Dance Central Sept / Oct 2013

September/October 2013

Dance Central

A Dance Centre Publication

Content Opening The Third Space Alvin Erasga Tolentino Page 1

A Note from the Executive Director Mirna Zagar Page 4

Dance Centre Open House: Schedule of Events Page 8

Designing Dance: A conversation with Barbara Clayden Page 10

Welcome to the September/October 2013 issue of Dance Central.

Opening The Third Space A conversation with Alvin Tolentino

Welcome to the September/October issue of Dance

Born in Manila, Philippines, Alvin Tolentino has been exploring

Central. We feature an interview with Vancouver-based

the universe of dance since the age of eight. He started with

choreographer Alvin Tolentino whose company. Co.

ballet in the Philippines and continued to pursue his dance ca-

ERASGA will be presenting EXCHANGES with Peggy

reer after moving to Canada with his family in 1983. Since then,

Baker at Scotiabank Dance Centre on October 28, 2013.

he has refined his dance techniques at SUNY Purchase and Lim贸n Institute in the United States and trained in dance at the

The 'Designing Dance' series continues with a conver-

Julliard Academy and the Martha Graham School in New York

sation with Vancouver costume designer Barbara

where he developed his craft with several renowned art and

Clayden, who graciously offered to stand in for a con-

dance teachers, and founded Co. ERASGA Dance.

versation with another designer. While Barbara works primarily with theatre companies, hers is an interesting perspective on the work of the designer in the context

AK: Like many artists in Vancouver, it seems that you are both

of dance, and on the challenges of collaborating and

rooted in another culture and firmly based in this city. Some art-

creating costumes for performers in various disciplines.

ists describe this condition in terms of an ongoing tension, while others seem able to integrate these elements with ease. How do

Since this issue was completed before the Scottiabank

you experience it as a dancer?

Dance Centre Open House, we had included a schedule of events for the day. Unfortunately, our mailout

AT: I discovered movement through cultural dances in the Phil-

was delayed but we decided to leave the schedule for

ippines, but my understanding of what dance is in relation to the

future reference.

body and how to structure it through various techniques really came from my Western training after I immigrated with my fam-

As always, we thank all the artists who have agreed to

ily at the age of 12. Unlike contemporary dance where you learn

contribute and we welcome new writing and project

a method as a child or teenager, cultural dance is learned as part

ideas at any time, in order to continue to make Dance

of a cultural space, and while I go back and forth between the

Central a more vital link to the community. Please send

two cultures, my formal training was based in Western ideas

material by mail to members@thedancecentre.ca.

and methods. Does that make me different?

or call us at 604.606.6416. We look forward to the conversation!

AK: You trained in Vancouver but went on to Toronto and Montreal. What made you decide to leave at the time?

Andreas Kahre, Editor AT: After high school there really wasn't an institution or school 2

Dance Central September/October 2013

for me to go to, and I really felt the need to step outside the

AK: What did you find?

city, so I went to Toronto, Montreal and New York City.

AT: Aside from the depth of the cultural dances, I found artists AK: The first choreographic seminar was taking place at SFU

working in contemporary dance who gave me a lot of informa-

around that time. Were you interested in it?

tion about their work and about the development of dance in the Filipino context. I began to understand how they tried to

AT: Yes, and I came back to participate in another one in the

draw on community art practice, and how they integrated it

early 1990s, but at the time I was looking, York University and

back into their contemporary work. I was very interested be-

Concordia were the major hubs for contemporary dance in

cause I was looking at similiar ideas, and watching them gave

Canada, and there wasn't a school in Vancouver like Toronto

me the inspiration and impetus to create more work of this

Dance Theatre for someone looking to study Graham and

type. I also found that I am still very much Filipino. I have some

Limon technique, which I was interested in since I had been

family there, but all my immigrant family is here, and I am the

studying with Gloria Creighton, who in turn was a student of

only artist among them, so there was no engaged conversation

Paula Ross'. When I began to delve into modern dance at age

about my practice here. I also found a very strong ethnic philo-

15 or 16, and began to consider where I should go to learn

sophical and mythical context, which I didn't understand until

more, Gloria suggested York University.

later, when I realized that it was a cultural well. The question was how I could garner it and bring it back into my work. That

AK: You left the Philippines at age 12. When and why did you

is something I have been exploring ever since.

decide to return?

