aadh day 19 role of the critic, vogue dancing and gay balls still/here - bill t. jones - dancing in...

AADH Day 19

• Role of the Critic,

• Vogue Dancing and Gay Balls

• Still/Here - Bill T. Jones - dancing in the era of AIDS

Nommo – the power of the word, of naming –

• to name a thing, person is to define it, give it existence,

• Nommo an African philosophical idea of language

– this is a critics role

Critics Role

• what are the responsibilities, and limitations of critics?

• challenges when reviewer works from outside of your cultural experience.

– Identity of reviewer – vs. identity of the artist and/or any particular art.

• Racism as a factor in viewing and discussing work

Critics ideal role

• to observe consciously,

• to create dialogue about art and ideas,

to allow two groups audience and artists to look at their aesthetics

• Distinction between a critic and reviewer

– Critic - takes an historical perspective – where does a new work fit in the field, in the trajectory of this artist

– Reviewer -concerned primarily with the performance at hand – what happened, was it good, bad etc.

Issues of Black Choreographers and Criticism

• Black choreographer who uses “black” material- how viewed in media

• Black choreographer who does not use “black” material- how that has been traditionally viewed

• The use of black cultural aesthetics in modern and ballet by white artists, and American culture

• 1940s and 80s review both deny the label fine art to black concert dance

– Rhythm is a force of nature that must be transformed to become art

– Ailey works, not enough contrast or subtlety to satisfy that critics criteria for good art

Panel Perspective

• Donald Byrd- critics can not be objective, they bring a set of values and an agenda to the performance

• For black dance, a critics entire perspective on African-Americans colors their perception

– Too often, black choreographer’s work is viewed from a wmiddle class perspective, rather than work’s true source

– Zollar - emotion and the church form a key part of African cultural aesthetic,Emotion defines form for Euro-American tradition form reduces emotion

Panel Perspective

• Janice Ross -Dance critics have been skeptical and uneasy with new and unusual, black dance as well as others

• Judith Green- Advocacy for the arts is important -necessary to gain editors

• Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, - Racism is pervasive in our culture, and affect us all, blacks are trained to be critics and must overcome this

• Joe Nash, A Historical Perspective

– Critics didn’t know how to respond to black concert dancers

The Critic’s Role

• to assess an artist in terms of history – how does a work rest in time, in relation to earlier work – in relation to other work of the artist. Is one a great choreographer.

• A reviewer – simply reports on whether a performance is good or bad – what was good or bad about it.

Paris is Burning – New York 1987 and Vogue Dancing

• A gay black/hispanic subculture defined through performance and dance.

• Sexual identity – is central factor in defining self – who will define you

• Identity of gay men as transvestites – want to be:– Women – feel affiliated with this gender, this reality– Men of power, influence, money

Performance as a way of being

• A real experience that gives status within this subculture – you will never get this in the outside world

• • Inside the balls – you are normal / okay – vs. outside

world

• Balls – a place feel okay as a gay person, time to prepare for the ball desire for riches

• Performance more than dance, an act of becoming- of having an identity

Houses = Families

• House, family group of human beings – overseen by a mother, – a star performer who has gone through the rejection

as a gay man but has risen to prominence in this subculture

– through performance and through caring for others.

• 1. Angi, Extravaganza, Mother

• 2. Willie Ninja, best voguer

• 3. Pepper Lebeija, the house of Labeija

Houses

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Pepper Lebeija



Angie Extravaganza



Categories of performance

• Pretty girl, Poconos, Luscious body,

• School boy, Town and country,

• Executive realness, High fashion passion,

• Butch queen, First time at a ball,

• Military, High fashion evening wear

Realness



Source of movement - What is the movement style/expression?

• Shade knock sun out if you can, reading art form of insult - who is the audience?

• Reading became shade don’t insult what you know

• Voguing – came from shade -a form of throwing shade, – from Vogue magazine based ion the models poses – Institutionalize showing off, voguing - take an

attitude, a style

Realness



Willi Ninja and Voguing

• the dancing is a form of battling • throwing poses that suggests the other is less than

– very similar to breakdance origins

Willi Ninja and Voguing



Willi Ninja – succeeds

• he teaches woman to walk

• Ballroom tells you are somebody need to convince self that you are somebody.

• He gets work as a dancer and choreographer in MTV.

• They all want a normal happy life

– .

Era of AIDS - Identify as a gay person, as someone facing

premature death• Still / Here and era of AIDS

• premature mortality, Bill T. Jones working with all people – to learn from them

• • bring people of like experience together (vs. all gay) –

here all facing death. They create gestures, dreams, fears

B.T.J. creates Still/Here from this research

• the gestures created spontaneously by the survivor participants enter the work

• Community connection again - Survival workshops – Externalize feeling in your body, – gesture with confidence, then thinking and moving, – struggling between knowledge and mortality.

B.T.J. walks his life



Performance agenda – Shape around commonality, mortality central issue

• Not Job’s why, but how, to deal with fear anger pain

• Dancers wouldn’t impersonate the sick and dying but the variation on struggle to survive

• Still, interior world of one person

Here, sensation of life altering news, denial on issue

aadh day 19 role of the critic, vogue dancing and gay balls still/here - bill t. jones - dancing in...

Documents

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black material

black choreographers

critics criteria

performancefor black

limitations of critics

criticism black choreographer

black concert dancerhythm