Dance Central January / February 2015

January/February 2015

Dance Central A Dance Centre Publication

Content Contact A conversation with Peter Bingham Page 2

Thinking Bodies Vanessa Goodman and Jane Osborne of The Contingency Plan Page 10

Welcome to Dance Central.

This issue features two conversations with three Vancouver-based dance artists from different generations, and an interesting contrast between the way they reflect on their practice, on dance as an artistic form, on interdisciplinarity and on the challenges that dance presents.

The first is a conversation with Peter Bingham, artistic director since 1989 of EDAM, in which he talks about his ongoing relationship to contact improvisation, music, space and football—and what Hank Bull taught him about making video.

The Thinking Bodies series of performers' portraits continues with Jane Osborne and Vanessa Goodman of The Contingency Plan collective, and their reflections on the role of collectives, of the relationship between the roles of interpreter and creator, and on what it means to support each other's practice.

As always, we thank all the artists who have agreed to contribute and we welcome new writing and project ideas at any time, in order to continue to make Dance Central a more vital link to the community. Please send material by email to members@thedancecentre.ca. or call us at 604.606.6416 We look forward to the conversation!

Andreas Kahre, Editor

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Dance Central Januar y/Februar y 2015

A conversation with

Peter Bingham

Born in Vancouver in 1951, Peter Bingham, while studying at Simon Fraser University, discovered dance with Linda Rubin, his first teacher. She introduced him to improvisation and modern dance techniques. In 1976, American dance artists Nancy Stark Smith and Steve Paxton, two of the leading proponents of Contact, visited and taught in Vancouver. Bingham studied with both Paxton and Stark-Smith, becoming a good friend of these artists and a committed practitioner of Contact. In 1977, after working for a number of years with Linda Rubin’s company, Synergy, Bingham co-founded Fulcrum with Andrew Harwood and Helen Clarke.

For two years, Fulcrum presented Contact-based dance performances and workshops in Vancouver and across Canada. In 1982, Bingham joined seven independent dance artists to form the dance collective, EDAM. In 1989, Bingham became EDAM’s sole Artistic Director. Since then, he has implemented the Company’s ongoing program of choreographed productions, improvisational projects, workshops, classes and residencies.

AK: As I have been talking to dance artists in Vancouver in the context of Dance Central for the past three years, many have pointed to you as one of the most important teachers, and to contact improvisation as a central element of their training and practice. Has it changed in the last twenty-five years, since you took over EDAM. PB: It has been more than forty years for me, starting at the Western Front, in 1975, and then from 1982 as a member of EDAM, and yes, it has changed. Contact almost faded a couple of times, but I have kept it fairly lively because I always had a strong sense that there was something deeper in contact improvisation than was generally accepted. For a while, it had become a 'thing' that people thought was fun to do, more than to watch. My attitude has been that with improvisation, people have to put in the time to take their dancing to a higher level that keeps audiences involved. It has also changed for me just because I am getting older. I don't like just flipping around any more. I like fluidity and efficiency and timing and spatiality, and other elements that get incorporated. Recently, I have been working more with those elements in mind.

CONTACT Dance Central Januar y/Februar y 2015

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Dance Central The Dance Centre Scotiabank Dance Centre Level 6, 677 Davie Street Vancouver BC V6B 2G6 T 604.606.6400 F 604.606.6401 info@thedancecentre.ca www.thedancecentre.ca

Contact:

Peter Bingham

Dance Central is published every two months by The Dance Centre for its members and for the dance community. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent Dance Central or The Dance Centre.

The editor reserves the right to edit for clarity or length, or to meet house requirements.

Editor Andreas Kahre Copy Editor Hilary Maxwell Contributors to this issue: Peter Bingham, Vanessa Goodman, Jane Osborne.

Cover Photo: Robert Kitsos in EDAM's Resolutions, by Chris Randle Dance Centre Board Members Chair Ingrid M. Tsui Vice Chair Gavin Ryan Secretary Margaret Grenier Treasurer Matthew Breech Directors Susan Elliott Anusha Fernando Beau Howes, CFA Kate Lade Anndraya T. Luui Josh Martin Starr Muranko

Dance Foundation Board Members Chair Linda Blankstein Secretary Anndraya T. Luui Treasurer Jennifer Chung Directors Trent Berry, Kimberley Blackwell, Grant Strate, Janice Wells, Andrea R. Wink Dance Centre Staff: Executive Director Mirna Zagar Programming Coordinator Raquel Alvaro Marketing Manager Heather Bray Venue and Services Administrator Anne Daroussin Development Director Sheri Urquhart Technical Directors Justin Aucoin and Mark Eugster Accountant Elyn Dobbs Member Services Coordinator Hilary Maxwell

AK: In the music community, improvisation has changed over the past twenty years as it began to incorporate structured, composed elements, ensemble conducting, and developed into a form that is sometimes refered to as 'Musique Actuelle'.

