The Politics of Art & Authenticity

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/11/17/arts/17BARNARD.html

The Barnard Fall Project…

How can I describe it? I don’t think there are any words that can actually describe it.

If I called it weird, it would directly imply that I am normal, which I’m not. If I called it radical, it would invoke feeling of either disgust or praise.

Let’s keep it neutral.

I guess we could call it different in the fashion that maybe it’s not the Nutcracker or some other famous ballet, but we have to give them credit. They tried.

In a sense the name- The Barnard Project, invokes this sense of being different. Barnard is, after all, an all girls’ college.  Even though it may seem like I am being judgmental, it seems like only two types of people attend these secular single sex school: socially inept, and those who are pretty damn sure of what they want.

The dancers didn’t fit the norm. They all had different body types. I guess it was the only thing I found to be positive. But other than that, there was no meaning whatsoever. The dancers weren’t in sync. The dance made no sense.  Towards the end, it started making sense. I even woke up to see it.

The last act was entertaining and it made me think about time. Time itself continues even when we stop.  The connection may not be very apparent but its there. The ‘Oh Oh’ reminded me of a ticking clock.  Time goes on.

My first impression of the performance was horror, resentment and discomfort.

I was never into contemporary dance. It always seemed too experimental. And yes, experimental this was. VERY.

The first act, POND, directed by Nora Chipaumire, consisted of students of various forms, shapes and colors. From the beginning, it defied my former concept that dancers are supposed to be in shape. Before, I had heard that dancers go through severe diet program and regimen to keep in shape to enhance the quality of the movement or performance. This performance however, the performer’s movements were not synchronized nor did they seemed to exercise each movement in a careful manner to reach perfection. In a nutshell, they were just trying hard. However, with the music, I did sense this was a depiction of the environment in the water. With various forms and movements. Realizing that I would have been seeing this with a prejudiced view especially comparing that to the strictness of the traditional dances, I tried to focus on the message they were trying to deliver than focusing on the details.

This is a scene from the movie “King and I”.
At one point in the POND, the performers make a similar gesture as this along with similar audio background. The striking resemblance made me almost think it as racist and unoriginal.
http://www.pccua.edu/performing%20arts/the_king_and_i.htm

The second act, LindenLeahMarthaScottCatherine by Juliette Mapp, seemed to have more structure than the first piece. It seemed to portray the relationship between people. I found it interesting to see how the four performers were trying to surpass one another while drawing circles. As if its suggesting that the small moment of competition we think we are having is in fact futile for if you see it in a larger sense, you are just going around in circles, no one better than the other just change of location. The circle also seemed to symbolize the repetitiveness in our lives. Later, after I read the choreographer’s biography was I able to confirm this idea for it states “Mapp’s work expresses her relationship to the people she makes work with and the historical and political conditions that frame her dance making” and further inquired  whether this could also be a reflection of the performers’ relationships and approaches the choreographer would have taken to incorporate it into the dance.

The third act was a complete enigma. All I realized was that there was a Korean girl who kept repeating the same movements over and over. I was not able to make any link between the title, performance and the music. Even more questionable was the reason why a performer had to tape the floor without incorporating to the dance. With the befuddlement, I moved on.

The last act was interesting. First it seemed like a bunch of people making random movements but looking deeply, they were using the light, the shades and movements in a very effective way. I found it intriguing that the color of the costumes seemed to depict the skin tone of the human race. But what was more fascinating was when I thought the people were just randomly dancing sparsely distributed throughout the stage, instead of focusing in the individuals, I looked up. Then I saw various forms of shades running dancing over each other, overlapping and creating a  whole new experience.

When the show was over, I realized not many people were left. Maybe they had the similar impression in the beginning and left thinking this wasn’t worth it. I think it is a hasty decision. The more you put more effort into understanding it you see and realize more. Of course, you can also exercise your thinking abilities with a book but you don’t get many chance to do it watching an enigmatic dance performance. I think it’s good as a once in a lifetime experience but not necessarily more. After the show, my brain was so tired of trying to hold back criticism and to make sense of the whole process. I could understand their intention to convey abstract and complicated concept into the dancing, but I guess they overestimated the patience of the audience.

