Back in the Stone Age, Haglund spent some questionably
productive time in the Iowa Writers' Workshop where students read one another's
work and then sat around a table and said things like: "Wow, I can identify
with that" followed by "Wow, I can really identify with that" followed
by "Why don't you send it to The New Yorker – just to see what they
say." Then dream dasher Professor Leggett would chime in with "Save your
stamps, guys, we're not quite there yet." Back then, it was always a
hard but valuable lesson when Big People asserted their authority and yanked
your head out of the clouds. But that was then and this is now. Today we're
cultivating Generation Y or more aptly Generation Y Not? This is the generation
of no hard lessons. It's been widely described as the generation where everyone
is brought up believing he's a winner just for participating – "the trophy
generation". It's the generation of media-manufactured successes. It's the
generation for whom every creative act is art for which one wants to be
instantly recognized, compensated, and appreciated. This is no truer than in
the field of choreography.
productive time in the Iowa Writers' Workshop where students read one another's
work and then sat around a table and said things like: "Wow, I can identify
with that" followed by "Wow, I can really identify with that" followed
by "Why don't you send it to The New Yorker – just to see what they
say." Then dream dasher Professor Leggett would chime in with "Save your
stamps, guys, we're not quite there yet." Back then, it was always a
hard but valuable lesson when Big People asserted their authority and yanked
your head out of the clouds. But that was then and this is now. Today we're
cultivating Generation Y or more aptly Generation Y Not? This is the generation
of no hard lessons. It's been widely described as the generation where everyone
is brought up believing he's a winner just for participating – "the trophy
generation". It's the generation of media-manufactured successes. It's the
generation for whom every creative act is art for which one wants to be
instantly recognized, compensated, and appreciated. This is no truer than in
the field of choreography.
The doctrine that anything new is better seems to be
pervasive as is the idea that classics need to be re-thought, re-tooled,
re-imagined to make them relevant to the next generation as opposed to
allowing the next generation to mature to a point where it can appreciate what
has stood the test of time. Craftless art product that utilizes no acquired
basic skills and disciplines, but hurls into being like some creative vomit, is
cheered by its makers as the true art of our times. Is this art product
actually art any more than "cheese product" is actually cheese?
pervasive as is the idea that classics need to be re-thought, re-tooled,
re-imagined to make them relevant to the next generation as opposed to
allowing the next generation to mature to a point where it can appreciate what
has stood the test of time. Craftless art product that utilizes no acquired
basic skills and disciplines, but hurls into being like some creative vomit, is
cheered by its makers as the true art of our times. Is this art product
actually art any more than "cheese product" is actually cheese?
Where aspiring artists have no original ideas, they simply
and boldly take someone else's genius and re-manufacture it as their own. The
results are things like Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake and Mats Ek's Giselle. If
Matt and Mats called their pieces something else and did not try to capitalize
on the geniuses and successes of Petipa, Coralli, and Perrot, would the
ticket-buying public pay any attention to them? Would notable ballet dancers
even pay attention to them?
and boldly take someone else's genius and re-manufacture it as their own. The
results are things like Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake and Mats Ek's Giselle. If
Matt and Mats called their pieces something else and did not try to capitalize
on the geniuses and successes of Petipa, Coralli, and Perrot, would the
ticket-buying public pay any attention to them? Would notable ballet dancers
even pay attention to them?
And then there are the matters of what dancers need and
desire in order to express themselves and nurture their talents.
desire in order to express themselves and nurture their talents.
Haglund believes that ballet dancers should do whatever
they want or need to do to fulfill their artistic souls. If they need to go off
and engage in contemporary, unballetic, edgy, experimental performances, they
should certainly do so. Just don't expect your audience to follow you. Your
audience was in love with ballet before you came along and it will be in love
with ballet after you are gone. Don't confuse the audience's love for the
art form as a love of you, and do not be disappointed, resentful, discouraged,
angry or confused when your audience does not follow you on your path. As a
performer, you may know what is best for yourself, but it's not likely that you
know what is best for the audience or the art form. It is not your
responsibility or duty to "shock" the audience, to expand the audience's
interpretation of what ballet is or to "educate" the audience in any way. The
audience is the all-powerful consumer that will wield its dollars as it sees
fit. If it chooses not to wield its dollars at a production or performance, it
is not because the audience is ignorant, unsophisticated, narrow minded or
uncaring. It is because dance as a performance art is also an art that requires
consumption, and consumption decisions are made freely based on a
fluid slew of factors.
they want or need to do to fulfill their artistic souls. If they need to go off
and engage in contemporary, unballetic, edgy, experimental performances, they
should certainly do so. Just don't expect your audience to follow you. Your
audience was in love with ballet before you came along and it will be in love
with ballet after you are gone. Don't confuse the audience's love for the
art form as a love of you, and do not be disappointed, resentful, discouraged,
angry or confused when your audience does not follow you on your path. As a
performer, you may know what is best for yourself, but it's not likely that you
know what is best for the audience or the art form. It is not your
responsibility or duty to "shock" the audience, to expand the audience's
interpretation of what ballet is or to "educate" the audience in any way. The
audience is the all-powerful consumer that will wield its dollars as it sees
fit. If it chooses not to wield its dollars at a production or performance, it
is not because the audience is ignorant, unsophisticated, narrow minded or
uncaring. It is because dance as a performance art is also an art that requires
consumption, and consumption decisions are made freely based on a
fluid slew of factors.