PB: That combination has always been a part of my work—I have been choreographing set material since the mid-80s, and in the mid-90s started improvising along with my set material. Now I actually make improvisations that are pieces, and where I improvise all the time. I also danced, rather than improvised with my company in the 80s and 90s but eventually there was too much distance between them and me in age and experience, and I have been dancing more with national and international guests, many of them recurring.

AK: In the relationship with these recurring guests, how much time passes between meetings?

PB: It depends. They are all from out of town, and some, like Chris Aiken and Ray Chung, I have worked with fairly often. We first met in 1990 in New York and have met more than a dozen times since. There is also Andrew Harwood and Marc Boivin from the Echo Case that I performed with every year for fifteen years, and that kind of improvising has been consistent in its quality, if not its output. There are many others, I worked with as well, such as Nancy Stark Smith, Steve Paxton,

The Dance Centre is BC's primary resource centre for the dance profession and the public. The activities of The Dance Centre are made possible by numerous individuals. Many thanks to our members, volunteers, community peers, board of directors and the public for your ongoing commitment to dance in BC. Your suggestions and feedback are always welcome. The operations of The Dance Centre are supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Province of British Columbia, the BC Arts Council, and the City of Vancouver through the Office of Cultural Affairs.

Lisa Nelson, KJ Holmes, Karen Nelson, and Simone Forti. They all, and especially Harwood and Boivin, are inspired and educated improvisers, and they work from a very mindful perspective.

AK: Do young dancers keep coming to you?

PB: Yes, not all of them, but there is a steady flow who come through here, and then there is a mid-range—in

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PB: I think of it as street dance in a fusion with contemexperience, rather than age— that is still here. I teach a

porary technique. They work a lot horizontally; and they

daily class here.

like speed, but that is perhaps a function of age. I did, too, when I was younger, but now I am more interested in

AK: Is the fusion of different forms and techniques, in-

finesse—I don't mean that they don't have finesse, but I

cluding ballet, more common now among young con-

mean an interest in shifting speeds and in shifting timing,

temporary dancers than it used to be?

and in embodiment.

PB: A lot of the younger companies are doing different

AK: Has your relationship to music changed during this

kinds of fusion; I wouldn't call them contemporary but

time?

'new dance'—and they use ballet, and they improvise. I have always enjoyed working with ballet dancers. I find

PB: It has always been pretty diverse; I have always worked

it easier to translate my work onto a ballet dancer than a

with improvising friends whose playing I have enjoyed im-

traditional modern dancer.

mensely, but I have also had music composed, and I have sometimes worked with classical music as well—especially

AK: Why?

Bach.

PB: Honestly, I think it has to do with the axis—the axis of

AK: Has any one ensemble or musical relationship become

the spine. Ballet dancers are used to spinning vertically,

more prevalent?

and we do a lot of spinning, horizontally and vertically, and a lot of disorientation stuff, and the ballet dancers

PB: Well, you settle in with people. I started off work-

seem to do that fairly easily whereas the modern danc-

ing with Lunar Adventures— Ron Samworth, Coat Cooke,

ers have to go through a longer process because they are

Gregg Simpson, and Clyde Reed. I know of many interest-

more grounded and they don't seem to free up as easily.

ing local musicians, but I like to be loyal and I like to build

That's my theory.

something, so for improvising music the people I have worked with have been pretty steady. As for compos-

AK: I have been asking people if the traditional

ers—aside from Ron and Coat, I have been working with

division between ballet and modern has been replaced

Mark Stewart off and on for about three years. I also like to

by a blending of techniques.

combine the forms. My last major piece, City of Crows had a twenty minute segment with (Montreal based electro-

PB: Yes, that is happening, but it has always happened,

acoustic composer ) Diane Labrosse and three of my

even in EDAM. In 1982, when it started, Barbara Bour-

dancers improvising and then it moved on to a set with

get, for example, was a ballet dancer, and she hired Arin

a composition by Mark Stewart. More recently, I worked

Shields to do contemporary work with her. Those kinds of

quite a lot with Peggy Lee and I have really enjoyed work-

mixes have always been going on, especially in this city.

ing with the cello. I have had an attraction to the cello all these years, even when working with Bach.

AK: What do you call new dance?

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"I'm not trying to get more out of dancing than dancing can give.

Dancing is a subtle artform, and I think we expect too much of it.