My overall experience of the Barnard Fall Project was unique. I, honestly, didn’t understand what was going on.I still am questioning what was going on in the dances. I constantly asked myself what was going on in the dance. There was constant movement. I am still wondering if there were trying to portray an animal or having a swimming competition.

I applaud the dancers at their great stamina. The area was a small stage and I got to see the sweat running down the performers faced. I respect the dancers to have confidence to parade around with those skin tight uniforms. They were able to move their bodies so swiftly and I know that I couldn’t be able to do that.

I only stayed for two skits of the performance. All that was going throughout my mind was, “WHAT IS GOING ON!” The second skit was more confusing because there were these girls whose names changed throughout the scene. One word I would use was weird. They had little lines but I didn’t know what they wanted to convey to the audience. Once they would march uniformly they would separate into completely chaos. It was as if they were having seizures while walking around.

I guess this modern art was too modern for me to grasp the point of these dances.

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Credit To: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/11/17/arts/17BARNARD.html

I guess I  wasn’t dancing right all my life. The modern dance routines of the Barnard Fall Project showed a very unique and different vision of dance. Although you could clearly see some ballet, and Caribbean and African influenced dances within the various routines, the way they moved and used the music was very different than anything I have ever seen. There were some parts that were very confusing, even though the dancers gave you hints as to what they were trying to portray, but I was still very confused. Some parts were simply funny to watch, even some of the other audience members laughed at what they saw because it looked silly. Then there were creepy moments like when the girls put their hair over their faces, reminding me of the movie the Grudge or the Ring. The last routine was fun to watch because it was so upbeat and there was a lot of organized movement, very different from the other routines. I especially liked when out of nowhere some hip-hop music started playing as the routine was finished, it was funny to hear some everyday modern music. The dancers danced well, they looked good as they danced and transitioned and did all of these strange routines, I simply didn’t understand what each routine was trying to say, which led me more to watching the dancers just dance and not really paying attention to what they were trying to show. I enjoyed it, just didn’t understand it.

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&tbo=d&biw=1280&bih=702&tbm=isch&tbnid=S3_-gO45TU0XiM:&imgrefurl=http://www.facebook.com/barnarddance&docid=vxU3FfgOfeIM7M&imgurl=http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/549058_201705063297090_490145004_n.jpg&w=403&h=403&ei=A8mvUJ2yGYTH0QHgjoHYCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=303&vpy=366&dur=1441&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=61&ty=198&sig=102592201894873628021&page=1&tbnh=146&tbnw=146&start=0&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0,i:127

You can ask me what happened during The Barnard Fall Project performance but all I could tell you is, “I don’t know.” I really don’t. From a technical standpoint, I admire all the dancers for their courage and talent in executing such a dance. I know how hard it must be to time each dance perfectly, how difficult it was to develop such muscle strength yet still look so graceful, and how impressive it is to remember each detail of the choreography. From the art standpoint and the meaning behind each work, I have less to say. I was and am still stumped. The first dance was not so bad. I thought I could feel a theme of competition, teamwork, and the like. I understood a small bit. The second one was absolutely confusing. But I thought that maybe that was the point of it.. to tell a confusing story of four women, entangled in each other’s rough lives. All I can really be sure of is how I felt. And I was scared. It struck me as creepy and negative. I was entranced and slightly frightened. It definitely kept my attention. The Barnard Fall Project proved to be a successful projection of art because it brought about an emotional response. I just wish I could have understood it also.

My encounter with modern dance will be something I will never forget. I sat dumbstruck in

that theater as I tried to make sense of the disjointed spectacle i was observing. The lack of synchrony and th
point of modern art but if it is I don’t find it appealing. I’m comparatively old fashioned when it comes to art, ae obscure choreography left my utterly perplexed. I don’t mean to take anything away from the dancers because I’m sure they put in hours of hard work but as I’m beginning to notice that modern art forms are very difficult to interpret when you don’t have any prior knowledge on the subject. Maybe that’s the

ppreciating century old paintings and dances like the ballet or the waltz. In my opinion dance should remain what it is: dance. There is no need for it to have a deeper meaning and if it does, make sure that it’s clearly demonstrated my the performers

.