AK: Your ensemble work is usually presented in a contempoAT: Around 1999, when I established my own company, Co.

rary visual frame, whereas in your solo work you frequently

ERASGA Dance, I realized that my understanding of dance

appear in 'Asian' costume. What does the difference signify?

practice was feeling a bit 'dry', and I began to look for new sources of inspiration. I thought 'I haven't been to the Philip-

AT: It is a reflection of identifying what I have in me, as a per-

pines for fifteen years. It would be interesting to go back.' And

son, and as an identity, and how it is integrated in my practice.

with my background as an artist from a visible minority and

My work integrates my cultural roots and brings them into the

my training it made sense to look for opportunities to inves-

West, in order to integrate myself even more here. I need to

tigate and combine traditional and contemporary elements,

manifest that identity, especially in the context of encountering

and I asked the Canada Council to support a professional

a new generation of Philippino youth, who find it really difficult

development project and they enabled me to go.

to establish whether they are Filipino or Canadian, and I continued on page 5 Dance Central September/October 2013

3

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

From the Executive Director

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: Alvin Tolentino, Barbara Clayden, Mirna Zagar Dance Centre Board Members Chair Andrea Wink Vice Chair Gavin Ryan Secretary Ingrid M. Tsui Treasurer Roman Goldmann Directors Barbara Bourget Susan Elliott Margaret Grenier Anndraya T. Luui Josh Martin Simone Orlando Jordan Thomson Dance Foundation Board Members Chair Michael Welters Secretary Anndraya T. Luui Treasurer Jennifer Chung Directors Santa Aloi, Linda Blankstein, Grant Strate Dance Centre Staff: Executive Director Mirna Zagar Programming Coordinator Raquel Alvaro Marketing Manager Heather Bray Services Administrator Anne Daroussin Development Director Sheri Urquhart Technical Directors Justin Aucoin and Mark Eugster Accountant Lil Forcade Member Services Coordinator Hilary Maxwell

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 through the BC Arts Council, and the City of Vancouver through the Office of Cultural Affairs.

Dear Members,

Our season is in full swing! The Open House that took place this weekend with Danny Nielsen was a reason to celebrate not only the talents of an exceptional crew of dance artists, but also the diversity of our very own dance community that we engage with and endeavor to nurture year round.

In particular it was time to celebrate and remember one of Vancouver’s most fervent dance enthusiasts and supporters Michael Felmann. With Danny’s performance we did pay tribute to the initiator of the Santa Aloi Award, which in its three–year history date has allowed three artists to create works and present them here at Scotiabank Dance Centre and has, in a very short time, left a remarkable legacy.

This autumn will bring with it a rich harvest of performances by local and international artists, with a wonderful diversity of amazing and sometimes challenging works, among which, I am confident, everyone will find something memorable. Presentations will take place not only at Scotiabank Dance Centre but at locations in Vancouver, Victoria, and across the province, where dance is reaching ever larger audiences.

During Dance In Vancouver, in November, we look forward to hosting an unprecedented number of dance professionals from across Canada, and to opening space

4 Dance Central September/October 2013

continued from page 3

Opening The Third Space A conversation with Alvin Tolentino

for dialogue, networking, and the exploration of col-

realize that they have no cultural and historical context to create

laborative opportunities. November will also mark

an identity. They typically have not visited the Philippines, and

the beginning of a new adventure for our community

they have no interest in going back, but they were born here,

and open a new chapter for The Dance Centre as we

whereas for me, being of a different generation, going back was

embark on the project Migrant Bodies in collaboration

very interesting. This is an aspect of cultural identity that I want

with partners from Montreal, France, Italy and Croatia,

my work to address. I want to demonstrate through a symbiotic

supported though one of the largest funding opportunities in the world – the EU Culture Programme.

We are particularly proud of this success as the project was not only one of only eleven chosen from among one hundred and twelve applicants, but also

essence, in the work and as an artist, that both places are present. I want to politicize that presence and cause people who are part of the same culture as I am but may not have the knowledge, the experience and the source to return to it, to reflect on it. Perhaps I can act as a catalyst.

AK: Are Filipinos an important part of your audiences?

received the highest score: 99/100! We feel that this result reflects the years of investment into the suc-

AT: Definitely. I have had a lot of teenagers who come to see

cess of The Dance Centre and its mission to support

the work and talk to me. For most immigrants the experience is

BC’s dance talent by your dedicated and inspirational

about integration, just as it was with my parents when they came

work as artists, and the passionate donors, volunteers

to the West, but for the younger generation the original cultural

alongside a wonderfully knowledgeable and support-

context is shattered, and it is the artist who has to play the role

ive staff and a committed board of directors.

of integrating these experiences. This is complex, because there are so many routes and windows to identity.