And when you expect a little less, you get more out of it. "

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Contact:

Peter Bingham

AK: As an aside, I share your passion about the cello—I fell in love with the electric cello five years ago, and it has completely transformed my music-making...

PB: People say that it is the instrument most closely related to the human body—because of how its size correlates to our size, and our resonance. I like music to move me more these days; I like dancing more than improvising, and recently I have been more interested in actually dancing and listening to music and making choices related to that.

AK: Do you approach improvisation differently because of that?

PB: I think improvising—even if we don't want it to—implies acting, speaking, a kind of singing with your body, shennanigans, interrelationships between you and the musicians that aren't musical but in the dance, interrelationships with the audience which isn't dancing—for example, I sometimes talk to the audience when I'm performing—all of those things add up to scenarios, or theatrical events, or even clowning sometimes. I don't like to think of myself as a clown for some reason, but I think that humor is a very attractive thing, when it's not being pushed. These days I am more willing to setttle down and to actually just see where the dance will take me.

AK: How do you do that?

PB: I stay with my body, and I work; I guess I'm more patient.

I'm not trying to get more out of dancing than dancing can give. Dancing is a subtle artform, and I think we expect too much of it. And when you expect a little less, you get more out of it. It's a kind of contradiction, but I think it is true.

AK: Do you have a sense of why that expectation applies to dance?

PB: Oh, it's being touted as 'high art'. In my mind that's trying to justify it beyond its means, and therefore give it a reputation that it is difficult, and hard to understand, when it is really to be felt rather than understood.

AK: Have the audiences followed you through the years?

PB: Some have. Like with anything else, people come, they get interested for a while and then they move on. I am like that with music: I keep a general interest in music, and I get interested in one composer, and eventually move on to another. It's not disrespect but you wear them thin.

AK: That makes me think of Arvo Pärt...

PB: That's definitely overworked music. I get frustrated and I don't understand why dancers don't own the fact that the music is the emotion in any presentation of dance, and that silence is really strong music. I feel that if you let the music be the emotion then you don't have to fake the emotions, you just embody the music, and the process of doing that is the actual sensation.

AK: With improvising music, audiences have remained consistently small—no matter who you are and where you go, you find a room full of eighty, albeit enthusiastic, people. Is it the same for contact improvisation?

PB: Yes, it has remained the same. I would venture to say that the EDAM audience is more 'artistic' than the people who go to larger venues where they might feel that there is more prestige attached. Some of the work in the large venues is actually great, and of course it is nice to see companies succeed and move up to larger audiences. EDAM did, twenty years ago, when we could sell out a couple of nights at the Playhouse. Now you would have to put on a real push just to get that much attention.

AK: Speaking of PuSh; has the festival made a difference for EDAM, in terms of programming or performance opportunities?

PB: Not really. It's a great festival, and I am glad it has been a success, but it has changed when you can perform, because between PuSh, Chutzpah and the Vancouver International Dance Festival, the first three months of the year are full, so my shows now tend to be in April/May, or Dance Central September 2004

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Contact:

Peter Bingham

are Curious Georges, which is very important: Even if you are going over old stuff, if you are truly curious, it usually comes off.

in October/November. We are lucky, because having a venue

AK: Are there people you are curious about working with?

means that we can pick our dates.

PB: Oh yes, there are lots of dancers I would like to work AK: Being in this space has been a big part of EDAM's identity,

with, but I am also loyal. When people have been work-

by itself, and in connection to other disciplines at the Western

ing with me for eighteen, twenty years, I would have to

Front.

have a reason for not working with them. I do force myself to bring new dancers in, and there are many I would

PB: It's a beautiful performance space. I can't tell you the

like to work with—but can't afford. There are also many

number of people who come here and watch a performance

musicians, designers, video artists and others. People

and say: "How come dance looks so good in here?". Person-

may not know this, but between Chris Randle and myself,

ally, I think it's because dance needs to be seen up close and

we create most of my video and interdisciplinary work

personal. We can create a professional environment, and the

together.

wood floor is much warmer than a piece of black plastic, so even though our audience situation is not that comfortable,

AK: What do you think of when you say 'interdisciplinary'?

we put on very successful shows, with improvisation and choreographers, and we create a fusion with a mix of pieces

PB: When I say interdisciplinary, I mean integrating video,

and a mix of audiences.

lighting, music—live or pre-written— and occasionally text, with movement. Those are the elements. And, of

AK: When you improvise in performance, do you have a

course, I have grown up at the Western Front and have

favourite length?

seen lots of performance art, poetry, music, and video art.