I was expecting dance like you would see on an episode of Dancing with the Stars, but I was glad that I got to become familiar with a new form of dance. It was hard to follow, but I really enjoyed it. I learned that modern dance can take many forms, like when I learned how art could take many forms like it did at The Museum of Modern Art.

Modern dance shows that our culture changes rapidly and new forms of dance can influence culture. Also new styles of music and art can influence modern dance. It suggests that dancers need to be strong and athletic in order to endure the physical stress of dancing. This dance suggests the human form can take many shapes and sizes. It also suggests that it can morph into several things and perform many actions like swimming. It shows the versatility of the human form like the versatility of modern dance. I thought the costomes were well crafted and wholeheartedly added to the performance. The silence added to the performance by making the audience think and focus their attention on the dancing.

The Pond Dance confused me, but I thought it was pretty good. I didn’t understand why the dancers said swim, but I later figured out that they were in a pond. The LindenLeahMarthaScottCatherine dance also confused me, but I liked it. I didn’t understand  why when one dancer would be introduced and dancer that was introduced would say she was someone else. I felt the dances got better in the second act with the Beth Gill dance being my favorite.

Image Source:  http://cdn.nearsay.com/sites/default/files/story-images/barnardproject-nylivearts-article.jpg

After seeing the Barnard Project dance performance I was very confused. I didn’t realize that workout warm-ups and rolling on the floor was considered dance.  And what was going on with the girl putting tape on the ground.  I’m one who tries to find the good in everything, but it was very difficult to find meaning in the performance.  I think the dancers did a fantastic job and worked very hard. There were times when you could hear how heavy they were breathing, and they had to consistently dance for several minutes, which can be very exhausting.

I’m not sure if there was a reoccurring theme in each performance, but I think it was basically telling people to question what they believe to be true.  Most people think that dancing is usually a ballet or some interpretive dance, but this was completely different.  I wouldn’t even know how to explain it.  I wouldn’t call it dance but I think it was a form of art.  It was almost like a hipster dance; one of those random things that hipsters would think had so much deep meaning and feeling in it.

Some parts were very strange, especially the second performance when the girls were all saying different names and then started shaking their heads like something from The Grudge.  It was just very creepy and I thought I was going to get nightmares.  Luckily I didn’t.

I did enjoy the last performance though.  There was a lot of constant movement, and the music was pretty entertaining.  What I really enjoyed about it though was how the lighting made these large shadows on the back wall.  I really appreciated the dancers movements when I saw the shadows of them.  I felt like I could feel their emotion so much more when I just saw their movements, and nothing else.  So maybe the expression wasn’t to be found in just watching the dancing, but finding another way to see expression in dance movements.  I found it in shadows, someone else might have found it in stillness, and some might have even found it in tape.  All that matters is that everyone finds the expression in something.

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/11/17/arts/17BARNARD.html

I am not big on dance.  It is an art form I find hard to get into unless there’s interesting music, music that’s upbeat that will keep me awake, or something always going on.  Even an interesting set might keep my interest.  As for The Barnard Fall Project, I was very unsure about what was going on.

Going from dance to dance I was very confused.  There was music and then there was no music.  The movements were hectic and then there was no movement.  There was silence and then there were small bursts of words and a little speaking.  It seemed more than just unorganized.  At first it felt as if the dancers were just using random movements.  What was with them saying “swim” and “and”?  I could not wrap my mind around it.

In order to make sense out of it all I created a small storyline for the entire thing, despite knowing the same dancers were not used for every dance.  During the first dance the dancers kept saying “swim”, the stage was a tint of blue and their movements mimicked that of swimmers in the water.  This, I decided, was a swim scene or some sort of swim class.

The second was of four girls in dresses.  Toward the end of this second dance the four girls are walking in lines childishly skipping each other to be in front.   Then they sat down and pulled their hair out of their ponytails, toyed with their hair, and then sit beside one another.  This made me think of four sisters or even friends finishing their day and getting ready for bed at a sleepover of sorts.

