“Tell Me How To Fight” – New York New York

When I watched the Still/Here Video excerpt, I had not the slightest idea what was going on. It seemed abstract and the dancers seemed to move independently, yet in unison. The music threw me off because it sounded like the voices of real people, just talking in a certain beat. The phrase “tell me how to fight” stuck with me, but little did I know that this was referring to the fight against terminal illness. When I learned that the idea behind Still/Here was to show people coping with various diseases such as HIV and cancer, I was uncertain about how I felt about that. I was definitely confused to say the least, it looked a little like this:

As someone who wants to pursue a career in medicine, I was skeptical about whether or not a dance performance about the lives of terminally ill patients is appropriate. I think it’s a very serious topic, and for some reason, I automatically assumed that a dance performance about it, would take away some of that seriousness. I then realized how ridiculously ignorant that was on my part, and how I can’t judge this performance without experiencing it first. Why can’t this interpretation be appreciated as any other form of art? After all, there are people who find this to be a sublime form of art:

After reading Arlene Croce’s criticism of the performance, I realized I was not the only ignorant one. After admitting to not seeing the performance, she continues to write about how she disapproves of the “victimizing” nature of this show. She writes that Bill T. Jones “takes sanctuary among the unwell,” and accuses him of using these ill people in his show, as a form of making his audience feel “cowed” by this performance. After doing further research, I saw that Bill T. Jones choreographed this show after hosting a series of support groups, during which he met with terminally ill patients, and they agreed to partake in his choreographic process. Everyone who participated in the show, knowingly did so, so I don’t really see why it is an issue that these “victims” are portrayed. I think in a sense this show could be beautiful because maybe it’ll elicit a sense of day-to-day appreciation for the little things in life, that many of us tend to overlook.

krystalau says:

November 4, 2014 at 9:19 pm

Like you, I was very confused when I first watched the excerpt of Still/Here. I was not sure what to expect, but I did not expect that. But after learning what Still/Here is about, the video made a lot more sense. I did not know that Bill T. Jones did so much research like hosting support groups with terminally ill patients. I think that is very interesting and shows that he is very serious about his work. The fact that these patients agreed to assist him with the choreographic process, shows that they gave him permission to sort of display their lives on stage and how illnesses has affected them. So I do not agree with Croce and how she describes them as “victims.” However, I do agree with you that this show can make people more appreciative of their lives and all the things that people take for granted.

Beatrice Margolin says:

November 4, 2014 at 11:07 pm

I do not believe there is anything wrong with not understanding an art form seeing as art is subjective and even particular, but I also do not think it is right to judge a work without at least attempting to understand where it is thematically and artistically coming from. Without having background knowledge on this performance I would definitely have enjoyed it much less, or maybe even not at all, so I agree with your acknowledgement that there is a level of ignorance behind simply decreeing that art is “bad,” as all forms of art encompass a much larger story. Croce seemed to understand yet then dismiss and underwrite what Jones was going for in this performance because the topics and the subjects it explored were not anything she agreed should have a place in modern dance. Personally, I think art is only strengthened if it has social and political undertones, and I think art is truly a platform for people to tell their stories.

Sydney Marino says:

November 5, 2014 at 2:01 pm

First off, I loved the last GIF you posted! It was funny and it is true that anything can be art. I was a little confused first about the meaning of the dance as well. When I realized the theme I completely for it. This dance is kind of like a public service announcement I guess in a way to let people know the feelings of people who are terminally ill. Also, it really makes people realize we need to seize the day. All in all though, I understand that at first people might take offense to this.