PB: Fifty minutes. I can go longer but I tend to feel like I am

AK: How do you find working with video and dance at the

pushing. Any shorter doesn't really give you the time to

same time?

develop things. Sometimes you start with something, and you have to stay there for a while to find out what it is, and

PB: It's very challenging. I like the idea of it, but video, like

then you need the time to develop it with an audience. We

TV, demands your attention in the space, and it is difficult

have learned that the highlights don't all have to come at the

to light dance with video playing. Recently, I have learned

beginning. You have to create space, create timing, and then

to put the video on by itself, and then dance, and even-

you have to use the space, which a lot of improvisers tend

tually let the two overlap. The last piece I made had six

to forget when they begin: Dance here for a while, and then

video clips, and for the first three we cleared the stage,

dance over there, and connect the lines, or do the dancing

then integrated more as time went by and the audience

through the space.

became confident that it was going to stay the same, so that their attention shifted back to the dance. I learned an

AK: Do the people you teach now approach dance differently

important technique from Hank Bull years ago—although

from the early days of the company?

he doesn't know this: We went into the forest up Squamish way, and I went shooting this and that, while Hank

PB: Oh yes, release technique is much more accepted, and

put his camera on a rock, focused on a tree and walked

common than it was when I began. I feel that ballet and

away from it. When I looked at the videos, his was solid

release technique together have kept the house shifting. And

and mine was busy, frantic and undeveloped, and I went

if you look at the younger companies, the dancing is differ-

"Ah!". So unless I am trying to create 'juice' by moving the

ent. Companies like Out Innerspace or 605 Collective—they

camera, I keep it still. For example, I set it up at Cambie

are very different but they all have a lot of integrity, and they

and 47th Avenue, looking down toward the Fraser River, and zoomed in close enough so that aircraft on their way

8 D a n3c e D Ca enc t rea lC Jeann turaar ly /SFee p b rt ueam r yb e 2 0r 1250 0 4

to YVR filled the frame. I have done this with clouds, and crows

about the dynamic. The things they can achieve are stun-

as well, and then, one day, I was working with two guys, who

ning. It's athletic choreography, and the only sport I let myself

were like rocket ships, so I put the planes behind them and it

watch.

worked!

AK: I originally wanted to have this conversation during the AK: Have you worked with GoPro cameras?

year that Dance Central had a theme of 'legacies'. Many dancers mention you as having created a legacy as a teacher and as

PB: No, although Chris has a couple of them. I am interested,

a dancer. How do you think about it?

but it is very trendy right now; everybody is using them; they are even putting them on hockey helmets so you can look at the

PB: Well, I am still working, happily, and I want people to know

game from the inside. I'm interested, but not if it distracts from

that. Legacies happen around you, and you can't influence that

the dancing.

by talking about your work, or how good you are. It happens in how the work influences others.

"I think improvising implies

acting, speaking,

a kind of singing with your body, shennanigans, interrelationships between you and the

musicians that aren't musical but in the dance, interrelationships with the audience which isn't dancing" AK: Speaking of hockey, you are a great sports fan, I am told.

AK: Did you ever consider leaving Vancouver?

PB: An American football fan. I grew up playing hockey, but when I got into my twenties it became so brutal that I lost interest; per-

PB: Once I tried to move to Montréal, but I'm glad it didn't

haps also because it was the time of the hippie thing, and hockey

pan out. I have really been able to do the work that interests

was antithetical to peace and love. Then I discovered football in

me here in Vancouver, and I haven't had to cater to what is

the early Nineties.

trendy— Contact was really untrendy for a while, and it was my stubborn determination —which is rare; I am not really stub-

AK: Not exactly a peaceful sport...

born—to stay with it. I really understand that it is something deeper, and now it has travelled around the world, and it is

PB: It's not, but I'm less concerned about that aspect now that I'm

four or five layers thick.

no longer trying to be a hippie. Football for me is about watching the choreography, and seeing people achieve amazing feats

AK: Thank you!

physically that are not pre-planned—speaking of improvising.

