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Dancing ‘Glass Pieces’ And Finding Flow

February 6, 2018 by 4dancers

Joffrey dancers
Valeriia Chaykina and Luis Eduardo Gonzalez rehearse Body of Your Dreams
Choreographer: Myles Thatcher © Todd Rosenberg Photography 2018

by Luis Eduardo Gonzalez

“Dance is low on the totem pole of the arts, because you’re not left with a painting…a book that will stay there, a score you can read.” ~Jerome Robbins

Jerome Robbins (born Rabinowitz) was a visionary whose energetic and comprehensively eclectic approach to dance lead him to conceive a body of work which has proven to be as poignant and invigorating today as it was upon its creation. The quote above is one of my favorites of his because it sheds light on the parallels between dance and the course of life. A dance performance, for the performer as well as for the audience, is an experience that is shared in that specific way only once. As every moment passes by; every connection, and every expression that takes place on stage, is gone forever. All that is left are the memories that are burned into the minds of all who took part in that exchange.

Glass Pieces is one of the 61 ballets that Robbins choreographed and I was exited to hear that it is one of the four works included in The Joffrey Ballet’s winter program. Having read much about his life and accomplishments, as well as being an admirer of works like West Side Story and Fancy Free, I wanted to know what the experience of dancing one of his works is like.

We learned the choreography from stager Jean-Pierre (JP) Frohlich, whose talent in choreographic memory was discovered and encouraged by Robbins himself. JP’s soft spoken but direct demeanor, combined with his irrefutable mastery of the ballet, gave the dancers a palpable sense that we were in good hands. The steps are complex in musicality and after running certain sections it was evident that stamina was going to be a factor. Every piece has its challenges, but the difficulty in this choreography felt dramatically overshadowed by the energy that comes with the steps and with the stimulating Philip Glass score. We could feel the energy in the room after the first run though, an energy that any dancer can relate to as being “in the zone.” The complex musicality and technique required for the choreography demanded a state of heightened focus that lead to a sense of ecstasy and a sense of clarity. We felt exactly what to do from one moment to the other and sense of time disappeared. We forgot ourselves and felt a part of something larger.

Luis Eduardo Gonzalez
© Todd Rosenberg Photography 2018

Moments like these are the reason most of us do what we do, but unfortunately for a lot of us, “in the zone” is not where we spend most of our dance careers. In a perfect world, we would wake up every day free of pain, be on our leg for every turn, politics and favoritism would not play a role in the work we are given, and going on stage or into a new spot in rehearsal to expand experiences and push our limitations would never be a source of anxiety; however, we all know that such a situation is either very rare or does not exist. Dancers have a million things to consider at any given moment, yet at the same time it is that attempt at omnipotent consideration that deprives us of truly living in every precious moment. In doing some research on the subject, I came across an article that psychologically broke down the concept of “in the zone”, more simply defined as “flow” by Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. He claimed the secret to “flow” is his Goldilocks principle: “not too hot, not too cold…just right.” In other words, feeling inspired, but not overwhelmed.

Csikszentmihalyi’s concept got me thinking about the definition of luck that my teacher gave me as a student which is simply – when preparation meets opportunity. I realized that we enter “flow” by striking a balance between skill and challenge. In the case of a professional dancer or an advanced student, most of the technical skill has already developed and what needs to be allowed to grow is the artistic development that each new experience can provide. The truth is that growth is available to us only if we strip down our need for control and perfectionism and surrender to what we can learn from the present moment. After diving deep into the history of Robbins’ work and the concepts that some of his quotes suggested, I found myself slowly letting go of my own criticism while I was dancing his steps. Perfection is always something to strive for, but it became obvious that attempting analysis over my work while it was taking place, not only altered the outcome, but defeated the purpose of why the steps were made, as well as why I was getting the chance to dance them.

In the end, I think it is important to keep in mind the simple fact that life is short and that our careers as dancers are even shorter. The impermanence of every moment, situation, and sensation is what makes them so beautiful and precious, in dance as well as in life. In the words of Robbins, “Dance is like life. It exists as you are flitting through it, and when it’s over, it’s done”. Although I understand the concept theoretically, I cannot say I’ve mastered it in practice. There are days when working for yourself and your craft feels easier than others. It is however, through experiences like the one I’ve shared, that one can find moments of “flow”. A life spent chasing these moments, be it through dance or otherwise, in my book, and I think in Robbins’, is one well spent.


The Joffrey Ballet’s Modern Masters program opens February 7th and runs through the 18th at The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.


Luis Eduardo Gonzalez
Joffrey’s Luis Eduardo Gonzalez, Photo by Cheryl Mann

Contributor Luis Eduardo Gonzalez joined The Joffrey Ballet in July 2015.

