How, not what

What ultimately makes a dance work contemporary, is to a large extent the manner in which the different elements are assembled, edited and presented.

Innovation

The more I look at it, the more I think choreographic innovation can only come from playing with the forms, structures, creative processes, choreographic strategies, presentation means etc, never really from the content. In that sense, work that is solely based on making direct political/social comments (with rare exeptions), is always bound to be reactionary, old, familiar, tied to the acceptable artistic norms of its field at the time, and inherently un-innovative. It's a type of propaganda to what is fashionbly right and just to express at a certain time and cultural circle.

Critical, subversive, boundaries challenging work that offers resonance and existential value, contrary to what is commonly argued, usually plays around with how things are made and assembled, rather than with the 'things' themselves. I feel that ultimately, the way in which we make work, is the key factor in moving the art form forward and making it evolve. 

A following thought on this, would be to say that content, naturally resides in, and emerges from well structured systems. 

These people…

Chemists who think that just because they can analyse the content and chemical structure of a drop of water, they can actually have any insight into what being a fish means or feels like.

Le roi soleil

Creating material, setting it and then teaching it to dancers as is, is a form of choreographical tirany/fascism. Why would anyone think other people should move like her/him ? (Louie XIIII anyone?). I find asking people to imitate you perfectly, to be a weird way of finding choreographic interest and satisfaction, The fact this is still the most practiced and acceptable form of choreography making, is mind-bugling.

Counterpoint

Choreography is counterpoint, it's ultimately a musical event, and both these phenomenas (choreography and music), are basically an organisation of simultaneous ideas happening over time.

Mind the gap

You need to choreograph both the solid and the void. The dancers, as well as the constantly changing spaces between them.

Positive

The way I see it, art's main role should be to counterbalance the culture of negativity. It should be a constant injection of positivity. In today's cultural context, if you want to be subversive, make positive art works. 

THE choice

Structure Vs effect. 
Every artist should make a choice between these two. 

Tape/wall work by Yifat Gat

Music

The way in which we listen to music today has radicaly changed. It has become very much detached from the live aspects of music playing. The fact we can listen to any musical piece in amazing sound quality within the intimacy of our headset, wether we're in an airplan traveling 12000 feet above ground, walking through a crowded street, or at the privecy of our toilets as we are going about our business, changes deeply the options open to us when working with music. The ‘pause', 'fast forward/backwards’, ’shuffle’ and all the rest of the control buttons on any musical app, are the biggest musical revolution of our era.
The guardians of tradition will always be there of course to remind us we are commiting sacrilege anytime we ‘use’ and manipulate the treasures and ways of the past within this new context, but this is the normal reaction to any form of innovation.
And also, there is no way in which what’s playing in your headphones while walking in the street or looking at the ocean, doesn’t match perfectly whatever movements you’re seeing.

Spacing

What is known in dance terms as ‘spacing’, doesn't have to be a deliberate decision made by the choreographer. It can be treated as  an emerging constellation managed by the dancers in relation to the work being done and the task at hand. In most cases, making an active descision such as upstage/downstage, right/left etc, will result in a simplistic, non organic and not very credible result. Spacing at its best, simply happens. Trying to pre-organise this, will get in the way of the naturaly emerging spatial relations between the dancers. There is no sense of randomness about this, it is actually allowing a deep logic of organisation to take place. There is a phase along the process though, when actively making decisions in relation to spacing, becomes relevant again as a creative tool. But i find that most times it's happening quit late in the process. The more you wait, the more things will tend to "fall into place" with a logic that is impossible to reproduce artificially. it is impossible to try and recreate the complexity/richness/coherence of self governed choreographies. In that sense, a horizontal system, devoid of hierarchies, will always be more artistically efficient and revealing than a vertical, hierarchical one. Spacing in that sense, is a group endeavor rather than one managed by the choreographer.  
And also, the right spacing is always the result of precise, clear musicality.

Risks

Dancers (should) love taking risks.

Photo: Michel Cavalca

Responsibility

The more I look at it, the more I think dancing is mostly about understanding responsibility and how it functions. 

Choreographic Dancing

Dancers are either in a constant state of actively choreographing, or whatever it is they are doing, can't really be called dancing. 

No player is bigger than the game

No dancer is indispensable, bigger or more important than the choreography he/she is part of. When that's the case, it's usually the result of a lacking choreography. 

Don’t

Choreography is very much an observation process..

Pre-planing gets in the way of observation.

Don’t Plan.

Movements

I think dance movements are no different than washing dishes movements. Both are as meaningful. both can be executed amazingly well or poorly.
it is only the context that paints them differently.

STFU and work

We (the audience), don't give a fuck about how you (the dancer/maker) are feeling, or what you're going through. Just do your work. Premeditated, deliberate self expression, is the lowest form of art making. The highest, is being in service of the artistic process.

Letter to a panicking friend

Letter to a panicking friend,

It takes time until it starts looking like something. Don't let the way it looks in the beginning frighten you.
Keep generating as much material as possible as well as compositional ideas, tools and strategies. Don't give notes to what you see and try to delay having an opinion about the outcome as long as you can.
Give the dancers tasks that allow you to sit and watch and do nothing for long periods. Look without trying to find the answer. just look. then, you will notice immediately the few interesting things that are happening.
Don't think of the time you have - I know its hard, but you have to work as if you have one year to do it.
Trust the dancers and what they do instinctively. 
Until the very end, dont give any corrections about movement to anyone. You can do that in the end if necesary.
Try to spot what are the new things they offer you, stuff you don’t know, even if its very different from what you are used to or what you expected.
Don't be afraid to do things you already did and use ideas you already used somewhere else - this is usually the best place to start. it will anyway change a lot during the process so you dont have to worry about repeating yourself. it often looks like a stupid school thingy at the beginning. If you stay calm and make room for the dancers, it will morph into something else very fast.
And remember, it's a game:)

Accents/stops

Dancers like to accent movements. All the movements. All the time. (not to mention insert significant stops every two movements...)
You have nothing more counterproductive than accents and stops over-used or misused. On the other hand, there's nothing that makes a dance phrase clearer and more charged with meaning than these two when used effectively.