Dancers and Choreographers: The Art of Non-Confrontation
When dancers and choreographers work together, their interests and priorities sometimes conflict. Dancers often consider the choreography to be primarily a vehicle for their own self-expression. The choreographer's main concern, however, is likely to be in assembling movements and steps creatively so that these convey the meaning, style and form intended.
The attitude of dancer and choreographer toward each other may result in either a healthy symbiosis or exploitation that disregards and neglects the dancer's latent potential. By all accounts, George Balanchine and Suzanne Farrell seem to have nurtured each other's artistry. Farrell, apparently fulfilled in her role as muse, personified the source of Balanchine's inspiration: see, Holding On to the Air by Suzanne Farrell with Toni Bentley (1990). Such synergy is, however, rare as former ballerina Gelsey Kirkland discloses in her books, Dancing on my Grave (1986) and The Shape of Love (1990). Hindered from developing her art to the full, Kirkland found herself unable to submit to Balanchine's vision of ballet.
Discontent between dancers and choreographers is confirmed by Judith Lynne Hanna in Dancing For Health: Conquering and Preventing Stress (2006): "Strong personalities sometimes experience stress from their roles as tools of the choreographer and consequently fear losing their individuality.....the choreographer/artistic director often has absolute creative control and considers the dancer an expendable commodity." Hanna highlights current attempts to mitigate the strife: "Because of the pervasiveness of stressful relationships between choreographers and dancers, the Dancers Forum came into being. It is a group dedicated to the improvement of the working life of dancers that began in 1996 with Dance Theatre Workshop's retreats for dancers, choreographers, and presenters."
The Dancers Forum Compact for a Working Artistic Relationship between Dancers and Choreographers is available online at http://www.dtw.org/downloads/dancers_forum_compact.pdf
The process of creating new choreography, in both classical and modern dance alike, is affected by the choreographer's method of working. Some choreographers discuss with the dancers the way they intend to interpret a story and its characters -- Anthony Tudor and John Cranko fell into this category. Others, such as Fredrick Ashton, prefer the dancers to begin without any preconceived ideas. Nevertheless they may still require creative input from the dancers. Ashton rarely demonstrated actual steps or movements. Instead, he often asked dancers to improvise on a vaguely expressed idea such as "like a fountain" and would then begin with selection: "Keep this, discard that, explore that further ....changing a port de bras or épaulement, often literally molding the movement on the dancers' bodies with his hands, like a sculptor...." - from Fredrick Ashton and His Ballets by David Vaughan (1977).
Modern dancer Eytan Sivak, recently retired from Sweden's Cullberg Ballet, has worked with many choreographers including Mats Ek, Hans van Manen, Lar Lubovitch, Paul Taylor and Carolyn Carlson. During a rich career spanning decades, Sivak noticed that a choreographer's leadership skills are key to the dancer/choreographer interaction. He says, "Unfortunately, quite a few choreographers are not guides by nature and that's where troubles begin. Too many forget that they once swore never to become all that they hated in the dance world. They seem to thrive on the position of power they find themselves in and, unfortunately, treat the dancers with the same disrespect and sometimes abuse they themselves suffered from. It's true that the choreographer does sit at the top, but not just to feel superior. It is a place of responsibility; the responsibility of getting the right focus for a process and therefore being able to create the optimal, or close to optimal conditions, for an inspiring creation."
David Keirsey identifies strategies common to great leaders from fields as diverse as politics, business and the arts in Please Understand Me 2: Temperament, Character, Intelligence (1998). Keirsey writes: "The leader's first job is to match talent to task.....They [leaders] would also profit a great deal by learning to appreciate their employees for the different skills they contribute to the enterprise....The leader's second job is appreciation."
Sivak recalls, "Rehearsing with Mats Ek one always had the feeling that a soldier in Carmen, a peasant in Giselle or a swan in Swan Lake, were as important to the story as the lead characters."
