Pam Tanowitz’s debut at the Joyce Theater (February 5th, 2014) was unsatisfying for me. With ease, her dancers executed contemporary movements rooted in classical ballet technique. The level of technique her dancers demonstrated was commendable. Yet, beneath its pretty exterior, it lacked the suspense I longed for, and I grew uninterested despite my best efforts to find appreciation. Tanowitz’s dancers executed her choreography with precision. But where was the human element? I desired a display of person, of people: humanized, alive, and breathing. And I was left with a dry performance of careful technique and structure, but little heart.
Of course, my own aesthetic preferences lie at the root of my opinion. The ballet-based movements, executed with precision on the part of the dancers, did not resonate with me on their own, and came off as cliché and fell flat. As a direct consequence, my yearning for emotion and/or narrative emerged. But Tanowitz’s vision operates without such flowery concepts, as affirmed by our in-class interview with the woman, much to my own discontent. Rather, only in the form of movement itself she plays.
Despite my negative impressions regarding Tanowitz’s pieces, Tanowitz’s first piece, Passagen, a duet between dancers Melissa Toogood and Maggie Cloud (accompanied by violinist Pauline Kim Harris) accomplished some interesting material. Passagen, a duet between dancers Melissa Toogood and Maggie Cloud (accompanied by violinist Pauline Kim Harris). While I am quick to classify the piece as a duet, as did Tanowitz’s program, no mention of the violinist’s stage presence would be a disservice. Playing music throughout the entirety of the piece, Harris also travels through the space, switching up her location from time to time. This relationship between the violinist and the dancers provides an unusual compositional device that helped uplift the piece from a just a typical duet. However, focusing on the two dancers alone also offers some interesting examples of space usage. Reflecting on the performance, I am drawn to remember a distinct spatial connection between the duo and their movement across the stage. I do not recall any physical contact, yet the two were undeniably together. The consistency of their physical proximity coupled by the flawless unison between the dancers revealed an intimate relationship between the two bodies in space. Circling around each other up stage and down stage: throughout all, they were tethered to one another by some abstract spiritual connection. My perceptions that the Tanowitz’s pieces were shallow and lacked a human element appears contradictory in the face of this experience. However, I stand by my opinion that the vivid human element I yearned for was mostly lacking despite a few rare moments.
Exits and entrances on stage also struck my interest. Audiences often have narrow expectations regarding the entrance and exit of performers, and Tanowitz makes a subtle effort to play off of these expectations particularly in the final group piece. At moments, the limbs of her dancers dangle out from the wings. The dancer slides to the floor, arm outstretched and protruding from the edge of the curtain. Recovery to standing is accomplished by dancers off stage pulling the lying dancer upright and back into the eaves of the curtain. Meanwhile, during this whole process, the other dancers on stage continue to move unnerved. This unique gesture has the peculiar effect of dividing your attention as an audience member, in part, by its defiance of performance norms. In other moments, after finishing phrases of movement, the dancers line the exterior of the stage in stillness instead of retreating into the curtain. Evidently, Tanowitz enjoys playing with Western dance concert dance formalities. Little, untraditional choreographic ploys like these help spice up the otherwise archaic movement material for the audience.
While I did not enjoy Tanowitz’s work, I have reached an appreciation for it. In addition, my gripes with Tanowitz’s pieces allow me to assess my own values as a dancer and choreographer. Unlike Tanowitz, I hope I can harness the more expressive elements of movement in my choreography. For instance, I would like to explore the potential of narrative to engage an audience. At the same time, Tanowitz’s performance has inspired me to explore movement possibilities. The striking use of space in Passagen and the interesting exiting and entering of performers in Tanowitz’s group piece encourage me to experiment with form as well. As a whole, Tanowitz’s performance has offered me valuable insight into myself and where I would like to go (and not go) as a choreographer.
Despite my negative impressions regarding Tanowitz’s pieces, Tanowitz’s first piece, Passagen, a duet between dancers Melissa Toogood and Maggie Cloud (accompanied by violinist Pauline Kim Harris) accomplished some interesting material. Passagen, a duet between dancers Melissa Toogood and Maggie Cloud (accompanied by violinist Pauline Kim Harris). While I am quick to classify the piece as a duet, as did Tanowitz’s program, no mention of the violinist’s stage presence would be a disservice. Playing music throughout the entirety of the piece, Harris also travels through the space, switching up her location from time to time. This relationship between the violinist and the dancers provides an unusual compositional device that helped uplift the piece from a just a typical duet. However, focusing on the two dancers alone also offers some interesting examples of space usage. Reflecting on the performance, I am drawn to remember a distinct spatial connection between the duo and their movement across the stage. I do not recall any physical contact, yet the two were undeniably together. The consistency of their physical proximity coupled by the flawless unison between the dancers revealed an intimate relationship between the two bodies in space. Circling around each other up stage and down stage: throughout all, they were tethered to one another by some abstract spiritual connection. My perceptions that the Tanowitz’s pieces were shallow and lacked a human element appears contradictory in the face of this experience. However, I stand by my opinion that the vivid human element I yearned for was mostly lacking despite a few rare moments.
Exits and entrances on stage also struck my interest. Audiences often have narrow expectations regarding the entrance and exit of performers, and Tanowitz makes a subtle effort to play off of these expectations particularly in the final group piece. At moments, the limbs of her dancers dangle out from the wings. The dancer slides to the floor, arm outstretched and protruding from the edge of the curtain. Recovery to standing is accomplished by dancers off stage pulling the lying dancer upright and back into the eaves of the curtain. Meanwhile, during this whole process, the other dancers on stage continue to move unnerved. This unique gesture has the peculiar effect of dividing your attention as an audience member, in part, by its defiance of performance norms. In other moments, after finishing phrases of movement, the dancers line the exterior of the stage in stillness instead of retreating into the curtain. Evidently, Tanowitz enjoys playing with Western dance concert dance formalities. Little, untraditional choreographic ploys like these help spice up the otherwise archaic movement material for the audience.
While I did not enjoy Tanowitz’s work, I have reached an appreciation for it. In addition, my gripes with Tanowitz’s pieces allow me to assess my own values as a dancer and choreographer. Unlike Tanowitz, I hope I can harness the more expressive elements of movement in my choreography. For instance, I would like to explore the potential of narrative to engage an audience. At the same time, Tanowitz’s performance has inspired me to explore movement possibilities. The striking use of space in Passagen and the interesting exiting and entering of performers in Tanowitz’s group piece encourage me to experiment with form as well. As a whole, Tanowitz’s performance has offered me valuable insight into myself and where I would like to go (and not go) as a choreographer.
(Courtesy of the Joyce Theater Website)
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