Mr. Gonzalez, is originally from Bogota, Colombia, where he grew up before moving to Atlanta, Georgia. His training came primarily from the continued direction of Maniya Barredo, former prima ballerina of Atlanta Ballet, and current director of Metropolitan Ballet Theatre. Mr. Gonzalez has received the Star Student award at Regional Dance America’s SERBA, been awarded 3rd place at the Regional Youth American Grand Prix competition in 2008, given first place pas de deux at the American Ballet Competition in 2013, and selected to compete as the only representative of Colombia in the 2014 Jackson International Ballet Competition.

Mr. Gonzalez began his professional career with The Houston Ballet II, where he had the opportunity to dance works by Stanton Welch, among other renowned choreographers, as well as tour both nationally and internationally. At 18, he joined Orlando Ballet where he danced for three years and performed roles such as the Jester in Swan Lake, Peter in Peter and the Wolf, Ghoul’s trio in Vampire’s Ball, Franz’s friend in Coppelia, and Cavalier in the Sugar Plum Pas de deux in The Nutcracker.

Filed Under: 4dancers Tagged With: choreography, Fancy Free, Flow, Glass Pieces, Jean-Pierre Frohlich, jerome robbins, joffrey ballet, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, philip glass, West Side Story

Collaboration: Making Music For Dance

November 6, 2012 by 4dancers

4Dancers.org readers can download free music by Cory Gabel. Click here.

By now readers know that I am very much a fan of talking about music for dance. To that end, today we have Cory Gabel with us to talk about how an original piece is created for dance from his point of view…the music side!

1. Can you tell readers how you got involved with making music for dance?

Around 2002, I was transitioning out of my alternative rock band Limestone Rome. I moved into instrumental music and writing scores for film. Around that time I caught a great Pilobolus performance where they integrated all kind of modern rock, alternative, techno, electronica – all the styles I like to work in. Seeing the power of that music with dance a light bulb kind of went off – why don’t I write original music for THAT?!

cory gabel
Cory Gabel

2. What is your music like?

It’s such a cliche to say that’s it’s hard to categorize, but it truly must be – iTunes seems to put every release I come out in a different category! As far as musical styles, I combine elements of modern orchestral, industrial rock, electronic dance music, usually aiming for a fairly large, theatrical or epic sound. I always like to contrast those thick sonic textures with very minimal, simple sounding melodies of solo strings, piano or vocals. When my music gets reviewed or commented on, I often hear comparisons to Trent Reznor, Philip Glass, Moby, Danny Elfman and others.

3. What is the process of making music for dance like?

It really varies depending on the project and the nature of the collaboration. For more theatrical pieces, I may actually get involved with the development of the story, working with the artistic director to sketch out the acts and pieces and determining what styles and tempos of music will work for each. For pieces that are more thematic, the choreographer usually has an idea of what they’re looking for, and may even already have some music they’re working with. We talk about what is and is not working with what they have, really aiming to uncover the emotional core of what they’re trying to convey.

I almost always work remotely – so it’s lots of correspondence via phone and email – I send music as it develops, they send me back videos from rehearsals. It actually works very well!

4. What special considerations are there when working on projects such as these?

It’s recognizing that for the music to work at its best, it needs to be completely married to the dance that will be happening with it. Film music is meant to be felt emotionally, but not necessarily heard. Pop and rock music are their own sole attraction. But music for dance works when you really can’t imagine one without the other. I think that’s why many of the people I’ve worked with want to continue our collaborations – it’s hard to go back to picking out CDs and other music that weren’t written to perfectly compliment their choreography once they’ve seen how cool that can be!

5. What are the greatest challenges?

It seems increasingly hard for ballet and dance companies to commit to completely original works, I’m sure much of which is financial. Additionally, the idea of creating all new music, choreography, costumes, lighting, can seem a bit ambitious for many companies (and their boards!). So – navigating through all the conversations to get to the point where everyone says “let’s do it!” – that’s actually the challenge. In my experience, however, I’ve yet to have a project where everyone involved didn’t feel it was both creatively and financially successful at the end.

music for dance6. What about the rewards?

I absolutely love tech and dress rehearsals. It’s at that point that I finally get to see how the music that I’ve written and produced has also been the foundation for dozens of other creative people – dancers, choreographers, musicians, designers- to work their craft. Plus, I’m a junkie for the buzz before any kind of live performance – the nerves, the glitches, the last minute changes – that’s very much part of the thrill!

