Attending a rehearsal of John Jasperse’s From once between merits a different kind of dance analysis than would seeing just any other dance performance on stage. In seeing Jasperse’s dancers rehearse, we were invited into a realm of dance the layperson is not normally exposed to–the realm of mistakes, of revision, and of change. What we were shown on Thursday was not a perfect, completed product; in fact, based on the nature of the practice and on Jasperse’s analysis of his own work, it would appear that the piece is not even close to being finished. In many ways, having the chance to view a work of dance pre-finalization was an even more insightful and in-depth experience than I thought it would be.
Jasperse’s choreography is simultaneously delicate and powerful. The first segment his dancers, Simon and Stuart, rehearsed was at first quiet and almost ballet-like in technique and style. The music they initially practiced to was a steady pulse of gentle piano chords, which I actually found to be much more fitting and complementary to the movement than was the whisper/chanting track that the dance was later paired with. Although the latter is what this section of the performance will eventually be danced to, it is interesting to note that in the process of rehearsal, the dance is not always done to the final piece of musical accompaniment. Either for the sake of timing or rhythm, Jasperse found it more suitable at that particular moment in the rehearsal to use a different backing track, which spoke to his flexibility and versatility as a choreographer and a teacher. There was such a contrast between the two background tracks, however, that I couldn’t help but wish that the dance could actually be done to the first metronomic piece, simply because I found the atmosphere to be more powerful.
The next segment Simon and Stuart rehearsed was much more dynamic and active then the first. Their movements exploded more rapidly across the dance floor and they made use of their space very well. The choreography was extremely engaging and the dancers were able to transfer the vibrancy of their movements from the floor to the tips of their limbs with surprising ease. I was particularly impressed by Simon’s technique and precision, which provide him with a weightlessness and effortlessness in movement that is quite beautiful to watch. He seemed to float from the ground into the air and back down again all in one constant, fluid motion. In this section, we also witnessed the influence of background music on the overall effect of the choreography. At first, the dance was practiced without any music so that Simon and Stuart could get their synchronization and timing correct. Then Jasperse turned on an upbeat, throwback track that sounded like it came from the 60s or 70s. The movement suddenly took on a different meaning and I saw it relative to the happier mood of the music, though I wasn’t sure if that was Jasperse’s intention. I found myself preferring the dance when it had been done without music, perhaps because I was able to just focus on the intricacies and nuances of the movement when there was no music to alter my perception.
John Jasperse’s rehearsal was so intriguing to witness because there was almost nothing concretely defined. He said himself that he was unsure of whether he was achieving his purpose of dissociating himself from his work to create a greater emergence. He wondered whether that was a failure on his part or a failure of the dance in its premise. Perhaps it is impossible for an artist to ever truly distance himself from his work, his style, his ideas. Even with Jasperse’s “chance dance” method of deciding choreography, it seemed that he still largely shaped the movements himself to create a desired effect, such as the “spiral” he was striving for in the first segment. When it came to music choices, it seemed as if Jasperse purposely picked tracks that would be jarringly different next to his choreography as a means to further separate his work from his stylistic identity. This mainly just lent a sense of confusion and uncertainty to the rehearsal, however, that was at times troubling, but also revealing of Jasperse’s unique identity as a choreographer and as a intelligent thinker.
At the same time, there is something very self-aware in Jasperse’s choreography and in his creative process. It seems that he knows that what he is attempting to do is a challenge and his choices in movement and music reflect this knowledge. His dancers too dance with an awareness and understanding of Jasperse’s artistic vision and I got the sense that all three of them were thinking and acting on quite the same wavelength. I really admired the amount of ongoing collaboration between Jasperse and his dancers and the respect that Stuart and Simon gave to Jasperse as their superior even while joking around and laughing with him as a friend. The rehearsal really was a rare opportunity to see dancers as more than just emotionless figures dancing across a stage. We got to witness their rise and fall and all the hard work that goes into creating just a few minutes of completed choreography. We witnessed their mistakes and failed attempts, but also their moments of glory and beauty in dance. Seeing Jasperse’s rehearsal reminded me that these dancers are human and that dance is a powerfully human endeavor. Just like people, dance is subject to change and it is shaped as much by its mistakes as it is by its successes.
–Norine Chan (Blog A)
