Minimalism with Maximum Impact
On October 3rd, 2010, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, a “performing-arts series that informs artistic creation through stimulating conversation and performance”, brought together Composer David Lang, choreographers Jessica Lang and Pontus Lidberg, and the Morphoses dance company for the world premier of “The Music of David Lang Interpreted”. A unique sensuous experience for both the eyes and ears, the event featured two very different dance interpretations of David Lang’s “the so-called laws of nature” and “forced march” in the Peter B. Lewis Theater.
David Lang, a minimalist composer, supplied the musical pieces for the performance: “the so-called laws of nature” and “forced march.” True to the minimalist style of composing, both compositions featured the repetition of musical phrases with incremental variations. However, each piece had a distinct feel to it because of the different instruments and rhythms involved. “the so-called laws of nature”, involved the use of unorthodox instruments such as the glockenspiel, tuned flower-pots, and teacups that gave the song a glassy feel. The musicians played identical melodies on these instruments with slight time variations, which resulted in a tangle of rhythms as well as transient intervals of silence- both of which are not conducive to a dancing performance. In contrast, “forced march” utilized a prominent electric guitar, string instruments, flutes, and percussion instruments to create a melody reminiscent of a military march. To pick such a song for a dance interpretation, in which smooth transitions are valued, did not make sense to me. Although the pieces selected for the interpretation were not very compatible for dance, each had its own distinct attitude, and it was interesting to see how the two choreographers portrayed each one.
Jessica Lang’s “Lang: Music + Lang: Dance,” was an overall aggressive piece, with the dancers performing short, swift motions that focused more on synchronizing with the music than innovation. As such, after a while the performance became repetitive. However, Lang’s depiction of conflict between dancing partners (such as the men dragging the women across the stage) during “forced march” greatly complemented the imperial nature of the music. There were other exceptions as well. During “the so-called laws of nature”, Lang had some of the dancers support the others in walking on the wall, an obvious reference to the title of the musical composition. In “forced march”, Lang had the dancers walk in a line towards the back of the stage, but one by one they violently fell to the ground.
Pontus Lidberg’s interpretation, entitled “Vespertine” focused more on the dancer-to-dancer interactions. Despite the increased physical contact (which included sliding, spinning, and lifting), Lidberg’s piece still flowed well, a testament to Lidberg’s prowess as a choreographer. However, if it was lust and desire he was trying to convey, the dancers did a poor job of portraying such sentiments, as they exhibited a clear lack of energy. Additionally, while the gentle, smooth movements of the piece correlated to the feel of “the so-called laws of nature”, there was no clear change in style when the accompanying song changed to “forced march”. This made for an awkward combination on stage. These slight defects were minor though; as Lidberg’s dance offered a fresh change of pace from the more aggressive style of Jessica Lang’s.
Despite the interlude between “Vespertine” and “Lang: Muisc + Lang: Dance”, which included an interview with Lang and Lidberg moderated by Nancy Dalva, the presentation of these distinct pieces in such a successive manner gave the illusion that many aspects were repeated. While I acknowledge that the best way to fulfill the show’s purpose- which was to highlight the differences in Lang and Lidberg’s choreography with a dance set to the same music- was to show them in fast succession, I could not help but feeling as if I saw many of the same things twice. To remedy this, the interview should have mentioned to the audience what to look for that would differ- the gestures, motions, and timing of the dancers. I believe that this would have added to the “shock value” of how two dance pieces could differ so radically.
In my opinion, the event’s redeeming quality was the music if featured. David Lang’s compositions “forced march” and “the so-called laws of nature”, though examples of minimalism, had maximum impact upon me. Even though I was dissatisfied with what I perceived was the repetitive nature of the dancing, I highly enjoyed listening to the music; in fact, the melodies of David Lang replayed in my head for weeks after the show. That being said, I still maintain that the producers of the show could have done a better job in selecting the music. Music and dance are meant to have a mutually beneficial relationship, not a discordant one, as the music and dance in this show clearly did. While it is unfortunate that an alternative to Lang’s music is needed, the only thing I gained from “The Music of David Lang Interpreted” was a new composer to listen to, not an appreciation of the different styles of choreography.
