Q & A on video #8 – where does contemporary choreo rank w me?
There’s something about contemporary that speaks a language of truth, an individual point of view that heightens story-telling. at its worst, its derivative and banal. for me sometimes hip hop choreography degenerates into a mess of posturing, bravado and sexuality. i find the true spirit of hip hop lies in freestyle and the unique communications of each dancers’ style. im SO excited to see someone take hip hop choreo to new levels of communication… not sure i’ve seen it yet. the imagery, sure, but the choreographed movement? gimme some examples!
how does one choose value in poetry? its all taste. gritty and visceral, or layered intentions and finesse… they all are full of value. thats one of the reasons i find ‘competition’ within art as ridiculous. its great to see dance on tv, but in the context of competition, we are really just judging on our level of how entertained we are, and if the message is clear enough. i’ll give a disclaimer… sometimes all we are judging on is who is actually crossing the boundary from mechanics to art, so we’re not so much comparing equal expressions, but rather who is transcending the technique. usually in those cases there are clear winners 
i choose those two forms as being progressive because of how quickly they are evolving, not to discount any other form. ballet is beautiful and powerful, but innovative? jazz? it’s a bit cromagnon. tap? mmm… i think most of the innovation in those styles are coming from the direction and the context, not the choreography. i love the blending of styles and mediums though, it becomes evolutionary, and most leaps forward are ingenius amalgamations of disparate elements. that sounds really fancy. hmm. cant think of a nice easy way to say that… ‘bunches of cool stuff smashed together’? sounds like a new series on FOX.
anyways, i dont spend much time thinking about it, i certainly have opinions, but in my everyday life dance is not so much something that i obsess over, but simply something that i am and do. im not freaking out over people’s classes or scouring the web for the hottest step to learn. hte majority of time i spend thinking about dance is in regards to how can dance make a difference and inspire, how the dance community can move forward, be better to eachother, be treated better, and be more respected and celebrated.
prove me wrong, respond, comment… its just an opinion, and not meant to diss anyone, but to applaud innovation where i’ve been seeing it!