There is a pre-planned choreography, and then there is what you do when it's not working, and both things are always being applied to both sides. It is also the one sport where you get big fat guys, really tall, skinny guys, and short, squat, muscular guys, all on one field, and there are really big thinkers—people organizing defense and offense on both teams who really understand a lot

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THE CONTINGENCY PLAN

Thinking Bodies: A conversation with VANESSA GOODMAN and JANE OSBORNE

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AK: This series focuses on conversations with dance artists

JO: The impetus for working together came from a shared

whose practice is informed by their work as performers, as

desire to create opportunities for continued professional

well as creators, in a context where the hierarchy between

development, which included beginning to apply for grants.

dancers and choreographer is being replaced by a more

It was always, and continues to be, a very egalitarian part-

amalgamated model. How do you think of yourselves in the

nership, with specific roles coming about through a recogni-

spectrum between performer and choreographer?

tion of each other’s strengths. In more recent years, we have undertaken projects that stem from one person’s creative

VG: Jane and I have had quite a bit of dialogue about what we

interest and, without assigning, we have worked together to

are and what we do. I like to think of myself as a dance artist;

realize that project, embracing the various roles somewhat

that is to say as a performer/choreographer/interpreter/col-

seamlessly. I think this is a large part of our collaboration-

laborator—in the framework of a practice that encompasses all

meaning that how we support each other and the projects

of these aspects.

that we choose to do as a collective, is exemplary of our long-time partnership and friendship.

JO: As a dance artist you ride this spectrum, prioritizing your various roles day by day, as needed. There is so much to be

AK: The word collective appears frequently in describing

gained from a fluid artistic practice – interpreting informs

how dance artists work together, but for collectives to suc-

creation and vice versa.

ceed, they rely on managing and matching shifting assumptions and expectations, which can be a challenge over time.

AK: When you started working together, did you distribute

You have had a collective for seven years now, since 2008.

roles between the then three of you?

How have you kept it working for that length of time?

VG: At the beginning we were equally interested in creating

VG: I think one way that we have been able to keep it

and performing, and an important aspect of our mandate was

functioning is through flux. We have been able to adapt to

to commission senior artists to create works on the three of us.

our individual needs but also to our collective needs, so the

We were emerging artists when we started, and we wanted to

framework of the collective has expanded and shifted and

garner information from senior artists in a process that would

acted as an umbrella for us over time. We didn’t have a hard

provide a learning experience. So the commissioning was a

definition of what the collective was, but we knew what our

major aspect, and then we fell more into the roles of interpret-

mandate was and what kind of work interested us, in terms

ing, creating and finally producing shows.

The Contingency Plan is a Vancouver-based contemporary dance collective that commissions, creates and produces innovative new works of live performance. Led by Co-Directors Vanessa Goodman and Jane Osborne, the collective is a vehicle for open artistic collaboration, experimentation and facilitation. They approach each creative process with curiosity, patience and commitment, devising highly physical work that is inspired by our shared human experience: thoughtful, experiential and unpredictable. With every new project, new artistic collaborations are developed through a shared process of creation with all artists involved.

Commissions include original works by Serge Bennathan, Justine A. Chambers, Tara Cheyenne-Friedenberg and James Gnam. Their work has been presented in BC, Ontario and the Yukon. They have co-produced several full-evening productions, including The Interplay Project, an interdisciplinary performance lab series.

Vanessa Goodman is a Vancouver-based dance artist and Co-Artistic Director of The Contingency Plan. She received her early dance training in Toronto from Canadian Children's Dance Theatre, PBJ Dance Projects and Etobicoke School for the Arts. Vanessa holds a BFA from Simon Fraser University and is the recipient of the 2013 Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award. As a choreographer, recent commissions include the Dancing on the Edge Festival, Arts Umbrella, The Gwaii Trust, and the SFU Dance Program. Over the past two years, Vanessa has had her work presented by The Dance Centre, Vancouver Biennale, Dances for a Small Stage, The City of West Vancouver, The Vancouver Global Dance Exchange, Dance Allsorts, The Virtual

Stage Theatre Company and The Cultch. Vanessa has facilitated workshops and master classes throughout British Columbia. She also sits on the board of CADA-BC and is a certified Method PMI Pilates educator.

Jane Osborne is a contemporary dance artist, educator, fully-certified Pilates instructor and CoArtistic Director of The Contingency Plan. Since graduating from Simon Fraser University with a BFA in Dance, she has continued her training both at home, and abroad in Europe and the US. As an interpreter, Jane has worked independently with Justine A. Chambers, Tara Cheyenne-Friedenberg (Tara Cheyenne Performance), Jennifer Clarke Dance Projects, Judith Garay (Dancers Dancing), Alvin Tolentino (Co. Erasga), Rob Kitsos, Ziyian Kwan (dumb instrument Dance), James Gnam (the plastic orchid factory), Vancouver Opera, Chengxin Wei (Moving Dragon) and Conrad Alexandrowicz (Wild Excursions Performance), among others. As a creator, Jane works primarily on collaborative projects with The Contingency Plan, but also dabbles in dance on film together with filmmaker Jeff Pelletier, and is currently working on a solo project. Upcoming projects include: 605 Collective, Vanessa Goodman, Rob Kitsos and the plastic orchid factory. Jane is on the board of the Training Society of Vancouver.

