On October 4, 2010, the Guggenheim Museum’s Works and Process series featured an interpretation of David Lang’s music by two choreographers, Jessica Lang and Pontus Lidberg. The event was unique in not just that Mr. Lang never intended the music to be put to dance, but that two performances by two different composers were played side by side.
The event started out with a discussion of the Mr. Lang’s two works, called “Forced March” and the “So Called Laws of Nature,” which was quite frankly, a tad dull, although it did provide the audience with a background for what it was about to see. The first dance, choreographed by Jessica Lang, got underway soon after. The music was not at all what one would expect. The first half of the dance or so featured bells rang at different times and volumes, and dancers moving and swaying to this beat. As I sat watching, I imagined how hard it must have been for Ms. Lang to choreograph this music. I noticed that she paid close attention to detail, having her dancers respond directly to each beat and change in rhythm. I started to enjoy the music more once the electric guitar kicked in, and I think this also gave Ms. Lang more space to work with her dancers. Due to the unconventional nature of the music, the dancing was also a bit unconventional, but fascinating to watch nonetheless.
The second dance, choreographed by Pontus Lidberg, paid more attention to the overall mood of the music rather than to each specific beat. I enjoyed this dance more because I felt that Mr. Lidberg’s philosophy gave him a freer hand in directing his dancers to perform in ways that are aesthetically pleasing. In addition, the music started out with an electric guitar, which I enjoyed, although it later phased back into bells.
During the course of the event, I frequently wondered how I would direct the dancers if I was the choreographer, and given the unconventional nature of the music both Ms. Lang and Mr. Lidberg ought to be lauded for their courage in approaching this difficult task. As for the dancers, although I couldn’t help but notice a few mistakes, especially during a moment when Ms. Lang directed her dancers to fall to the floor in time with a harsh, loud, infrequent beat, their performance was praiseworthy, especially due to their dedication to the task at hand. I could tell from looking at the dancers’ faces that nothing else was on their mind except the dance, and I couldn’t help but feel a deep admiration for them, because I knew that if I was in their position such a focus would be difficult for me to achieve.
Overall, the event was an interesting inner look at the world of dance, choreography, and composing, and was well worth attending.
Well done.