Not many of us live our lives completely fulfilled, not
wanting, not disappointed, not annoyed that we can't do or have something or
other. As people rack up achievements, they change their goals and with that
the renewed opportunity for gains, losses, happiness, and disappointments is
also created. So ballet dancers who want to seek out new performance challenges
and opportunities for themselves should certainly do so. If they need to leave
the art form to do so, so be it. Just don't expect the audience to follow.
Because, once again, the audience was in love with ballet before you arrived,
and it will be in love with ballet after you are gone.
wanting, not disappointed, not annoyed that we can't do or have something or
other. As people rack up achievements, they change their goals and with that
the renewed opportunity for gains, losses, happiness, and disappointments is
also created. So ballet dancers who want to seek out new performance challenges
and opportunities for themselves should certainly do so. If they need to leave
the art form to do so, so be it. Just don't expect the audience to follow.
Because, once again, the audience was in love with ballet before you arrived,
and it will be in love with ballet after you are gone.
Haglund just looked out the window to see that Habitat for
Humanity is building small, old-looking, brick row houses across the street
which blend in with this lower class neighborhood's architecture. Backlash or progress? Perhaps both.
18 responses to “Chest relief”
i am curious to know what prompted this post…the choices of a specific dancer, the direction of a company, or a performance you attended/are planning to attend? couldn’t help but wonder…
i do love your statement “Craftless art product that utilizes no acquired basic skills and disciplines, but hurls into being like some creative vomit, is cheered by its makers as the true art of our times.” But I also do think that there exists the rare case in which what may appear to be creative vomit on the surface, upon deeper investigation, is actually brilliant. Rare, but it does exist. That being said, “new” is not always “better,” just as you pointed out…it doesn’t always take us forward, as it should if we are going to even bother indulging both it and ourselves.
i am curious to know what prompted this post…the choices of a specific dancer, the direction of a company, or a performance you attended/are planning to attend? couldn’t help but wonder…
i do love your statement “Craftless art product that utilizes no acquired basic skills and disciplines, but hurls into being like some creative vomit, is cheered by its makers as the true art of our times.” But I also do think that there exists the rare case in which what may appear to be creative vomit on the surface, upon deeper investigation, is actually brilliant. Rare, but it does exist. That being said, “new” is not always “better,” just as you pointed out…it doesn’t always take us forward, as it should if we are going to even bother indulging both it and ourselves.
Hi “a” and thanks for your comment.
The above post was not prompted by anything specifically, but perhaps a collection of happenings over the past year or longer.
Haglund agrees with you that there are rare cases where an initial glance at a creative performance product may not yield the underlying brilliance of its art and craft.
Hi “a” and thanks for your comment.
The above post was not prompted by anything specifically, but perhaps a collection of happenings over the past year or longer.
Haglund agrees with you that there are rare cases where an initial glance at a creative performance product may not yield the underlying brilliance of its art and craft.
Bourne’s Swan Lake is so annoying!!! It is so self-satisfied and annoying.
Bourne’s Swan Lake is so annoying!!! It is so self-satisfied and annoying.
Hi Andrew. Thanks for reading Haglund’s Heel. Have to agree with your comment.
Hi Andrew. Thanks for reading Haglund’s Heel. Have to agree with your comment.
More than a few friends who are never interested in dance and the ballet have asked me to go see Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake. Mostly, this makes me sad. I couldn’t get anyone to watch Alina Cojocaru with me this spring, and yet my dear friends are lining up to see this “reinterpretation.”
In fairness, I haven’t seen Matthew Bourne’s production. I know that in general, I don’t like spoofs–I am a Star Wars and not a Spaceballs fan and I still haven’t seen the Trocs (perhaps I should let up a bit on that last one). I want my high art to be my high art. And a theatrical experience–like Cirque du Soleil–to be just that. And I find the retelling of Swan Lake to be almost calculated.
I could be wrong. The dancing and choreography could be truly unusual. But I suspect a night at BAM would do a better job of stretching my chops than this show.
The one silver lining would be if said friends would start to support real ballet. But I don’t know if that will happen. I’m old enough not to be and feel so disillusioned. But I think that the high arts are not always easy for people to grasp.
I always enjoy your posts, Haglund (and the never-ending supply of fabulous footwear).
