#philip elson

[theseldoms]

TAIPEI!

[theseldoms]

REFLECTIONS FROM THE DANCERS; OUR TAIWAN TOUR

Seeing WCdance work on their turf offered insights I had not anticipated. ¨The city is very efficient, details are really important,¨ is what I gathered from Tzu-Ying Lee, one of Wen Chung´s dancers. I began to think about how WCdance rehearses and how repetition is implemented through their performance process. When asked about this, Lee stated, ¨Don´t worry, this is the Taiwan way.¨ The Taiwanese people in this polished and globalized city are generous and gratuitous. I have never heard so many “thank you’s” (Xièxiè’s) in my life. In the short time we were away from the National Theater, I have to say my favorite memory will always be of the old ladies in the park practicing their Chinese Kung Fu and the one-hundred-and-three year old man on his morning stroll, both of whom I stumbled upon on a jaunt around the neighborhood at 6 AM. That word ‘efficiency’ pops back in my head and I now wonder if Taipei´s ability to adapt to contemporary life is what makes the place so easy to live in, young and old, native and international. Javier Ramos Marchan

I found my Taiwan experience very insightful. It was amazing to be given the opportunity to travel abroad, as well as engage with different ideas withour partner, WCdance. Going into this exchange I had no expectations but wanted to enter with open eyes and embracethe Taiwanese culture. As with any such exchange, you may notice different morals, values and ethics. My general impressionof Taiwan is thatthe arts and artist community has a prominent place in the culture. The government seems devoted in helping the artistic community by stimulating and contributing to it, thereby helping the artists sustain careers within the arts.Working with WCdance was an experience.  I found some of the process challenging and difficult only because of my previous training and habits. But with no expectations, I was an artist there engaging in a different environment. Overall, I enjoyed the opportunity and was very pleased with this experience. It’s not everyday that someone is given the chance to witness firsthand a different culture. Damon Green

I love that dance is a universal language. We don’t have to speak the same language verbally, but we can communicate through dance. This tour to Taiwan has allowed me to explore new qualities of movement outside of my comfort zone by observing the WC dancers’ organic, fluid quality of movement in class and in rehearsals.  Although our body types and training are different, I hope to embody the lightness that they bring to their movement into my own. I feel honored to have had this opportunity to explore and be challenged. Amanda McAlister

Taking this exchange into its final stage across the globe made the project come full circle. While taking a master class taught by Carrie, I started to recognize the bodies, the breath and flow of how the dancers in class learned and tackled the movement. Half a year after being in the studio with Wen Chung,  I saw the process we experienced reflected much closer to its roots in Taipei. Being in Taipei connected me to the choreography and process and to the WC Dancers and my Seldoms Family. Cara Sabin

[theseldoms]

FLASHBACK # 5 MAKING THE WORK - From Stupormarket to Exit Disclaimer Philip Elson

In my second season with The Seldoms we created Death of a Prada Salesman, which premiered at the Other Dance Festival in 2009 and was included as part of Stupormarket in 2011.  I was asked to read Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman to prepare for building this work.  I had read it back in my early school days; reading again now I discovered new insights that I couldn’t have understood at a younger age.  A simple, proud man trying to make an honest living for himself and his family and wishing to have others feel pride in his accomplishments, but instead he found himself defeated and stripped of self worth.  This resonated with me as we discussed the economic crisis; I had heard my own friends and family members question their economic stability and future, and with it, their very status and purpose.     Playing the part of the Prada Salesman was not too far of a stretch from my personality, aside from the fact that I hate shopping and can't come close to affording Prada.  But I love shiny expensive things (my Apple products, of course).  I have a desire to be seen a certain way by other people I talk to (please don't reject me). And my natural flamboyancy added that extra touch to complete the character.  Very quickly this work became personal.  It was the first Seldoms work I had made where my role wasn't an abstraction or physical representation of an idea.  I was expressive, I was singing, I was seeking guidance from a bear rug (still my favorite Seldoms moment captured in a photo), and I felt the emotional highs and lows prevalent in Arthur Miller's great play.  Building and performing this work was an emotional journey.       As we moved into the larger creation of Stupormarket, the same principles that we saw in the short dance, Death of a Prada Salesman, were there but from different perspectives.  We established market values of new products by "inventing" new dance moves, we broke down opposing economic theories and showed the stable and unstable forces around those theories, and we became bubbled in competitive virtual house building that ultimately collapsed in frenzy.  I know, it sounds like a whole lot to get done.  But what was important about how this happened was how we talked about it.  Each section built was informed by discussion about what we or people we knew were experiencing in relationship to these very real situations happening outside of our studio.     The creation of these works showed me the importance of making issue-based dance theater.  It's all about the roles people play in causing, interacting with, and attempting to resolve those issues.  It may not always be obvious, but if you look close enough you may see yourself in one of the roles portrayed.  I experience that again in our development of Exit Disclaimer: Science and Fiction Ahead, The Seldoms' new dance theater work surrounding the debate on climate change.  There is a lot of strife in some of this subject material, but also ridiculously funny and unbelievable stuff as well.  Have I mentioned that I get to play with a pretend eco-friendly Barbie dream house?  It's actually a real thing, look it up.      The more we delve into our works the more I learn about myself and my relationship to society.  This is why I feel so rewarded working The Seldoms.  We are not afraid to go to difficult places and confront our audiences with the aim that they'll at least think about it - and hopefully enjoy it.  - Philip Elson