Past Foraard: recreating and creating - Deborah Hay Dance Company

Past Foraard: recreating and creatingNewsletter Fall 2OOODeborab Hay witb Mikhail Baryshnikov and tbeWhite Oak Dance Project: McCarterTheater,Prtnceton,NJFrom August 3 - 6, 2000 at McCarter Theaterin Princeton, Mikhail Baryshnikov and theWhite Oak Dance Project introduced to itsfirst audiences Past Forward, an homage tothe groundbreaking projects of the JudsonDance Theatre in the 1960's, where DeborahHay emerged as one of the most relevant figuresof her generation. The program showcaseda selection of dances that defined a keymoment in the history of the American avantgarde,including works by her former Judsoncolleagues Yvonne Rainer, Tiisha Brown,Steve Paxton, Simone Forti, and DavidGordon. Rather than contributing with areconstruction of her work from that period,Deborah brought to the program two newdances, Single Duet and Wbizz, designedspecifically for Baryshnikov and the WhiteOak dancers Raquel Aedo, Emily Coates,Rosalynde LeBlanc, Michael Lomeka, andEmmanuble Phuon.These two new works are particularly relevantto the objectives ofthe project, as theydefine a new ground for appreciating thewide range of influences that Judson's choreographersbrought to the language of contemporarydance. Single Duet, immersed in thesonorities of Morton Feldman's Piano - FourHands (1958), explores a hypothetical spacewhere classical ballet training encounters theiconoclasm of the sixties. Lightly movingalmost against the grain of a choreographicdesign dominated by stillness, Baryshnikovand Hay engage in a dance that seems tocontemplate and reject at the same time theaudience's expectations for symbolic gestures-atrait shared by Deborah's work ofthe last ten years, and here more dramaticallypresented through Baryshnikov's persona.Baryshnikov himself discusses his encounterwith the avant-garde in a short video introductionto the program. He narrates howuntil a couple ofyears ago he did not knowanything about the Judson's choreographers,though noticing how their work reachedmaturity at the same time when he wasreaching the peak of his own artistry.Rethinking the actualiry of this project inrelation to the institutional frames that preventedthis encounter during the cold waryears, audiences will come to the realizationthat the program is more about the future ofdance as an art form than about its past tense.Wlnzz exemplifies quite strongly this elementof the project by pointing at the future,the forward of the program's title.A choreography for six dancers includingBaryshnikov, with a score composed by AlvinLucier, Whizz explores with striking formalsolutions the great range of possible aestheticunderstandings of movement, dissolving inthe process the assumed differences betweenlearned and not learned action, behavioraland performed responsiveness, and even theboundary berween audience and dancer.'Vrl}nizz proves that the formal innovations ofthe Judson years are still deeply rooted inmodern aesthetic, and that their vitality continuesbeyond their initial impact as acts ofrebellion. And it makes us rethink the label"post-modern" with regard to Judson, consideringhow through this project the work ofDeborah and her colleagues is showing anextraordinary ability to recuperate, ratherthan reject, a broad section ofthe history ofdance as a practice-after, of course, havingshattered its most stifling protocols.-- continaed on inside

dhdc receives two grantsThe DHDC has received support from the Nao England Foundation fortie Arts, National Dance Project Touring Crant, for the following project:yBody,The Buddhiston Toura neat multi-facetedp erfo rm a n ce res i de n q wi tltDeboralt HoyDeborah Hay's third book, MyBody, Tltc Buddltist, WesleyanUniversiry Press, will be availableOctober 1,2000. Each bookchapter is based on one of 18 lifelessons Hay learned from her bodywhile she was dancing. The lessonsbroadly parallel some basic tenetsof Tibetan Buddhism although sheis not a practicing Buddhist.Coordinated bythe Deborah HayDance Company, the tour combinesteaching the dance practicesdescribed in My Bod1, Tie Buddiist,with discussions of the dance-makingvalues presented in the book,in addition to performances ofHay's new solo trilogy, Boozr,Boom, Boom. The tour providesaudiences with a mutil-facetedmethodology for transmitcingdance, from language-based textand discussions, to workshops, toperformance itself.Boom, Boom, Boom. is a solo dancetrilogy. The three dances werechoreographed over two years ofintense activity and new experimentswith voice and language asintegral elements of her work. Itwas recently noted, "[the trilogy]represents both an ideal introductionand a distillation of Hay'sutterly inimitable art." (AustinAmeican-Statesnan, April 15, 2000).These solos are aimed at probingthe limits of representation of elementalimagery through an ironicreflection on the ritualistic and thesacred in modern