Before I begin, I would like to start by saying that I have been unemployed for a good, nearly two months now. Sorry not unemployed...a good friend once told me that 'You will not be unemployed; you will be a freelancer.' I would have never thought that these words could trick me into believing I had a purpose in my career, without the security of having a 'job'. And yet it did.
I had spent months trying fit in somewhere where perhaps I didn't belong. In auditions, I was trying different outfits, thinking it's because the previous leotard was not good enough... to show my skill (??!?). Thinking that I should change my hairstyle depending on the style of the company (whether it was a more contemporary inclined -which in that case meant messier hair-, or classical -sleek french roll). I was finding myself changing my movement style with every audition accordingly too. And the most important thing I was forgetting, was being truly myself.
It wasn't until my contract had ended. I suddenly was given the space, to really allow for some constructive self criticism to take place. As dancers, like any performers and artists, we believe that we have this extraordinary power to fix our own problems; Especially after growing up independently (leaving home/your country from a young age etc), we stand strong in believing that we can fix our own problems and imperfections. That is not necessarily a bad thing, as self discipline is a big part of our profession, but can often be self harming. When bottled up in stress or anxiety, the mind is not clear to think straight therefore leading to bad decisions, and ultimately the wrong attitude when facing your work. I won't go on about the domino effect that may follow afterwords; However, I will mention that this past two months, although unemployed, I have never felt so much peace and calm.
I had been given the space to rediscover myself and my intentions, learning how to focus on the right things and how to open my mind to the many possibilities I had while I was 'free' !!
-Travel
-Continue my research of my Professional Inquiry
-Observe
-Speak with people about Art, Politics, Music, Current Events
-Go to Exhibitions
-Teach
-Daydream Choreographies (a big hobby of mine)
-Rest...
-Reflect back
-Move Forward!
I am a big fan of TED Talks, which had really helped me in my in gaining a new perspective when approaching my work as well as my BAPP studies. Listening to these people's stories gave me the confidence in presenting my Dissertation. I feel that preparing this 3rd Module is like developing ideas for a TED talk. Now, I don't know if my theme will be a life changing matter, however, I do believe it is an issue that is very present in the moment, and has been discussed under many occasions, in reviews and dancer's insights which I hope to unravel more of in these months to come. Below is a link which has really spoken to me in making my BA a priority now.
During these two moths of freedom, let's say, I had my auditions as planned just like I did before. But instead of obsessing about my training, where I believed that one day off would mean the end of the world (!!) , I spent this inbetween time, travelling. I knew it this phase in my life is temporary so I had to make the most of it. Nothing extravagant, but I really took my time to enjoy at a reasonable budget, the cities I was visiting, as well as any cities nearby. While travelling, one spends a lot of time by themselves, waiting, in trains, wondering aimlessly in the streets of Barcelona, Stockholm and Berlin, Leipzig, Dessau, Limassol (my home). I have found those to be the most productive in my thinking. I always carry a journal with me to pin point these moments of reflection and inspiration which would be major input in studies. I had also taken this opportunity to visit old friends, take classes with different companies, experience new working environments and watch performances.
One in particular had really struck my attention, and this was the smallest company of all, in the city of Dessau, consisting of 8 dancers (of classical background). The city is overly humble, a quiet town with an impressively big Opera for it's population perhaps, Yet, it is a town very appreciative of it's arts. The theme of the performance, was 'Grotesque' which only this year I have discovered that this is a genuine Genre of art. It involved a very particular contemporary / theatrical style with use of vocals. It was performed at the famous and very first BAUHAUS ever created (1919); now the house of the avant-garde and classical modernism. This dance company also had the opportunity to work on 'Dadaism'.
Dada as explained by Sven Behrisch (The Times, 2016), " was not a programmatic avant-garde like Impressionism, Cubism or Suprematism, but an attitude of mind, an attitude to the world which in principle affirms everything.The Dadaists, indeed, rejected ideologies of all kinds, but not by contesting them with counter-drafts. They expressed their resistance by kneading everything through, until it was as funny as possible, but had lost all meaning." My friends, has explained it to me as being a random form of art that indeed had no meaning; something I feel a lot of art goes by, is influenced by, or gives the observer that impression of 'random'.
Now I don't know how often people would get to experience dadaism in the form of dance, however my curiosity has been intrigued and I wonder what a part this plays in art, and if it has affected the course of it's direction along the years.
Although the dancers in Dessau are very classically trained, the repertoire they get to perform is mostly contemporary and contradicting to their basic training perhaps, something very commonly found in companies all around the world. The demand for contemporary experience is definitely rising.
I have experienced this, not only through observations of performances and reviews, but also from the requirements of auditions. In a lot of places of some of the world classed ballet companies, a big part of the selection has been the contemporary round where dancers would be taught a piece of contemporary repertoire (in socks usually- no pointe shoes for the girls, with a lot of floor work invloved) or would even be asked to improvise. I believe this is a task to not only express your creativity as a dancer, but it is also an honest moment to present a piece of yourself.
As ballet dancers, we are usually asked to become a certain character on stage. In this sense, it is a lot like acting and trying to imagine yourself as a fairy, a princess...or a rat (if The Nutcracker is what your are dancing for example). Contrarily, in contemporary form, what you present on stage is raw, and often you are not pretending to be something in particular, but it's more of an abstract idea, or perhaps something meaningful presented indirectly. Ofcourse, the ideology behind every work and choreographer varies, making this a desirable asset to the dancers.
You always start with a barre, and what you learn afterwards is endless and wonderful! However, my concern is that young artists, especially out of school and from a classical background, are not prepared enough for these kind of requirements.This seems to be the direction most companies are going towards (at least around Europe as I am more familiar with, but not only), and a strong contemporary background is so necessary nowadays. My question is, should vocational ballet schools be retaining a stronger focus on contemporary and improvisation skills?
My intentions with carrying out my inquiry, would be getting a chance to speak to professional dancers individually about their experience with this increase of movement into the contemporary space. How are they able to adapt to different styles of dance? What are the physical/psychological demands of unfamiliar repertoire? In their eyes, how has classical ballet been affected by the increase of contemporary work, and how does this affect the direction that Classical Ballet is taking? Who is affected by it?
I would be very happy to hear any suggestions of your own!
http://www.zeit.de/2016/06/dadaismus-kunst-avantgarde-hugo-ball-zuerich-ausstellung
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