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Contact: www.contingencyplan.ca

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Thinking Bodies: A conversation with

The Contingency Plan

from different disciplines to your medium, and how that affects and changes your medium.

AK: Thinking back to when the Canada Council started the Inter-Arts office, there were many and often contentious

continued from page 11

debates attempting to define what interdisciplinary work

of creating and producing within that mandate, so the ability to remain

was, especially in relation to performance art. In the per-

flexible has kept our great passion for working together alive.

forming arts, theatre at one point positioned itself closer to interdisciplinary work, but then began to retreat into a more

JO: Yes. I think because it began as a way to support and inspire each

conventional framework that emphasized 'narrative', while

other, as we sought to develop our artistry outside the structure of a

dance has arguably expanded and become a much more

post-secondary program, and the fact that it has never deviated from

interdisciplinary artform in recent years. What do you think

this, has allowed us to evolve in a relatively organic way. At its core,

the idea of interdisciplinarity means to you in practice and in

the collective is about a shared commitment to our individual artis-

performance, when it is more than an amalgam, or layering

tic practices that is nurtured by the respect and admiration we have

of disciplines?

for each other – it is an awesome thing to know that there is always someone in your corner, challenging and encouraging you.

VG: I feel that, speaking for myself, it really comes down to collaboration. You can find a situation where you are truly

AK: In your description of collective and its mandate, the term inter-

collaborating and then you will often end up with a different

disciplinary seems central. That word has been a common descriptor

version of the medium you are working in. I have seen work

of artistic practice in the last twenty-five years, but being ubiquitous it

that uses collaboration in that way, and interdisciplinary

has also come to be used in many different ways. What does it mean

practices thrive when you find that true form of collabora-

to you, given that dance is inherently interdisciplinary

tion—between forms and artists.

VG: That’s just it— dance is inherently interdisciplinary. The artists we

JO: I think it is possible to embark on an interdisciplinary

work with—dancers, designers, visual artists, artists from a theatri-

project and for one discipline to ultimately feature more

cal background, sound artists— their perspectives and point of view

prominently in the finished work. In this situation, it was the

and what they bring to the work is valued just as much as the initial

process that was interdisciplinary, in that it was founded

idea, and they often push the work to new and exciting places that

on a collaboration, where a group of artists came together

we couldn't have fathomed on our own, so I think it is about the kind

to create a work without knowing what it would be, and

of relationship to other artists and their disciplines, and how they in-

where the weight of the material might fall. If we are being

tegrate their work with our ours, and our shared conversations about

true to the process, then all voices in the room will negoti-

how we want the work to be perceived. It means that we want to

ate their way to an agreed language, which might feel more

create a dynamic environment where they can contribute on an equal

like dance, or more like theatre, etc. but the work itself is

level.

rooted in the collision of artistic perspectives. It is wonderful to think that in an interdisciplinary process, you have several

AK: You seem to emphasize interdisciplinary as a process that emerg-

experts, from multiple disciplines all gathered together in

es from the combination of people from different disciplines, rather

one place. There is a permission inside this environment to

than a kind of ideology of what constitutes 'interdisciplinary work' as

think outside of your own discipline, to imagine a daunting

such?

but thrilling video concept, for example, and to be able to throw it out to the room and have the other voices riff off it-

VG: I think it can work on both levels, and from both places. A new art

including the expert!

form can be established by working in an interdisciplinary way, or I feel that you can create work of an interdisciplinary nature by incor-

AK: The last time the three of us worked together was in

porating the collaborative skills and information that other artists bring

the context of a work titled our verges <borders> by Conrad

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Alexandrovicz, based on the writing of Erin Moure. Conrad is

VG: Serge's process perhaps comes from a more traditional

of course a good example of a dance artist whose practice

background, but the way he creates transcends, I think, any

expanded to include theatre and text-based work, with the

type of characterization of 'tradition versus collaborative'.

goal to create an explicitly interdisciplinary form, albeit not

It's amazing to watch him work, and he inspires at such a

a collective one. Working in that context, as performers,

deep level that, as an interpreter, you are living, breathing,

how do you experience your roles where the movement is

experiencing art just by working with him and around him.

choreographed in a more conventional fashion?

