Contemporary Dance Around the World

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REFLECTION: contemporary dance in a contemporary world

Contemporary dance is not defined by one specific style. My own personal frame of reference does not even begin to encompass the many varieties of contemporary dance around the world. I have come to comprehend contemporary dance as any dance form imagined in a contemporary context. There must be some element of a company’s repertoire that connects it back to current issues or topics. Each of these six companies exhibited a clear understanding of what it means to be a relative dance company in the global dance scene. The research I have done over the past six weeks has helped to redefine what contemporary dance means to me and how I view dance companies in general. It is not about the popularity or notability of a company but the work they produce and how it relates to the rest of the world. 

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WORK IN PROGRESS Invitation to a Journey A Creative Co-Production between three of Ireland's leading performance companies inspired by the life

CoisCéim Dance Theatre does a lot of collaborations with a variety of artists and design production companies. They worked with Crash Ensemble and Fishamble: The New Play Company to create INVITATION TO A JOURNEY, a work inspired by the life & work of Eileen Gray. It incorporates dance, music, and, theater to “to develop a new language of performance to bring an audience on a very special voyage.”

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In October 2015, CoisCéim Dance Theatre premiered The Wolf and Peter, an adaption of the Sergei Prokofiev’s famous piece of music Peter and the Wolf. Artistic director and choreographer David Bolger has created an inventive interpretation of this timeless story through the eyes of the wolf which also includes a Bird, a Cat, a Duck, and a Boy.

Here is a video of rehearsal from September:

The piece premiered at Baboró International Arts Festival for Children in Galway, Ireland on October 15. CoisCéim had children in mind when they created this piece and here is what they had to say:

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CREATIVE STEPS Jan -March 2016 | BOOK NOW DANCE CLASSES & PROJECTS FOR PEOPLE AGED 50+ THE CHOREOGRAPHY PROJECT Jan-March 2016 | BOOK NOW Ongoing

BROADREACH | Creativity, Participation, Access

CoisCéim Dance Theatre has a large scale outreach program entitled BROADREACH. Founded in 2006, it was created in response to a demand for more dance participation activities. It was founded on the principle that “dance is a performing art and a participatory activity which is open to everyone.” They have a variety of activities that are geared towards all sections of the population. The program includes dance classes for all ages, performance opportunities and residency at St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra. 

Here is the piece Talking at the Same Time performed by The Dance Ensemble comprised of dancers ages 50+

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CoisCéim Dance Theatre

Founded in 1995, CoisCéim Dance Theatre is a contemporary dance company incorporating a variety of styles along with theatrical elements. They strive to present a visually appealing environment that has both a sense of fun and depth of emotion. The name of the company comes from the Irish word for Footstep and is pronounced “Kush Came”.

“CoisCéim’s style of performance is contemporary and vibrant, with a knowing regard for the everyday.”

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Bangarra Dance Theatre’s latest performance is Ochres which premiered on November 27, 2015. This piece was created in 1994 by artistic director Stephen Page and Bernadette Walong-Sene and was brought back this year for its 21st anniversary season. Ochres presents the earth in all of its forms which includes the four colors: yellow, black, red and white. 

Here is a review of the performance written by Rebecca Whitton from the Australian Stage articulating the beauty and spirituality that is still expressed 21 years later. She states the importance of this production in putting Bangarra on the international dance scene. http://www.australianstage.com.au/201511297529/reviews/sydney/ochres-%7C-bangarra-dance-theatre.html

“Not only did it articulate a new language in Australian contemporary dance, but with this production, Bangarra joined the ranks of the Sydney Dance Company and the Australian Dance Theatre to become one of the great Australian dance companies.” -Rebecca Whitton

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Register Now REGISTRATIONS FOR 2016 ARE NOW OPEN! In 2016, Rekindling will visit Heywood and Horsham (VIC), Yarrabah (QLD) and Broome

Bangarra prides itself on incorporating the company into the local community in both performances and educational opportunities. The Rekindling Program provides a dance intensive that focuses on investigating the students’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage. The program encourages students to think about who they are and where they come from.

“Launched in 2013, the aim of Rekindling is to inspire and develop the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytellers by using dance to reconnect with their cultures.”

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Bangarra just finished up their regional tour of Kinship 2015 which featured two past works: Brolga (2001) & ID (2011). The piece explores how the Aboriginal identity fits into modern society and the ways skin color can affect perceptions from the outside. It also shows the amazing storytelling abilities of Stephen Page’s choreography and narrative artistry he pulls out of his dancers. This is a key element Bangarra Dance Theatre prides itself on. Additionally, regional tours are a vital part of the company’s performance schedule as they try to develop strong relationships with the regional communities.

This video includes an interview with artistic director and choreographer Stephan Page. He speaks about the specific inspirations and questions that helped to develop these two separate works.

“Cleansing and empowering, celebrating the continuation of Aboriginal cultre through countless generations”  -THE AGE

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Bangarra Dance Theatre

As one of Australia’s leading performing arts companies, Bangarra Dance Theatre is a modern dance company with ties to an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander heritage. They fuse the traditional dances of 40,000 years ago, with theatrical elements and intricate soundscapes. All 16 of the company dancers are professionally trained and have an aboriginal heritage from around Australia.

“Authentic storytelling, outstanding technique and deeply moving performances are Bangarra’s unique signature.” 

