February 27, 2008

Introduction/Why Figure Skating is the best model for artistic practice... seriously...

So this is my first blog entry for the great dance blog. Exciting! Let me give you a little bit of background about myself. I was a competitive figure skater for many years, gradually migrating towards dance about 5 years ago. I currently attend Tisch, but am graduating in the spring. I've been choreographing since my figure skating days, but obviously figure skating choreography and contemporary dance choreography are two different genres. Compare:

Mirai Nagasu

vs.

"Lili Handl"--Choreographed and performed by Ivo Dimchev 

Different. So yes. Even though I count myself as relatively post-modern (po-mo, if you prefer), figure skating remains an influence. For as hackneyed as they may be, figure skating programs appeal to me insofar as they have a basis in a physical practice and the program is really used as a vehicle to convey a point. Moreover, a point that is, for the most part, non-referential. By that I mean, I generally find that skating has a certain lack of pretension in its lack of concept. Let me reiterate. There is nothing conceptual about figure skating. It says something (i.e. "I am striving to be a successful athlete as demonstrated through the following tricks. I will succeed or fail") within itself.  It does not reference a concept, the "concept" is fully fully integrated; the work embodies the concept, if you will. The earnestness of engaging in impossible or unlikely physical tasks appeals to me. I was watching Kimmie Meissner's long program at the U.S. Nationals a few weeks ago, and, frankly, watching her fall apart was really very compelling. Here's a video from a few weeks ago at the Grand Prix Final where she skated the same program with essentially the same result:

Anyhow, I talked about that lack of reference to a 3^rd party in the video blog. I think its important to remember that dance/performance/whatever is enough. The idea that a medium (i.e., dance) can only be legitimate if it manages to transpose a specific idea or issue is laughable to me. And I don't know about you but this seems to be the age of idiotic commentary, in which everybody seems to have something to say about whatever issue, some sort of unnecessary response. You should know that, you're reading this blog right now. So perhaps if the performance was enough, and the performative act didn't become reduced to commentary, we would end up with some better, or, at very least, perhaps more interesting dances.

Anyhow, over the next couple months I will be ranting and talking about my process. I will generally tend to be longer, drier and more theoretical. Sorry. I encourage whoever might be reading this to respond and tell me how I'm wrong or (rather unlikely) right. It seems to me that this is a good forum to bounce ideas of one another.

Till next time

Jacob

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