This is a question that has very recently been raised by Arts Commissioning Editor of Financial Times, Griselda Murray Brown. A very interesting report based on the quite evident observation that despite the breakthrough of female pioneers in the world of dance back in the 20 century, like Martha Graham,and one of the most recent and well known Pina Bausch; nowadays the most prominent choreographers are mostly men, known for their 'bold and physical work' they present on the stage.
There seems to be an inclination towards a stereotype that women's work seems to play an emotional part in the world of dance whether this means professionally or that it is present in their choreography. The truth is that there is a greater number of women encouraged to become dancers than men and I believe that this will always be the case. However, there is a bigger demand for male dancers since the number of them is distinctively less. The male prominence is of course not only present in dance, but it many areas of individual leadership one can say, such as chefs an artists. (don't misunderstand me, there are many talented female individuals that have made it also.) Is it the stronger authority, the larger demand leading them to pushing the boundaries. Have women been influenced throughout the years to 'fit in' - as mentioned in the report? It could be just pure talent; however, I feel that there is a lot that the audience has not yet been exposed to concerning the works of female choreographers.
A very intriguing event to attend, if anyone is in London, would have to be English National Ballet's new premiere of a Triple Bill called 'She Said', featuring the works of some of the world's great female choreographers of our time, which will be performed in April. A fantastic theme chosen by the Artistic Director of ENB , Tamara Rojo, who is a very powerful woman in the world of dance right now, with great intentions in developing and advancing the arts. As a woman herself, and still a dancer, I feel that she can relate from experience the needs of a dancer as well as the needs of the theatre. Perhaps experiencing the position of leadership and business, the observations have been more apparent, and therefore there is a hope to open people's eyes to new ideas and different perspectives.
Choreographer, Aszure Barton, mentions in her interview how there should not be a stereotype to whether a piece of work is by a male or a female. In my opinion, any work is created by an individual and every piece of choreography will be different according the the style of every choreographer, and not only. The background, ethnicity, beliefs, training, as well as the gender would play a tremendous role for the stage. The same idea could be expressed in numerous ways depending on the choreographers vision. And this is art. This is what the audience is interested to watch and experience. It is important for the audience to be exposed to different perspectives as a means of entertainment, as well as developing the art form.
The video report ended with a strong point saying that 'The problem is not a lack of women, but the lack of exosure'. I look forward to seeing more reviews on this topic and seeing how ENB's performance of 'She Said' will be welcomed by the crowd!
The link below shows the full report and interviews of the choreographers involved in 'She Said' . Do click and watch if you get the time :)
http://video.ft.com/4804047522001/Sexism-in-the-dance-world/Life-And-Arts
No comments:
Post a Comment