More than a few friends who are never interested in dance and the ballet have asked me to go see Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake. Mostly, this makes me sad. I couldn’t get anyone to watch Alina Cojocaru with me this spring, and yet my dear friends are lining up to see this “reinterpretation.”
In fairness, I haven’t seen Matthew Bourne’s production. I know that in general, I don’t like spoofs–I am a Star Wars and not a Spaceballs fan and I still haven’t seen the Trocs (perhaps I should let up a bit on that last one). I want my high art to be my high art. And a theatrical experience–like Cirque du Soleil–to be just that. And I find the retelling of Swan Lake to be almost calculated.
I could be wrong. The dancing and choreography could be truly unusual. But I suspect a night at BAM would do a better job of stretching my chops than this show.
The one silver lining would be if said friends would start to support real ballet. But I don’t know if that will happen. I’m old enough not to be and feel so disillusioned. But I think that the high arts are not always easy for people to grasp.
I always enjoy your posts, Haglund (and the never-ending supply of fabulous footwear).
Hi Marie and thanks for your comment. FYI there are clips of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake on YouTube if you’re interested in getting a taste of the production.
Haglund agrees that it can be difficult to introduce adults to ballet, particularly if they are not already fans of classical music or opera or art. You have to be devious. For men, oftentimes a few judiciously placed or emailed photos of Veronika Part will perk the ears. For women, photos of Marcelo Gomes as Othello or Bocca and Ferri in Manon can stir them into allowing you to buy a ticket for them. But Haglund has found that he nearly ALWAYS has to buy the first couple of tickets for any newbie. Sometimes you just have to put the person in a cab and not tell him where you’re going. Take a circuitous route to Lincoln Center; then throw a hood over his head, cuff ’em, and drag him into the theater. You do what ya gotta do.
Hi Marie and thanks for your comment. FYI there are clips of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake on YouTube if you’re interested in getting a taste of the production.
Haglund agrees that it can be difficult to introduce adults to ballet, particularly if they are not already fans of classical music or opera or art. You have to be devious. For men, oftentimes a few judiciously placed or emailed photos of Veronika Part will perk the ears. For women, photos of Marcelo Gomes as Othello or Bocca and Ferri in Manon can stir them into allowing you to buy a ticket for them. But Haglund has found that he nearly ALWAYS has to buy the first couple of tickets for any newbie. Sometimes you just have to put the person in a cab and not tell him where you’re going. Take a circuitous route to Lincoln Center; then throw a hood over his head, cuff ’em, and drag him into the theater. You do what ya gotta do.
If it wasn’t for seeing Matthew Bourne’s “Swan Lake”, I wouldn’t be typing in your comments section. I first encountered it at the end of the movie “Billy Elliot” where the title character as an adult dances the lead in the MB production.
I saw it on tour here in Los Angeles was blown away by the last 10 minutes (I liked the rest too but not to that degree). The image of all those hunky male swans devouring the Swan on that huge bed as the Prince watches helplessly is seared in my memory.
MB’s SL was my gateway drug to becoming the casual ballet queen that I am.
If it wasn’t for seeing Matthew Bourne’s “Swan Lake”, I wouldn’t be typing in your comments section. I first encountered it at the end of the movie “Billy Elliot” where the title character as an adult dances the lead in the MB production.
I saw it on tour here in Los Angeles was blown away by the last 10 minutes (I liked the rest too but not to that degree). The image of all those hunky male swans devouring the Swan on that huge bed as the Prince watches helplessly is seared in my memory.
MB’s SL was my gateway drug to becoming the casual ballet queen that I am.
Hi Henry. Thanks much for your comment. Love the metaphor of SL being a gateway drug. I hope you get the opportunity to see the (Angel)Corella Ballet Castilla y Leon which will be in Los Angeles Nov 5-7 and in Santa Barbara on Nov 8. It is one of the most musically diverse and choreographically diverse programs to be touring the U.S. right now. Unfortunately, the company passed up NYC this year – they were here last year to great acclaim. If you get the chance to see them, let us know what you think.
Haglund
Hi Henry. Thanks much for your comment. Love the metaphor of SL being a gateway drug. I hope you get the opportunity to see the (Angel)Corella Ballet Castilla y Leon which will be in Los Angeles Nov 5-7 and in Santa Barbara on Nov 8. It is one of the most musically diverse and choreographically diverse programs to be touring the U.S. right now. Unfortunately, the company passed up NYC this year – they were here last year to great acclaim. If you get the chance to see them, let us know what you think.
Haglund
I remember now that I have seen snippets of choreography on Youtube. Promptly forgot about the experience till you reminded me. I’ll still be skipping the “show.”
I remember now that I have seen snippets of choreography on Youtube. Promptly forgot about the experience till you reminded me. I’ll still be skipping the “show.”