Politics/Art

The politics of the art world, are probably the main force to consider, protect oneself from and push against when making art.

Driving forces

If the choreographic structure, in itself, before even looking at the dancing, isn’t a central force driving the work, then we’re left with the dancers’ sheer will power, charisma, engagement, performative qualities etc.

It’s a valid option of course, but one that can turn out to be very fragile with works running for a long time,. As with the novelty of the whole thing naturally fading away through repetition, it becomes much harder for dancers to tune into that zone of acute excitement, danger, freshness etc required in order to easily produce this driving energy.

When the choreographic structure/mechanism is made in a way, which in itself, produces driving qualities, it tends to help balance the (occasional) drop in dancers energy and engagement, and is also a way to regenerate and facilitate the emergence of the performative energy of the dancing itself.

Let’s talk about it

It is much easier (and way more rewarding and beneficial to the ones doing it) to discuss, analyze, dissect and theorize upon, bad or average art works and artists, than it is to do so with good ones.

Poorly made art, leaves a lot of empty spaces around and inside it, thus leaving ample free room for interpretation. Good art on the other hand, does most of the talking internally, charging the space with questions and answers, creating a densely structured reality, which resist external interpretations making them redundant.

Nevertheless, it is a worthy challenge to engage with, making the rare ones able to discuss good work, precious allies.

Also, artists with an average talent, are the most ambitious. Always.

Becoming

A choreography can’t become what it needs to be, by remaining what it is.

Thinking

You can’t think while creating. Creativity is the opposite of thinking. The thinking comes after. Creating is a living experience. Thinking gets in the way of living. Thinking is an act of reflecting or analyzing, while what creating requiers, is a living experience.

Dancing (as well as performing), works pretty much the same.

I think it has something to do with how meaning is produced or generated. It’s impossible to think your way into meaning. Meaning isn’t the result of thinking, but rather an essence emanating from doing and being. Thinking happens too far from where being is, it arrives late to the party somehow, it can only have a reflective quality, never a generative one.

Business

Art’s business isn’t to imitate life, it is to elevate it.

Dancers/choreographers

There are very few dancers that can make an average choreographer look really good (most choreographers are average). A good choreographer, will make almost every dancer look good, including the average ones.

This also works with photographers/choreographies

Talent

Talent is the starting point. It’s not the road itself.

It always stays a starting point, like some sort of predisposition, no matter how long the road traveled. It doesn’t accumulate, like experience or knowledge does.

Choreography

Choreoegraphy is consciousness measured out in time, space and action.

Control

A good work, escapes being fully controlled by its maker. If as a maker, you manage to perfectly and fully control your work, it’s bad work. Good work can’t be controlled, it demands to be considered and dialogued with. It is it’s own entity.

Problems

The problem with most dance works is, they have something specific they want to say.

A good dance work can’t be bothered with saying anything in particular. That’s why it’s able to address most everything.

Also, emotional states are not a starting point, nor they are material to work with. The most they can be, is an unintentional byproduct. Something to observe as it emerges.

Art/Fashion

Fashion is not Art. Art can’t be bothered with being fashionable, if it wants to do what art is supposed to be doing. Fashion is a product of its own time, while also being part of what defines it. Art, on the deeper levels than apparences, the means of production and presentation etc, isn’t bound to its time. The period in which a work of art was made in, is anacdotal in relations to the artistic substance of the work itself. Unless it’s bad art of course, then, the date of creation is probably the only significant detail.

Humor me

Humor, as a creative tool and an artistic substance, is fundamental. Yet most times, it is used as a hiding place for artists unwilling, afraid, or unable to tap into the more existential and divine aspects of art making.

Safe death

Absolute safety, total security, in everything, eventually breads fear.

Laziness.

A dull mind.

Stagnation,

And eventually,

Deterioration and decay.

Choreographic works (as well as dance companies) are no different.

Platform/User

Choreographies are a platform. Dancers are users.

Different platforms are engineered in ways which prioritize different types of content sharing.

Dancers’ work is to learn how to best use the different platforms, in order to create and share meaningful content.

The Divine

Art that isn’t occupied with the Divine (term open to a multitude of interpretations of course, still…the notion is clear) in some way or another, is anecdotal.

Priorities

You either make the unison better, or you make the dancers better. Better dancers, better work though, and as a side effect, in the long run, not surprisingly, better unison.

Dead rep

In dance and choreography, the concept and practice of repertoire, in the case of dead choreographers, is a form of artistic cannibalism.

Usually fueled by commercial and political interests, always taking the aroma of some sort of touristic artifact.

There is no real dance making, without the presence of the choreographer and in the absence of a direct interaction between choreographer and dancers.

The art of choreography isn’t about movements. That would be like claiming cooking is about the recepie and has nothing to do with the chef.