Interpretation of a choreographic work while it is taking place, is a waste of time. It makes the viewer blind to the actual THING which is happening.

Choreography needs an undisturbed state of looking. Interpretation, gets in the way. It generates information that is external to the essence and embodied experience of the choreographic thing, hence, it takes the viewer out of that which is happening here and now.

The experiencing of a choreographic work, happens when the brain is quiet, present, un interpretative, not looking for meaning, a story, concepts, messages. It happens when there’s space for an experience un bothered by thought.

The way to look at choreography, is simply to LOOK at it. To shut down the chattering, analyzing, interpreting parts of the brain, so a full undisturbed experience can take place.

When looking at the ocean, a flower, a sunset, the looker’s experience has to do mostly with the fact no interpretation or analysis is involved. Even when the looker is a marine biologist, a botanic or an astronomer, the moment of looking and experiencing these phenomenas, is separate from the analysis and research into them that occurs in different spaces, times and states. One doesn’t need to study astronomy, in order to fully experience a sunset. Even the astronomer, has no need for the knowledge he has regarding his field of study, for a full experience of the sunsetting moment.

Choreography, probably as a result of its false linkage to theater, being that dance is usually performed in the same spaces, suffers from the automatic reflex of viewers to try and interpret the thing which is happening. To try and decode hidden meanings and messages, storylines, concepts and themes. This pressure, naturally pushes many choreographers to actually make work that delivers all of these, literally, just so they have what to answer when faced with the question - what is the work about? The result is a vicious circle of both choreographers and audiences loosing touch with the physical embodied experience the choreographic art form requires.

True knowledge, true knowing, is visceral, rather than cerebral. Real learning, real understanding, happens through an embodied experience rather than the cerebral analysis of the thing taking place. This is why choreography needs to be experienced, rather than interpreted, as interpretation is a hindrance to understanding.

That being said, there’s nothing in the above to undermine the importance and need for interpretation and analysis of choreographic works. The two are complementary. This text, is just that. But there are distinct places and times for it, non of which, is the actual moment of LOOKING at the work taking place.