It's incredibly inspiring. And as for Judith, we have never had the pleasure of actually commissioning her, but both of us

VG: For me, it's less and less common to be in that situation

have worked for her on numerous occasions and there is a

these days, and in most of the scenarios I am a collaborator

shared language you begin to develop when you work with

on some level, but when I do work in the more traditional

a choreographer for an extended period. For example, both

framework there are all these tools that we have from our

of us have often worked with James Gnam, which has given

past experience that we can bring into the traditional, foun-

rise to a shared language, that allows us to communicate

dational background of learning movement and performing

about the work we want to create together. With Judith

it as choreographed. All these elements feed each other:

there is a level of investment inside the traditional choreo-

Those moments when you are executing the vision of a 'tra-

graphic model that we value and use to live in the moment

ditional' choreographic structure inform the moments when

as artists working with one another in the room.

I am able to work as a collaborator and vice versa.

JO: Our commissions have always stemmed from the desire JO: Even when learning set choreography, as an interpreter

to grow as artists. Each of the incredible choreographers we

you are collaborating with the movement language, to find

have had the privilege of working with through our com-

your voice inside it. I think this mindset is perhaps a reflec-

missions (Serge Bennathan, Justine A. Chambers, James

tion of the nature of creative process for many choreogra-

Gnam and Tara Cheyenne-Friedenberg), shared their artistic

phers today.

process with us through the creation of each work. We asked them because we connected to their work and their

AK: Some of the senior artists you have commissioned and

artistic practice, and recognized opportunities to be pushed

worked with, such as Serge Bennathan, and Judith Garay

as interpreters and to learn as creators.

seem more 'traditional' choreographers, in the way they create work.

"At its core, the collective is about a

shared commitment to our individual artistic practices,

respect and each other."

that is nurtured by the admiration we have for

Dance Central Januar y/Februar y 2015

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Thinking Bodies: A conversation with

Dance Central September 2004

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Photo: Jeff Pelletier.

The Contingency Plan AK: There used to be a fairly deep divide separating ballet and modern dance, which seems to have subsided, in part due to a generational shift that brought with it an integration of forms and techniques. Considering how wide your range is, do you find yourselves ever negotiating this set of 'opposites'?

VG: Being a versatile movement artist and pulling from multiple forms is extremely valuable for creators and interpreters. The more information and more tools you have in your toolbox, the more fun it is, so versatility and information are an asset and an incredibly satisfying, challenging asset, that pushes the form and the individual.

JO: I think that a contemporary practice is, in many ways, an amalgam of a multitude of techniques, which fall under this more global umbrella. Of course there are still clear divisions between forms, with contemporary being one of them but interpretively, it is rare that I find myself negotiating the various movement disciplines as opposites, mostly because moment by moment you are drawing from each and every one of them.

VG: —and within that lineage we carry around these histories inside ourselves. We have ballet, Graham, Cunningham, contemporary release technique, and multiple other layers of information in our bodies, and I think it is important to pay homage to it internally in some way, because there is so much richness inside that lineage, and it is fun to acknowledge it. Also, to see where one idea might start, and how it evolved over time, and to feel that in your system is a remarkable thing.

AK: Contemporary dancers in the 1990s would incorporate balletic movement in their work, but often ironically, and quite commonly, audiences reacted to it as intended—with laughter. I am curious about the element you explicitly name the 'ridiculous' in your description of your work. What role does humour play in your practice?

JO: The ridiculous can be a way into the work – sometimes used in the studio during creation, but also belonging in a finished work, offering an audience another opportunity to connect. At times things need to be larger than life and perhaps a little bit ridiculous, in order to convey meaning, sensation and perspective.

AK: What reactions do you get from audiences with your type of humor?

VG: We have gotten a lot of positive and engaged responses— for example for a piece called Strathcona High, which has had a long life from its first performance in 2009 until 2013; It exploited humor and got a very strong reaction, where people really identified with the joy in the work.

AK: When you work together, do you take turns stepping out, do you shape movement from the inside, or do you use outside eyes? How do you make decisions?

VG: All of those things. Quite often, Jane and I will talk for hours, as part of our process about how we are going to approach rehearsal and what is and isn't working, and we take turns leading in the studio in creating material and scenarios. We spend a lot of time considering the performance environment, and then we take turns stepping out and watching the work and the people we are working with. We also find outside eyes incredibly useful, because they see things we haven't considered, and because they extend the conceptual framework.

JO: One of the wonderful things about Vancouver is our vibrant dance community. There is an amazing generosity that exists between artists, and a willingness to invest time and energy in observing and giving feedback to each other. It is an incredible network of support that we feel very grateful for.

AK: Do you think of yourselves as being positioned in a particular place in the ecology of the Vancouver dance community?

VG: I don't know that I have actually given that much thought. For us it feels like we are interested in creating the work we are making and not necessarily in the context of language defining a position on a broader scale.

