Discussion

I watched the “Still/Here” excerpt twice while doing the assignment, once before reading the articles, and once after. Viewing this performance for a second time helped me appreciate this art piece to its fullest extent. In my opinion, Bill T. Jones’s composition is extremely powerful. I love the combination of dramatic red hues with the dancers’ rapid movements and the voices of survivors in the background. The intense color red evokes emotions of fear, combat, lust, willpower, rage, danger, action and determination. The movement of the dancer’s across the stage represents an internal conflict, as no one remains completely grounded throughout the dance. The omniscient voices that repeat themselves throughout “Still/Here” are also an influential tool inserted by Jones; moreover, the conversation of survivors of disease makes the performance extra personal for the audience.

 No matter how much an individual disagrees with a particular art form, one should never treat an artwork with the condescending attitude displayed by Arlene Croce in her article from The New Yorker. I disagree with most of this journalist’s opinions on a performance that she didn’t even make an effort to see. How can one judge something without experiencing it first? The more of the article I read, the more my disgust for Croce grew. I praise Jones for naming his early work; “Fever Swamps” after Croce labeled one of his performances one. This action reminded me of the founding father of impressionist art, Claude Monet. When critics attacked his work, they called it an “impression” of what real art should be. Thus, Monet instantly renamed one of his earliest works “Impression”.

I think it was fascinating that this performance consisted of such a diverse ensemble of dancers. It is rare to find a heavy weight principle dancer, and having the older, large, bald man play the role of the protagonist was a brave choice on the director’s behalf. Moreover, he did a wonderful job of depicting emotions of an individual in internal combat. I am surprised that this performance was so controversial in the nineties, as I cannot imagine articles such as Croce’s being published just a year before I was born. Art should not be over evaluated and interpreted. It should not have expectations. Art is a symbol of freedom and is a personal expression. Therefore, Croce had no credibility to denunciate Jones’s creation using such repulsive language. I would much rather discuss “Still/Here” and leave Arlene Croce’s article “undiscussed”.