dance.Hay suspends the viewer's attentionwith the indefinite'defermentof closure and resolution. Ac thesame time she challenges suchexpectations through the inflectionof almost percussive , unrelatedinstances ofslapstick, pathos andself-refl ective coups-de-stagestylisticelements that define Hay'soeuvre over the last twenty years.The opening dance, The Otber Sideof O, engages the viewer in anunsolved and unsolvable puzzle ofinstances of Hay's body performingsequences of primitive responsesto unknown events. In the absenceof music or other external sourcesofsound, Hay punctuates or evenfractures these sequences throughunsettling non verbal vocal expressions.Rather than functioning as acommentary to the dance, hervoice becomes movement itself,expanding the possibilities of choreographyto different notions ofspace. The Other Side o1fO, has consistentlyreceived enthusiastic criticalresponse. After her performanceat Divercaoo*s in Houston,the press described her powerfulstage presence thusly: "The spellwas cast by Texas' grand dame ofmodern dance. She proved thatone doesn't have to leap aroundthe stage to bristle wilh energy."(Houston Cironicle, October 1999)FIRE introduces further developmentsin Hay's use of her voice,this time opening to an enigmatictext. As Hay writes herself into thepossible stories produced by hertext,'her body refuses to articulatethem passively. Any attempt toreduce storytelling to the terms ofcause/effect, feeling/expression, orconflict/resolution turns into eitheran empry or full gesture or amystery-and at times both. AsHay herself states, "What remains,for the dancer, and in turn for theaudience, is an opportunity toexperience what has not beenbefore. Thus dance is alive withrecognition of perceptual activityrather than assurance found inmemory or desire." (Notes onFIRE, April2000).Boom, Boom, Boom, the third dance,as well as the title for the trilogy,seems to proceed as a series oftragic-comic attempts to find a ritualisticmode to engage in whatHay calls "a Zlst century earthdance." From Hay's own descriptionthe dance results from a loyaland disinterested commitment tothe impossible task of perceiving a"magical" here and now asopposed to a "prescribed" one.As far as ritual is demanded fromoutside dance itself, the dancecannot happen.he dance company alsoreceived a travel grant fromthe Fund for United StatesArtis ts a t I n terna ti o na IFestiaa ls and Exlibitions(The Fund). Deborah will be participatingin the Bodyaoris Festival2000 in Melbourne, Australia fromNovember 17 tfuough 26.The Fund is a public-private partnershipestablished to help ensurethat the excellence, diversiryandvitality of the arts in the U.S. arepresented at international festivalsand exhibition. The Fund is supportedby two federal agencies, theNational Endowment for the Artsand the U.S. Department of State,and by two private foundations,The Pew Charitable Tiusts andThe Rockefeller Foundation, andis administered by ArtsInternational, Inc.

Available October 1, 2000MY BODY, THE BUDDHISTDeborah HayIntroduction by Susan FosterA prcmiere cioreograpie* compellixg argumentfor tie agexcy of tie body in creativc processes.Through a series of imaginative approaches to movement and performance, choreographerDeborah Hay presents a profound reflection on the ephemeral nature of the se lf and the body asthe locus of artistic consciousness. Using the same uniquely playful poetics of her revolutionarychoreography, she delivers one of the most revealing accounts of what art creation entails andthe ways in which the body, the center of our aesthetic knowledge of the world, can be regardedas our most informed teacher. The book becomes a way into Hay's choreographic techniques, agloss on her philosophy of the body (which shares much with Buddhism), and an extraordinaryartist's primer. The book is composed of eighteen short chapters ( "my body likes rest," "mybody finds energy in surrender," "my body is bored by answers"), each an example of whatSusan Foster calls Hay's "daily attentiveness to the body's articulateness.""This book is a fascinating record of what it takes to find a dance. Ms. Hay writes franklyand intimately about looking and seeingl and noticing what many people who work indance have learned to ignore. I am skeptical of magic, but somehow there is magic in theway she conjures her beautiful dances. A pleasure and a kind surprise."-Mo* MorrisDEBORAH HAY! cioreography,from exqaisitely meditathte solos to darces.for latge groaps of antraircdond trained dancerc, explores tie xatare of experience, perception, ard attettior in dance, atd ias raeiztednamerous owards. Her previoas boohs are Lamb at the Altar:Tbe Sary of a Dance ( 1994) and MooingThrougb the Unh,terse in Bare Feet ( 1975).JI/JAffI'O,STER is Professor of Dancc History at UC-Riaenide ard aathor of Cltoreography andNanartve ( 1 998 ) and Reading Dancing ( I 988).University Press of New England . 23 South Main Street, Hanover, NH 03755-2055fax: 603 643 1540 r Orders; I 800 421 1561 o wwwupne.comHay My Body, The Buddhist150 pp. 30 illustrations 6 x 9 "Cloth, ISBN. 0-8195-6436-2.,45.00Paper, ISBN, 0-8195-6328-5.i17.e5Postage: lJ S I Canada $ S. Ot Ofirst book, $1.25 eachadditionalbook. OtherCountries: $5.50 firstbook, $2.00 each additionalbook. (Canadian customersmust add 7%GST)TOTALOrders from individuals must be prepaid.My check for $4#-MCExp.SignatureSbipn:Name-VISAis enclosed.AmEx _DiscoverzipPhone