7. What’s next for you?

I’m collaborating again with Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre in Indianapolis, we’re going to re-stage and expand The Casket Girls (originally premiered in 2009) for Halloween 2013. I just completed Water Wars with Sonia Plumb Dance, and we’re also talking about a new production for 2013. I’m always having conversations with potential collaborators, which I can’t announce just yet, but I encourage dance companies of any size to reach out – I’d love to hear about your ideas for new works!

4Dancers.org readers can download free music by Cory Gabel. Click here.

The following clip is an excerpt-mix of nearly 20 original pieces written for dance by Cory Gabel.

–

[soundcloud id=’39342032′ artwork=’false’]

Filed Under: 4dancers, Editorial, Music & Dance Tagged With: choreographer, cory gabel, dance, gregory hancock dance theatre, music, music and dance, music for dance, philip glass, pilobolus, sonia plumb dance, water wars

Reflecting Chagall: Hubbard Street’s “One Thousand Pieces”

October 19, 2012 by 4dancers

by Catherine L. Tully

hubbard street dance company
Hubbard Street Dancers in One Thousand Pieces by Resident Choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo. Photo by Todd Rosenberg

The world premiere of Alejandro Cerrudo’s One Thousand Pieces was the first full-length work ever presented by Hubbard Street Dance Company, and it is indeed a reflection of Marc Chagall’s America Windows in the very best sense of the word. Despite using the artist’s famous blue panels of stained glass as his inspiration, the piece is conceptual, shaking off any literal interpretation in favor of a multifaceted offering of mood and emotion.

This performance kicks off Hubbard Street’s 35th Anniversary Season, and Cerrudo appropriately uses a large cast of dancers, including members of Hubbard Street 2. Rarely are all of them on stage at once–he seems to prefer more intimate numbers for choreography using two, three or four dancers at a time. Even so, there were moments where the entire group took to the stage and it was a powerful sight to see all of these talented dancers move in unison.

alejandro cerrudo
Hubbard Street Dancer Jonathan Fredrickson in One Thousand Pieces by Resident Choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo. Photo by Todd Rosenberg.

Costumes were kept simple but the set design changed throughout and Thomas Mika’s work here contributes to the atmosphere considerably. The “windows” are represented by a series of mirrored rectangles that are intermittently raised, lowered and even spun, adding impact by occasionally catching the light like a shard of glass in the sunshine, or in this case, moonlight. The subtle yet brilliant lighting design by Michael Korsch meshes perfectly with every dance sequence, complimenting the group work and adding intensity to duets and solos.

Throughout the piece there is no doubt that Cerrudo is the force behind the choreography; his signature touches are everywhere–from the tender partnering with its distinct flow to the dancers appearing and disappearing quickly and quietly. Even so, he succeeds in remaining fresh by delivering the unexpected, such as raising the curtain to reveal a stage floor drizzled with water, with three misty “waterfalls” serving as the scenery. Until this moment, only the music of Philip Glass accompanied the dancers, but then the sound of bodies kicking up spray and sliding through puddles is added to the mix as well.

Cerrudo plays with the idea of light and reflection through the choreography, crafting a vision complete with mirror-like movements and even some kaleidoscopic imagery. Bodies come together, transform and change shape in a variety of pretty patterns with a progression that is uninterrupted and exceedingly graceful. So often the movement and shapes created by Cerrudo seem as if they are the most natural thing the body could do–despite the obvious complexity. The match is a perfect one since the skilled dancers in this company have no trouble making it all look easy.

One’s reflection in a window is never quite an exact replica–the light is never as bright and the features blend more easily, revealing a doppelganger that is far more abstract than real. Although this shadowy image is never a true duplicate of the original–sometimes the filter of softness and mystery actually makes it more beautiful.

That is certainly the case here.

One Thousand Pieces is at the Harris Theater through October 21st.

Behind the scenes at Hubbard Street:

Filed Under: 4dancers, Reviews Tagged With: alejandro cerrudo, harris theater, hubbard street 2, hubbard street dance company, marc chagall, philip glass

10 Questions With…David Hunter

January 11, 2010 by 4dancers

This week’s 10 Questions With… features David Hunter, Owner and Editor of Ballet for Men. Take a closer look at a great resource for guys in ballet…and what went on behind the scenes before it came to the web…

My name is David Hunter, I’m 28 years old and a graduate student, working on a Masters in Teaching. I plan to teach high school social studies or english, and dance. I’ve always loved dance, but it wasn’t until I was 25 that I took an actual dance class. For some reason I never realized how much I actually loved to dance.  

As a male, it was hard for me to get started. I couldn’t find many good resources for what I needed to know as a beginner. I wasn’t aware of all the opportunities that men had in ballet. I started late, but I currently dance for a pre-professional company who provides me with a scholarship for all of my classes. I take ballet classes 6 or 7 days a week and get to perform for thousands of people in 2 feature length ballets per year and various other festivals and performances. 

