A little opinion on dance with some question and answer.
Inspiration vs. Appropriation.
How can you respectfully borrow and teach material that is not your own? Is it even possible?
I start teaching material that is not necessarily my own, by first teaching a brief history about what I am about to teach. Upon learning about Bob Fosse, I told my students a little synopsis on his life, his style of choreography, his teaching methods and I went into detail about how he was one of the pioneers of jazz dance. I also told them how he has contributed to pop culture, including movies and Broadway shows and how his style of jazz dance has influenced many other dancers, actors and actresses. After teaching the history and culture of the choreographer I specifically tell my students that I am studying this dancer/ choreographer and want to share what I have learned about them. I am in no way an expert so what I teach is not direct choreography because I don’t know all the details besides what I see on a video.
I believe that it is possible to teach material that is not your own if it is to honor someone, or to teach a traditional or vernacular style of dance in order to educate. But I would never directly copy a whole Bob Fosse dance and call it my own. If I really wanted to do a Bob Fosse piece then I would do a Fosse Inspiration and piece and make it very clear to my audience/ my viewers that I am in no way trying to copy, I am only trying to show my version of Fosse from what I have personally learned from his style throughout my dance career and dance education.
When is appropriation dangerous?
I think it is dangerous to call someone else’s unique and specific style their own. Direct copying without the intent of educating is when it becomes dangerous. Choreographers and dancers have rights, and unless they were gifted the choreography or a trust comes in and specifically teaches them a whole piece then it can be extremely dangerous and stealing copyrighted material.
What steps can you take to insure that the process and the delivery of this material is paying homage to the artist from which it comes from?
Paying homage to the artist would be through education. Education is key. It is to inform and instruct others on a specific style or technique. Making it known that something is not yours and only an inspiration from or even a dedication to a certain artist based on what you have personally learned would be the best homage in my opinion. Claiming the style or technique as yours would be crossing the line.
Historical styles.
Is it our obligation to keep these vernacular and traditional dance styles alive today?
I believe that it is our obligation to keep these styles alive today because they have been such a key component to our society and culture today. Seeing artists choreography in musicals, Broadway shows, music videos or movies is what has inspired other artists to this day and will continue to inspire. By teaching and learning about these styles, they will stay alive and continue to be a part of the new styles that derive from the traditional. All the new styles will have the traditional as a basis for the new evolving techniques. Just as the basic fairytales have morals behind the story, by continuing to tell them, even if they story has changed and evolved, the basic morals are taught to society and in turn some individuals take it to heart and live better lives. The same goes for dance. By teaching the basic and traditional, vernacular styles, these were created with specific motives of protecting the body, pushing the body to its limits or even for better entertainment and wow factors for audiences that watch these styles and pieces. With all these components in mind, when the new styles emerge, they will be based on these “dance morals” and be better for all dancers in the long run.
How do you decide what is important and relevant and what is not?
There is always a difference in opinion to everyone about what is important and what is not important. I cannot personally decide what is important for all dancers to learn about. But in my specific style of teaching, I PERSONALLY believe that learning basic history of dance, not just in jazz but in ballet and modern too, is essential to the reasons why I teach certain ways or teach certain techniques. By knowing the history of what you are dancing, it creates appreciation for what you are learning in modern times. Students are able to comprehend how that specific style or technique has evolved over the years and they can appreciate how challenging it is or be grateful that they don’t have to dance the way other dancers danced years ago. I personally believe that every dancer should know basic history of what they are dancing but other teachers might have a difference in opinion because they want to move forward in the evolvement in dance styles instead of going backwards and rehashing what has already been done.
Specific examples from your own teaching and dance experiences?
For example, I have had teachers from Limon Dance Company Trust come and set work on us, or pieces from the Balanchine Trust come and teach us in order to keep these styles and pieces alive. They were taught by experts in that style/ technique to keep the legacy and the style alive for others to enjoy and learn. At the time, I did not think it was important to learn a piece from the Balanchine Trust because 1) I was young, 2) I hated ballet at the time (I love it now), and 3) I thought why would anyone care about a piece from a dead guy? What I didn’t know, is that we were keeping George Balanchine’s pieces and legacy alive. Now that I am older, I feel privileged that I was able to dance “One of The Greats” pieces and keep it alive and bring it back to the stage for others to enjoy. Now, I also know how important he was to the pioneering of the ballet schools that have shaped the ballet world today and I appreciate it as part of my education and the education of the audiences that I danced before while performing it. In conclusion, anything that brings education to dancers or audiences is what is important and relevant today.