-- Past Forward, czntiniled from frznt pageAlmost a counterpoint to featuredJudson "classics" such asHomemade by Tiisha Brown,where Baryshnikov openlyfunctions as an interpreter ofhistorical memory Deborah Hay'scontribution to Past Forwardprovides him with an active role inforwarding the experiments of thesixties into a new stage for experimentationin performing arts.Some commentators have suggestedthat White Oak's daringhomage to Judson might just be aplayful exploration of projects thathave no longer their earlierconfrontational stand against establishedpractices. But a closer lookat the radical physical untrainingMisha undergoes when he sharesthe stage with Deborah suggestsotherwise. As far as the classicaltradition embodied byBaryshnikov is enabled to act,rather than jusc read, the ideas ofthe Judson choreographers, theirvision will prove to be way moreforward than past in the years tocome. - Rino PizziThe American Demonsf! he Deborah Hay DanceI Co.npuny and SalvageI Vanguard Theater presenrTheAmericanDemons, a new performancepiece based onDostoevsky's novel Tie Demoxs andon last year's shootings atColumbine High School. TheAmerican Demons opensSeptember 15, 2000, in Austin,Texas. It is a collaborationbetween Deborah Hay, theaterdirector Jason Neulander, andplaywrights/actors Dan Dietz andAndrea Moon.TheAmerican Demons is adance/theater piece using primarilyfound text from the novel TlteDemons, and public records of theragedy at Columbine High.Originally conceived by Neulanderlast year, the project draws parallelsbetween Russian culture ofthe 1840s and 1870s and Americanculture ofthe 1960s and 1990s,particularly the notion of "youthrevolution" and how'the idealismof one generation is replaced bythe cynicism of the next."Unlike some other adaptations ofthe novel, this piece is prettyexperimental," says collaboratorJason Neulander. "Rather thantell a linear story we chose toexplore, though text and movement,the very nature of violencein our own society through thelens of Dostoevsky's great novel."The American Demons runsSeptember 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24,28,29, and 30 at the BlueTheare (916 Springdale).Tickets cost $12. For reservations,call5I?.474.SVT6 or log ontowww.salvagevanguard. org. TheAmerican Demons is made possibleby a.grant to Salvage VanguardTheater from the NationalEndowment for the Arts.Solo CommissionintProiec't 2OO1I he Solo CommissioningRrol"ct 2001 will againlakeI place at the Whidbey IslandCenter for the Arts, Langley, WA,Aug 15 -25,2001.With the Solo PerformanceCommissioning Project all participatingartists commission the samesolo dance choreographed byDeborah Hay. As part of her teachingshe rarely demonstrates solutionsto the choreography. Rather,she conveys her concepts throughdirectives that each performertranslates individually into movemencin his/her unique way. Aspart of the process, the artist isbound to the material throughmeditation-like exercises that areapplied throughout the choreographeddance. Each artist is personallycoached in his/her performanceof the dance, with everyonepresent. Ultimately the solo isadapted by each performerthrough a period of practice thatextends into the months followingthe project. In addition, Deborahteaches and conducts the ZenImagery Exercises, a series of stilland moving poslures that promoteflow along the major meridianpathways of the body.For more information emaildeborahhay@aol.com.Thank you'sRino Pizzi for his help editing andwriting this issue of the DHDCnewsletter;KrisWheeler for again providingher Whidbey Island retreat forDeborah's much needed solitude;Elliot Cole for his attentionand management of the DHDCwe bsite;The Board of Directors of theDHDC for their support andconstancy: Beverly Bajema,Claudia Boles, Will Dibrell,Phyllis Finley, Eric Gould,Emily Litde, Diana Prechter,Sherry Smith, and Mark Smith;Mikhail Baryshnikov for hispassionate journey;The Advisory Board: JackBrannon, Oscar Brockett,Annette Ctlozzir Susan Cassano,Chds Cowden,Ann Daly,Deborah Elliott, Betty SueFlowers, Saundra Goldman,Sue Graze, Mark Holzbach,Joni Jones, Saundra Kidr,Margaret Keys, Karen Kuykendall,Randy Luslq Janis Porter, JudithSims, Johanna Smith, RobynTurner, and Chris ValentinelJudith Rhedin, communityrelations specialist at thePerforming Arts Center, foralerting Deborah, among otherAustin artists, about grants beingoffered to artists nationwide.