Throughout his tenure as Artistic Director and Choreographer at Cullberg Ballet, Mats Ek consistently created an ideal working environment. He cast dancers in roles that brought out their individual and special qualities and always treated them as respected and valued colleagues. The dancers, on their part, looked to him for leadership and inspiration.
"I regard the dancers as the elements for the realization of my ideas, and as such I must be able to inspire them with the same feeling for my work that I have," said Leonid Massine in a Dance Journal interview, February 1932.
"An inspiring working process is important since it's that memory that is carried on to the stage. Even if at times the ballet is far from being a masterpiece, the dancers will always cherish the positive experience they went through and give their body and soul while performing it," remarks Sivak.
And the power of inspiration can hardly be overstated when a ballet is being created. Recently I witnessed a remarkable transformation when Valery Panov created the lead for Lydia Rotterdamskaya in his new ballet "Carmen." Panov treats all his dancers at Panov Ballet Theatre, Israel, with courtesy and respect. Without ever raising his voice, he makes great demands on them. And they, under the spell of his conviction, expend themselves to the limit -- and with joy. Rotterdamskaya's strong technique and fluid movement quality have often caught my attention. I was, however, astonished by the sensitivity and depth of character that she portrayed as Carmen. Here was a ballerina capable of giving us wave upon wave of transcendent moments.
When we spoke backstage after the performance, Rotterdamskaya seemed softer, somehow vulnerable and certainly deeper and warmer than the woman I had previously known. With reverence in her voice, she attributed the metamorphosis to Panov: "It all came from Panov -- his genius." "Oh no" interrupted Panov, "I only saw that she would be able to express different emotions through her dancing. Carmen has many aspects to her character and each trait has to be clear at different times. I found the movements that showed Carmen-the-outcast's 'attitude' for example, as well as her more obvious sensuality and passion. A développé might be languid, sexual and inviting but with different timing and force it could also be a sharp stab in the face of an enemy. When we found a movement that satisfied both of us it was a winner -- it contributed to the ballet and drew Lydia closer to Carmen." But that process is no small thing. Panov guided and inspired. And it was the power of inspiration that became the catalyst to allow a dancer of deep emotion to emerge from behind the usual barrage of bravura technique.
The onus for the atmosphere in the studio does not, however, lie entirely with the choreographer. Dancers too are responsible for facilitating the creative process. And many choreographers have had their best efforts thwarted by the "excess baggage" dancers frequently bring along to rehearsals. Fledgling works can be negatively impacted and even doomed entirely when the studio is turned into an emotional battlefield. Ballerina-turned-teacher Galina Panova instructs young dancers on the best attitude: "Come to work naked!" she implores. "Leave all your complexes, nerves and problems outside. A dancer's negativity can sabotage a ballet before it is born."
Both choreographer and dancer ought to focus on the work instead of on themselves and their personal needs, believes Sivak: "It is quite difficult to work when the dancer or choreographer, or both, are in constant need of reassurance. Every glance, every word, every silence has a meaning, and a lot of energy goes to waste. The mutual goal and not the choreographer or the dancer should be at the center, and energy needs to be invested in the right direction. When the choreographer avoids bringing personal problems into the studio and makes sure that the dancers do the same, a kind of haven is created away from daily troubles and concerns; a haven that the dancers look forward to coming back to."
Panova suggests that dancers approach new choreography in a calm, responsive state of mind, ready to internalize the movements and nuances without prejudice or resistance. "Even if something in the choreography seems to go against the grain, judgment may be reserved until a later date."
Works evolve as they develop, taking time to settle into final form, and often the early raw material contains a kernel of something vital -- later to grow into an unrecognizable and wonderful moment. A new ballet is vulnerable and deserves to be protected and respected by all who come within its sphere. When both dancer and choreographer let go of ego for the sake of the ballet, the piece has a fair chance of ringing true. Nurtured in ideal conditions it may even find cohesion and possibly transform into a genuine and worthwhile work of art.
*Great thanks are extended to Judith Lynne Hanna for insightful comments.