JO: As Vanessa said, for the most part I feel like we’re just doing our thing and I haven’t really considered where our Dance Central September 2004

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Dance Central Januar y/Februar y 2015

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place might be. But I know that we really enjoy being a part of,

artists you hope to collaborate with, etc, and can describe all

and contributing to this community, working within it in a variety

of these points of interest. In the end the work may, or may

of ways.

not include all of the above, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great place to start.

AK: When you have to position yourself to the granting bodies,

AK: Are there themes that show up in your 'basket' more

do you experience that as useful, or is it just a chore that has to

frequently than others?

be met on the way back to the studio?

JO: Yes, I think authentic experience comes up a lot...

VG: For us, the priority is on the work, and that is the defining factor. The work takes precedence over the language, and it de-

VG: Yes, as does working with text, and with objects as an

fines what we are making before we find language for it.

inspiration that has been a big part of our work. Creating performance environments is often critical, but something

AK: One of the peculiar requirements of arts funding is that you

especially important is how we unpack the basket, and how

have to describe work before you get to make it, which can be

we hope for them to be witnessed or perceived, â&#x20AC;&#x201D;how

especially frustrating for process-based work. How do you ap-

the information comes across to the audience. We heav-

proach the necessity to describe future dance in the pages of a

ily consider that aspect both before and during the creation

grant application?

process.

JO: When beginning a new project, we always have a sense of

JO: The other important aspect is the artists we are collabo-

what we are interested inâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;thematically and perhaps what the

rating with, because we are always trying to think of how we

creative approach might be, and that's where we start.

are going to bring together the group of people whose voices will create the work. It is as much about the ensemble that

VG: I agree. You might on a conceptual level start with something

comes together, and how we anticipate the creative dynamic

you want to explore, and research outside of the studio is just as

in the room.

important a part of creation as the time in the studio.

AK: How did you find the name 'Contingency Plan'?

JO: You may not be able to say where the work is going to go, but you have your basket of ideas, concepts, possible approaches,

VG: We were writing our first grant together, and were think-

"At times, things need to be

larger than life, and perhaps a little bit ridiculous, in order to meaning, sensation and persp 16

Dance Central Januar y/Februar y 2015

Dance Central September 2004

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Thinking Bodies: A conversation with

The Contingecy Plan ing about names for the show we wanted to produce, with

exchange that happens between everyone in each class. This is an

Serge's work as the centrepiece. We were dreaming big in

opportunity to deepen your physical language and to refine your

commissioning artists, and we came across 'Contingency

interests, which in turn, find their way back to the collective.

Plan' in the thesaurus when we were looking for inspiration.

It really is an excellent tool. We thought it was a great term,

AK: In thirty years, when you might decide that it is time to retire

and within two minutes that was our name. But it has an-

The Contingency Plan, what will you have done with it?

other dimensionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; it really was a project that was meant to support our independent careers, and eventually it became

VG: I hope that we will have kept finding our creative inspiration,

a bigger vehicle for us, jointly and individually. It started out

and will have kept moving forward, finding ways to support each

as a venture between other projects, but it became some-

other and the community we are a part of. For me, it's the overall

thing central and satisfying for us.

growth of dance in the community that matters, and as we evolve and change as artists, it's all-encompassing; it's not just about

VG: In a sense it is an umbrella, a creative environment

where we are going to go but where dance is going to go!

where we can really support each other in any wayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;administratively, physically, and conceptually.

AK: Do you have a sense of where dance might go?

AK: You both teach as well as perform. What do you bring

VG: It's a hard thing to predict; it is an exciting precipice to be

back to the collective from your teaching experience?

moving towards. I think it is going in multiple places and directions, especially in non-conventional performance spaces. People are

VG: I learn from my students just as much as I learn from

challenging the way its being perceived in the environments that

being a student myself. I feel that teaching is a valuable way

dance is being shown in, as well as the physical form, and how it

to understand how to deliver concepts, ideas, and move-

is crossing disciplines.

ment material, there is a fluency in the back and forth between teaching and creating and in creating conversations.

AK: Is there anything you would like to add?

JO: As a physical practice, dance is constantly chang-

VG: I am very thankful for the support of The Contingency Plan

ing and evolving. Teaching is an opportunity to investigate

and the community, for being able to create the work we have

new ideas, developing them through rigorous play and the

done over the last seven years. I think we are really lucky to be in Vancouver, and in this community that is so curious about pushing the form.

JO: Hear, hear!

AK: Thank you!

to convey

pective" D a nD c ea nCceen tCreanl t Jraanlu Sa reyp/ Ft e e bmr ubaerry 22000145

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January/February 2015

Dance Central Dance Central September 2004

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