Jody Sperling has been managing her own dance company for just over a decade now. While this may not seem like such a long period of time, Sperling has still managed to compile quite a resume. As a scholar of dance, she has earned various dance degrees and has been recognized recently as a dance historian. In 2000, Sperling founded her own dance company, “Time Lapse Dance.” By creating her own company, Jody has now found a way to continue pursuing her passions as a dancer and a choreographer. When viewing these accomplishments and feats of Sperling, one might begin to wonder what sparked this fire within her.
Photo Credit: Alexandre Fuchs/Time Lapse Dance
When asked about her inspiration, Jody Sperling points to one of the most influential dancers in history: Loie Fuller. Born in 1862, she began dancing at a very young age. Fuller is credited with “spawning” modern dance today with her uniquely developed dances. As a young woman, she performed in white dresses with long sleeves made of silk. With long sticks holding her sleeves up, Loie would then spin and twirl to make her dress appear to be changing form. Her unorthodox style of dance was known as the “Skirt Dance,” or the “Butterfly Dance.” Loie Fuller revolutionized dance during her time because she placed emphasis on the dress, not on the body.
At first take, Fuller was not the most successful at marketing her unique style of dance. She did not achieve public renown until she took her talents to France. While in France, her technique of skirt dancing was stolen, and she tried to file a lawsuit. Although she did not win her suit, she was fortunate enough to upstage the imposters who stole her original dance. From here, Fuller’s career took flight, and she set the foundation for skirt dancing today.
Jody took her inspiration’s work and added her own little twist to it. She spent the early part of her choreographing career further developing the “Serpentine Dance” of Loie Fuller. In addition, she shed light on Fuller’s work by adding mirrors and colored lights, which provided the base for Jody’s “Dance of the Elements.” For her dance, she conceived a spinning technique that keeps the fabric going for an extended period of time. Jody stated how the elongated spinning “produces a new stillness,” one that peeks the curiosity of the audience. As her career continued to flourish, Jody was invited to perform her dance in the Library of Congress.
Photo Credit: Julie Lemberger/Time Lapse Dance
But with all great success comes a sense of determination to overcome challenges along the way. Jody Sperling founded her own company and produced her own shows, but how did she get her companies’ name out in the open? A woman of many professions, she considers herself an “entrepreneur.” Fundraising is essential to obtain the necessary money for shows. Jody describes the difficulty in finding public funding, and she says, “Corporate funding has almost disappeared.” Despite her economic struggles, Sperling persevered, and her company survived thanks to donations from family and friends. While listening to her presentation, one can feel her passion for dancing through the struggles she encountered as an aspiring choreographer. She leaves people with this idea that they, too, should find their own passion and run with it regardless of life’s obstacles.