The third dance was a little strange.  The dancers were lying down and in positions that made it seem as if they were sleeping.  They even brought out a blanket at one point.  Also, the stage was somewhat darker at first to make it seem as if it were night.  As two dancers came out and slowly started moving I felt this showed the movement of time for after a while the lights grew brighter on stage as if morning had come.  That was when those who had been sleeping finally got up and joined the dancing.

Then finally the final dance where the dancers danced in radical ways across the stage, this somehow made me think of school.  At first they started in a group with one person at the front, like a teacher or some sort of instructor.  Throughout this dance they continued to follow each other, as if learning from one another.  In other words this recital went through an afternoon, night, morning, and day of a person.

My favorite dance had to be the final one that seemed to have the most energy.  I like how they set up lights in front to cast shadows of the dancers against the back wall as they leaped across the stage, twirled, and danced in unusual patterns.  I also liked when they lined up in rows of three.  The first row moved fast while as the rows went back the dancers moved slower and slower.  Then the dancers spun and reversed the effect, the dancers in front moved slowest while those in back moved fastest.

Overall this was an interesting recital.  After reading the dancer’s bios did I actually get a clue as to what was going on.  What went on were types of dances I have never seen nor heard of before.  Most likely I probably would not have gone to see it if it were just me but I am glad I was able to experience it.

Source

http://newyorklivearts.org/media/gallery/barnard_web3-1313165188.jpg

I was really pleased with the art I saw at the MoMA, as it redefined the way I typically think of modern art. It was more unconventional than traditional art, but not ridiculous or childish in any way.  A great example of how purposeful and effective modern art can be is Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.” This painting was done around the turn of the 20th century, and it was meant to symblize the confusion and unsettled feeling of many people during that time. To me, “The Scream” is such a powerful image because it manages to capture not a person or an event, but a nameless feeling. The figure who is screaming does not look human, because he’s not. He is the personification of an emotional experience. Many of us have had the feeling of being stifled and not knowing where to turn. It seems like the only way we can manage is to let our feelings out into the open, so they don’t weigh us down any longer. The two men on the bridge seem rather purposeless and are mindlessly gazing off into the distance, not knowing what to do with themselves. Though they look to be in control of themselves, the silently screaming figure shows what they are really feeling inside. What many people feel inside. The chasm between how we feel and how we appear is often a product of the need to appear “normal” and in control at all times.

My favorite piece of artwork at the MoMA was in the photography exhibit. Photography is perhaps the most modern of all modern art, as it uses technology (like photoshop) which was unimaginable even 30 years ago. From what I saw, it seemed that most the photos were “tampered with” and not something that could’ve been created that long ago. Photography is just as legitimate as other forms of art, because the artist is still using a medium to create feelings and reactions in viewers. Though I didn’t connect with everything I saw (ahem…I’m talking to you: photo of hand with dead bug on it, next to plant), my favorite piece was a collage of small photos of the same location as it turned from night to day

I was fully satisfied with our trip to the museum during class time, so I nearly forgot about the dance planned for later that evening…

Let me start off by formally announcing, now that I have an actual experience to back me up, that modern dance is not my cup of tea. Though I recognize the athleticism and skill that the dancers obviously have, that doesn’t mean that that they were, in fact, dancing. I’m not sure of the formal definition of dance, but I believe that unsynchronized movements, without musical accompaniment, should not be falsely advertised as a dance. Though I was pleased to see dancers with all different body types, I still did not enjoy their moves or the incomprehensible stories they were ostensibly trying to tell. Call me a traditionalist, but it should not have been called a dance, and that’s that. I will never subject myself to another modern dance, if I can help it. I’d rather see seven more operas. I also felt bad for the dancers, because I heard several people laughing at the things they were doing onstage. People usually laugh at the unexpected, and because I assume most people were expecting some dancing to be involved, it’s no wonder that they found it humorous.

While modern art is a brilliant spin on art , modern dance is not dancing. Ballet next time, anyone?