Dance
CHOREOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH TRISHA BROWN As one of the most influential figures in American postmodern dance heads for Glasgow, we find out what lies behind the creative force that is Trisha Brown
What made you want to be a choreographer? The foundations for living a creative life were laid in my childhood. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, which provided a luscious environment for an imaginative mind. I’ve always said that the forest was my first art lesson – I climbed trees, played sports, hunted and fished. My boundless energy was also formally funnelled through the study of ballet, tap and acrobatics. I received a traditional modern dance education from Mills College, but it was in an improvisation workshop led by Anna Halprin in 1959 that my intuitive process was cracked opened (and encouraged) and where what would be my life’s work truly began. I’ve been smitten with improvisation ever since and I’ve spent decades pursuing this elusive practice.
What was the inspiration behind new work, Les Yeux et l’âme, which your company will be performing at Tramway along with If You Couldn’t See Me, Foray Foret and For MG: The Movie? In Les Yeux et l’âme, I return to a little-known aspect of my early choreographic training. I collaborate with Rameau’s music – sometimes I set dance to music, sometimes it is located between the notes. Rameau understood the profound equality, independence and harmonisation of various art forms – music, words, movement, painting, sculpture. I work the same way, though it is movement and gesture which I endow with an independent expressive significance that deliver the opera’s content, both musical and vocal. What do you look for in a dancer that performs your work? My job is to guide them to make wondrous choices without diminishing their spirit. ■ Trisha Brown Dance Company, Tramway, Glasgow, Sat 12 & Sun 13 May.
110 THE LIST 26 Apr–24 May 2012
HIP HOP BREAKIN’ CONVENTION 12 Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Fri 18 & Sat 19 May
There are so many things to love about Breakin’ Convention, from the pre-show action in the foyer to the charged atmosphere that fills the Festival Theatre. But perhaps the most inspirational aspect of this bi-annual hip hop festival is the way local, relatively unknown acts share the same bill as international stars.
This year’s show will feature male/female duo Clash 66 from France and Korea, and current b-boy world champions Vagabonds Crew, also from France. They’ll be performing on the same stage as breakdance and streetdance crews from Scotland and Newcastle, because shining a light on local talent is every bit as important as showcasing world-class superstars.
‘Breakin’ Convention represents the breadth of hip
hop theatre performance from around the world,’ says co-host, Tony Mills. ‘With work that is conceptual and narrative-led all the way through to more commercially- orientated streetdance. All the while trying not to lose the rawness that is integral to hip hop dance styles. We
try to reflect this in the local act programme, encouraging groups who want to take a more conceptual approach, and those who simply want to show off their skills.’ Representing the local scene on Friday 18 will be
Mills’ own crew, Random Aspekts, which has joined forces with Heavy Smokers to create a work inspired by Motown. Captivating dancer Daniel Aing will deliver a solo, b-girl group Ready Ready Sauce take a look at social issues that have affected them, and Edinburgh- based all-female crew Jack in The Box make a welcome return to the Breakin’ Convention stage. The following night, Heavy Smokers are back to demonstrate their high level of technical ability, Newcastle’s Sana crew and Bad Taste are also in town (the latter deemed by Mills to be ‘one of the UK’s top crews’), as are all-female outfit Rockabeat. ‘They focus strictly on the locking dance style,’ explains Mills, ‘and it’s refreshing to have a crew that’s dedicated to excelling in one form. Locking could be considered a lesser-known funk dance style, so I’m excited that Scottish audiences will get a taste of this.’ (Kelly Apter)
CONTEMPORARY DANCE DANZA CONTEMPORANEA DE CUBA Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Tue 15 & Wed 16 May
Watching Danza Contemporanea de Cuba on stage, you quickly start to form an opinion. Full of energy, dressed in colourful costumes, these talented dancers are here purely to entertain. But keep watching, and new sides to the company start
to emerge. In the course of an evening, the dancers convey not just a joy of living, but a deep understanding of life’s many challenges. No wonder, given that electricity and drinking water are not always to be taken for granted in their Havana studios. ‘We have many problems,’ agrees artistic director, Miguel Iglesias. ‘And yet some of the best dancers in the world are Cuban, so we’re doing something right.’ Fusing a variety of styles, including Afro-American, ballet, contact
improvisation and Cuban, this exceptional company has become even more interesting since 2000, when a new partnership was set up to introduce some European influence.
‘In the past ten years, we’ve had Jan Linkens, Rafael Bonachela, Mats Ek and others,’ says Iglesias. ‘We use something from all the choreographers, because you look at a Van Gogh or a Picasso, and one is not better than the other – they’re both necessary in the world. For me, it’s the same in dance.’
The company’s Edinburgh show highlights the new mix, with Cuban dancer George Céspedes’ uplifting Mambo 3XXI, Carmen?! by Finnish choreographer Kenneth Kvarnström and a brand new work by Israeli Itzik Galili. As Iglesias says, however, it’s about the two worlds coming together: ‘Europe has so many things, but in the Amazon we have trees that purify the air – so we need each other.’ (Kelly Apter)