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Maya and Apsara Asia

Maya Dance Theatre works in close collaboration with the performing arts and arts management company Apsara Asia. They focus on creating new and innovative productions and performances while still preserving the traditional art forms of Singapore and around Asia. Besides their management services, Apsara Asia promotes arts education through various outreach programs and has their own company, ASPIRE Dance Company, that works at various events.

Here is one project the two worked on together. It highlights the collaborative effort and process that goes into their performances.

“I think all contemporary art forms, or any other dance form which is exploring new horizons, needs a very rooted base. Once a dancer is trained in any traditional or classical form, the body is ready to explore any other idiom of dance.” 

Ajith Baskaran Dass, Artistic Director, Suvarana Fine Arts (Johore, Malaysia)

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Here is a video of Maya Dance Theatre’s latest touring production Random Chapters. The piece was made almost a year ago and has since traveled around the world being performed at festivals in other dance venues. This full-length contemporary work has the dancers actively portraying individual stories that reflect the Asian body aesthetic.

The piece premiered in the Untied States on June 14 in Tivoli, New York. The company was on residency at the Kaatsbaan International Dance Centre, one of Up-State New York’s leading dance presenters. http://kaatsbaan.org/about.html

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What are the most important qualities a classical dancer must possess to succeed? South Asian Diaspora meets Kavitha Krishnan to find out.

Meet the Creative Director of Maya Dance Theatre!

Kavitha Krishna is a classically trained Indian dancer in the Bharata Natyam art form. She also works as an occupational therapist along with teaching at an Indian dance school in Singapore. All of these aspects of her life are channeled into her choreography and artistic expression within the company.

“Kavitha’s years of experience in Indian Classical Dance (BharataNatyam) and in Asian dance forms and with her deep interest in modern contemporary works brings out a unique Asian contemporary dance style with innovation and creativity to her works for Maya Dance Theatre.” 

-The Flying Inkpot, Singapore

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Maya Dance Theatre

Maya Dance Theatre is a dance company based in Singapore that strives to engage with both the local and international communities. In 2006, the company was founded by artists Kavitha Krishnan and Juraimy Abu Bakar along with general manager Imran Manaff. Krishnan is the current creative director with choreography by herself and Bakar. Maya Dance Theatre is dedicated to collaborations and experimentation as it pulls from a variety of dance vocabulary.

“Maya Dance Theatre presents an assortment of productions featuring a unique blend of Asian contemporary dance with modern dance forms.”

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The company’s latest performance was a restaging of the 2009 piece Male Identity. This 30-minute work looks into what it means to be a Russian man.

“Russian men are changing because our society is changing. But, we are not gentlemen yet, nor are we comrades anymore. We are changing our Russian dirty words into English equivalents. What once was “kolchoz” is now “business” and simply getting drunk is now called a “business meeting”. In general: we try to change what once was “we”, into “me”. We try it, again and again and then finally something starts happening.”

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In today's Independent: Byron Woods' thoughts on "outsider" modern dance—and Olga Pona's latest works. Read on (and comment at the end)......

In a 2007 review, Byron Woods comments on Chelyabinsk Contemporary Dance Theater’s performances of Waiting and Nostalgia at American Dance Festival. He questions Pona’s use of the term “outsider” and her categorization of herself against everyone else:

“Outsider art and its sometime synonyms, naïve and primitive art, represent attempts during the last century of visual art criticism to categorize works whose origins lay beyond the culture of those doing the criticizing.”

He continues to critically look at her work and history as described in the ADF playbill which highlights her “deficits in education, training and fundamental experience with an art form.” Woods does not see an issue with this lack of formal training and exposure to the art form but calls into question why she feels the need to so clearly state it. 

“Clearly, the words are part apologia. Too easily they can be interpreted as a preemptive injunction against heightened—or any—critical assessment.They are also part boast. Their implicit claim: Since Pona’s accomplishments occurred under conditions more extreme, they count for even more.”

Here are excerpts from performances of each of these pieces stated above:

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Russian Contemporary Dance

In the biography of Olga Pona on the company website, it states how she had little contact with dance growing up in communist Russia and no association with contemporary dance. She clearly defines contemporary dance in a western perspective in regards to its long standing history: 

“Russian contemporary dance doesn’t have this history, but Russia is no longer a country which is shut off from the West: Russian artists use elements of Western tradition, but they often don’t use the Western “rules”.

When the company was initially established, they performed a type of visual theater with included combinations of short entertainment sketches. As the biography describes, Pona was aware of the detachment from western contemporary aesthetic but also knew she was pioneering the way for Russian contemporary dance.

Here is a video of the company’s piece Three Girls by the Window from 1999. This piece includes many theater elements including a clear set, spoken dialogue, and smoking onstage.

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The Chelyabinsk Contemporary Dance Theater

The Chelyabinsk Contemporary Dance Theater was founded in 1992 by Vladimir and Olga Pona. It is currently supported by the city of Chelyabinsk and has 15 full-time dancer many of which have been with the company for over ten years. Olga Pona, also the artistic director, creates most of the work for the company. Her movement style is described as “personal and unique: contemporary dance made out of necessity.” She draws from the natural elements around her including the border between Asia and Europe along with the characters she encountered in her homeland of Kazakhstan.

“For Western dance experts it has sometimes been difficult to recognize the contemporary relevancy of Olga Pona’s work. The main reason for this is probably that her work doesn’t follow any of the Western contemporary traditions: instead of searching for purity, she tends to collect what ever could be useful to tell her story. The virtuosity of the dancers is not defined by stylistic perfection, but by a sketch-like physicality.”