story.\u201d<\/p>\n

What does modern dance have to supply to modern society? Does it deliver to the desk one thing that different modern artwork types and\/or different dance kinds can\u2019t?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Richardson<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat contemporary dance offers to contemporary society is a reflection of itself. It brings an openness and vitality to the table that I would say the other styles don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chartier<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause it contains very few words, contemporary dance is a universal language. Every person in the world can understand it. We also like to work with the bodies of non-dancers, such as elderly people or children. They reflect society as well, and add something to the dance which people can easily identify with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Complexions<\/a>
Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Photo by Rachel Neville.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Shechter<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat contemporary dance has to offer depends greatly on the person serving it. In comparison to many other art forms, dance allows for an experiential moment, something you perceive with your senses. There is a mysterious exchange in watching other people move, a chemistry that moves people in ways we don\u2019t fully understand but all feel. That ancient ceremony of a few performing for many others to create a journey, raise the spirits, engage the imagination and have a communal experience is unique to live performance art forms. Dance is almost as simple and ancient as can be, using the one incredible tool we\u2019ve had since the start: our body.\u201d<\/p>\n

What tendencies have you ever observed creating within the modern dance world over the previous 10 years?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chartier<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA trend that works well for me, and that is very attractive, is realism on stage. Things that are too much of an abstraction are less popular. I believe that people want to see something real and sincere on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shechter<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, I am so busy making work, traveling around the world, staging the work in theatres, creating in the studio and so on. I don\u2019t think I have an overarching sense of what\u2019s going on in the dance scenes around the world! I get the opportunity to go and see dance very little, in fact.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Peeping<\/a>
Peeping Tom. Photo by Maarten Vanden Abeele.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Richardson<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI actually don\u2019t follow trends. I\u2019m mesmerized by viewing the creativity of people and sharing in their artistic expression.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where do you hope that modern dance will go within the subsequent 10 years?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Richardson<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope for contemporary dance is that it continues to evolve and stay investigative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chartier<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think the importance of contemporary dance will continue to grow in the future because it surpasses pre-existing borders by including elements of many different disciplines. That\u2019s why I believe that contemporary dance can expand much more, can develop even more possibilities, especially compared to textual theatre.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Complexions'<\/a>
Complexions\u2019 Tatiana Melendez and Miguel Solano in Francesca Harper\u2019s \u2018System\u2019. Photo by Nina Wurtzel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Shechter<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that contemporary dance will live up to its promise of being an open, diverse art form. Diversity is at the heart of what contemporary dance is, and the only way it will develop and flourish to the next level is by continuing to open up to new perspectives of life and the world. In essence, contemporary dance is still controlled by a narrow slice of our society and cultural background; this needs to change now, not in 10 years. It is enough to look at the audience that feels welcome in contemporary dance theatres to get a sense of where contemporary dance stands. That has to be our indication of how open and welcoming this art form is.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is subsequent for you inside the discipline?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shechter<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel very lucky to have many projects coming up in the next few years: new work for both my main company and junior company, working on theatre plays, music, and staging my work with other dance companies around the world, as well as developing my music and reaching into film. There are an abundance of projects, which I\u2019m so excited to walk into and experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Hofesh<\/a>
Hofesh Shechter Company in \u2018SHOW\u2019. Photo by Gabriele Zucca.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Richardson<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cUp next for me in the industry is that I will be appearing on the HBO Max hit series, The Other Two<\/em>, and continuing to share our company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, throughout the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chartier<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI still like to start out from a closed space, from characters who find themselves in an extreme situation and who are trying to survive. I\u2019m fascinated by how people react in extreme situations. I think we should listen to our fears and desires \u2013\u2013 be real about them without being afraid. This can help you become more who you really are. And I want to keep working on subtly with theatre, music, dance and other forms of art, to open up the possibilities of our work even more.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Charly Santagado of Dance Informa.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlvin Ailey American Dance Center<\/a>, Broadway<\/a>, Choreographer<\/a>, choreographers<\/a>, classical ballet<\/a>, classical dance<\/a>, Complexions<\/a>, Complexions Contemporary Ballet<\/a>, modern ballet<\/a>, modern choreographers<\/a>, Contemporary dance<\/a>, dance kinds<\/a>, Desmond Richardson<\/a>, people dance<\/a>, Franck Chartier<\/a>, High School of Performing Arts<\/a>, Hofesh Shechter<\/a>, Hofesh Shechter Company<\/a>, Homepage Top Heading<\/a>, Margot Fonteyn<\/a>, Peeping Tom<\/a>, Rudolf Nureyev<\/a><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n


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