1. What made you create this dance blog?

I started taking ballet when I was 25, and I didn’t really know anyone else who was into ballet. So finding out what I needed to know to get started was really hard. Most of the information I could find was geared toward women. I was always surprised that there was never more information for males who are interested in dance. Ballet has been great for me, and I want that type of experience to be available to everyone interested. I want my blog to help provide information to make it easier for guys to get into dance.

2. What are the top three pieces of advice you have for other dance bloggers?

 1) Provide what you want. I ask for a lot of advice and suggestions, and I definitely try to provide what I think readers will want, but that advice isn’t always there. Most of the time I think about what I wish was there. I ask, “what information or resources should be available?”  If I am interested in it, chances are someone else is probably interested too.

2) Do more than you think you have time to do.  I always feel like I don’t have time to do anymore. But then I force myself to take on something else, and I end up finding time to do it. Having a blog requires you to keep working on making it better and coming up with new and interesting things. This takes up more and more time, but it also pays off more and more.

3) It is all a process.  Rarely does anything pay off right away. It is important to recognize goals in the long term and think about the small steps that lead up to those goals. You won’t find more readers overnight, but you can do a little bit everyday to help build a following over a few months or even years.

3. What is your organizational routine when it comes to blogging (for example, do you research one day and write the next….do you post every day…etc.)?

I usually spend a while coming up with an idea for a post before I even do any work with it. I have a list of topics I want to cover. I choose one of those topics either based on what I think is important information for beginners that isn’t out there or if there is something that has been on my mind for a while. I spend more time researching and organizing the topic than I spend actually writing the post. I feel like this is really helpful for me, and hopefully the readers. There are a lot of ideas and information to fit into any one post, so it is helpful to get all those ideas and facts outlined first.  

I try to write whenever I can find time. During the school year I’m a full time graduate student, dance and rehearse full time, and work, so I don’t get to update as much as I want. That is something I would like to change. I want to find a way that I can provide something to the readers several times a week, if not every day.

 4. What would you say are your blog’s strengths?

BalletForMen.com provides a lot of information that is hard to find in one place, if at all. It is hard to find information for male ballet dancers, so I provide that. Also, I understand what it is like to get started later, so I understand what questions beginners might have. It is also quite personal. The blog provides a personal look at ballet and the guys who do it. This is especially true in the podcasts, but also with some of the dancer interviews we’ve got coming up.

5. Do you have anything new coming up on the horizon?

New podcasts are coming out every week. These are a lot of fun to record, and to listen to. There will be a lot of different perspectives covered on the Ballet For Men podcast. The first run of Ballet For Men t-shirts are getting printed this month. I’m releasing a free e-book for new dancers. I’ve also been talking to different people about contributing to the website. There are a ton of other things I’m working on, but these are what people will see pretty soon.

6. If you had to describe your blog in just five words, what would they be?

 Showing guys ballet is awesome.

7. Can you recommend another dance blog?

I really enjoy TheWinger.com. I like being able to read posts by dancers that I also actually see in performances.

8. Who are your all-time favorite dancers?

I’m a fan of Gene Kelly and Mikhail Baryshnikov. I think they both have done amazing things for guys in dance. Angel Corella is also one of my favorites. One of my favorite female dancers is Louise Nadeau. She just retired from Pacific Northwest Ballet at 45 years old. She is a beautiful dancer and a beautiful person. Plus she makes me think that I can dance for many more years.

 9. What is your favorite piece of music?

 This is tough to choose a favorite, but I think one of my favorites would be the Dancepieces by Philip Glass from In The Upper Room. I saw PNB do Twyla Tharp’s In The Upper Room when I first started dancing, and it was the first piece that REALLY struck something inside of me. That dance didn’t just touch my heart, it danced with it.  Whenever I hear those songs I remember why I love to dance.

10. Tell us something about yourself that may come as a surprise…

I danced in Christina Aguilera’s Dirrty music video. At the time I was living in L.A. and it was before I started taking ballet. I used to like to break dance, so I auditioned for the video. Somehow I got a part, but luckily, I’m a skinny guy behind a lot of bigger dudes, so you can’t find me in the video. But I do have the pay-stub to prove it!

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Filed Under: 10 Questions With..., 4dancers, Online Dance Resources Tagged With: Ballet, ballet for men, christina aguilera, dance, david hunter, gene kelly, in the upper room, louise nadeau, mikhail baryshnikov, pacific northwest ballet, philip glass, the winger, twyla tharp

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