SEPr 15 - 16, 2l - 24,28 - 30,2000Austin, TXBlac Tlcatn (916 Spitgdah)'fickets $12. / For reservationscall 512 474 SVT6or log ontowwwsalvagcvanguard.orgOcT3-8(6pcdormances)Anchorage, AlaskaDkcoocry Tleatn - Alasla Ceaterfor tle PcrfontiagAtsrel907 263 2900FAX 907 263 ?9?7Ocr 10 - ll ( 2 performarces)Lawrence, KSLeid Centerfor the Perfotming Arts- U of Karsastel 785 864 3469FAX 785 864 5031Ocr 15 (2 pcrformazccs)Tcmpc, AZGammage Aadiorixn - ASUtcl 480 965 4050F{){480965 2243Ocr 19 - 21 (4 perfomarces)Maui, HawaiiTie Cartlc Tleatre - Mail Arts 6Caltan Ccnterrel 8O8 242 2787FAX 808 242 4665Ocr 25 - 29 (5 perfomanccs)Los Angeles, CAUCLA Roycc Hall -UCI,\ PerfomiryArtstel 310 825 2101Nov 1 - 4 (4 pcrformazces)Bcrkeley, CAhllerbaci Hall at UC Berheleltel 510 643 3786FAX 510 &3 6707NovT-8(2prformances)Pittsburgh, PAThc Byian Tluatn -P i ta ba rgi D an ce C ou n ci Itel 412 456 1350FAX 412 456 1365Nov 10 - ll (2 performances)Washington, DCLisncr Auditoiam - WaslingtonPcrfoming Arts Societytel 202 833 9800Flfi 202 331 7678Dcborai leaoes tlc WODP to teacl andperform ler solo tilog BooM Bcr.)MBcou ix tle BodyWorls Fcstfual 2000NoVEMBER 17 - 28Mclbourne, AustraliaDnc6-10,2000(6 pedormances vtl WODP)Paris, Francel,IC93 Bokgny -Festioal d"Aatomne a Paristel33-l4l-60-7Z-ffiONJAN 15 - 17,2001Davis, CAUCI Dnisl^n 22- 24Riverside, CAUCI RioenideJAN 29. FEB 3San Diego, CASUSHI I tel:619 235 8552FAX:619 2358466FesT-9Oakland, CAMills CollwFEB 12 - 16Brunswick, MEDept. of Theoter and Dance /Bovdoin CollryeFEB 2l - 23Middlctown, CTCenterfor tlte Atts /Wesleyan UnioenityMlncsl-Mancn3New York, NYDanspace I rel:212 674 8ll2Flx2t2 579 ?3r8M^RC,H 5 otB PMNew York, NYMooement Researci Sndies PnjectMy Body tlc Baddlist , a rcadinglbooksigning by Deborah Haytel:212 822-8870 or email:move ment@pipeline.comMARCH 7-9Wcd tlmtgl Fridayfmn 2-5pnNew York, NYM ooem en t Resca rch Wo rEs ltop-I n agi a ing Cl o rcograpfu ,a rno1)cttctt,|pcdotmancc wor*sltopfor expcimccd danccn and actonspacc tba; costi S55itel: ?l? 8?2-8870 and email:movement@pipcline.comUdhdc1703 Alta Vlsta Ave, Austln, TX 74704Non ProfitOrganizationUS PostagcPAIDPermit 1740Austin, Texas