I am confident you will agree that Scotiabank Dance Centre truly is a great place to be. Why not become a part of our organization? Our door is open, the studios and the stage await you to engage, support, enter into dialogue and participate in dance in all its forms.

AK: This aspect of your work seems to manifest mostly in the solo performances, whereas your ensemble creations have a more Western, contemporary visual tone.

AT: I hope to integrate these aspects more. In ensemble work I have tended to focus on moving people who come from many different backgrounds, whereas in the solo works I often col-

Mirna Zagar, Executive Director

laborate with other Filipino artists, For example, in Colonial, my costume designer, dramaturg, video artist and composer were Filipino. Economics, especially with touring works, also have something to do with it, of course.

Dance Central September/October 2013

5

Opening The Third Space A conversation with Alvin Tolentino

AK: You have worked frequently as a solo artist. How do you

for stylized scenes of fight or love scenes, traditional

experience solo work compared to ensemble choreography?

Asian dance rarely places bodies in direct contact, unlike contemporary Western dance, especially where it draws

AT: I find solo work much more challenging to create and to

on forms such as contact improvisation. How do you ap-

understand; not just in the process, but also in the moment of per-

proach proximity and isolation in your work?

formance, where I find that it opens up a 'fluid aesthetics', where I have the option to make shifts and changes, both as an interpreter

AT: It is a bridge for me, and has a special significance,

and as a performer of the work. The challenge is that I am inside

because of my place as an artist who has practiced in

the concept and I can easily manipulate it, even if I am working

the West but comes from an Eastern cultural context. I

with a dramaturg who tells me 'This isn't really working.'

love that as a choreographer and dance artist I have the freedom to let the body merge or to work from a more

AK: When you choreograph ensemble work, do you give your

distanced visual perspective. I always challenge myself to

performers the freedom to work this way?

find new forms or movement palettes, but it is different for me than someone working strictly from an Eastern

AT: Yes, I create a structure but I also give them the freedom to

cultural aesthetic, like Pichet. I observe him working as a

manipulate it. Of course I can control it from the outside, and I will

classically trained Khon dancer trying to put Western ele-

continue to figure it out with them, so the framework is different.

ments into a contemporary practice. He is really restructuring the form of the body, so that rather than working in

6

AK: At the risk of oversimplifying, I am curious about the differ-

the vertical and horizontal and then connecting another

ent role of proximity in 'Asian' versus 'Western' movement. Except

D a n c e he C e ncreates t r a l S e p two t e m bbodies e r 2 0 0 4 moving 3 body in a juxtaposition, as

Dance Central September/October 2013

one, which changes the paradigm and the context at the root

fined by gender, as we culturally frame it. There is a mystical third

of the aesthetic. Contemporary choreography is of course such

dimension, which may be spiritual. For me it has been a mystery

an open-ended concept that it can be a dialogue where a visual

and a shadow that I continue to interrogate, to find out if and

element articulates the idea even without movement. Chore-

how it permeates the ideas I am working on and how it enters

ography has gone berserk, it has gone crazy, and it is up to the

into them. There is also a political aspect, where I use the body to

artist to make decisions: Where is the frame? Does it work? Is it

interrogate the notion of gender and try to look at the voice of the

challenging the viewer, the space, the audience?

male, the female, and the transgendered, simply because there is a voice to it, and the body enters and exits that space. There is

AK: We spoke in an earlier conversation about the notion

a third dimension which the audience may not always see, but

that contemporary choreography can be described as having

which I sense—that you free the body. I am really interested in

shifted from a practice focused on the body to being focused

questioning whether dance can really liberate the body without

on presence, and on creating a third space—outside or beyond

addressing the notion of gender. Does it matter? And is it the

gendered space and the socially predetermined context for the

spiritual dimension that is present in an 'Asian' aesthetic, where

body. Your work seems to be placed at that intersection. How

a lingering mystical presence is always apparent in the moving

do you create 'presence' relative to the various sources you

body. Western ideology doesn't really go to that place.

draw on, and especially in relation to gendered space?

AK: How do you bring these questions into your work when you AT: When we spoke about a third space, I said that movement

perform in a Western compared to a non-Western context?

should free the body. That is the ideal, and where I really feel

continued on page 14

the third space is. The execution of movement cannot be de-

Dance Central September 2004 3 Dance Central September/October 2013

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Scotiabank Dance Centre Open House A day of open classes, workshops, studio showings and events, celebrating Canada's flagship dance facility and the diversity of our community!

and words. www.dumbinstrumentdance.com

Daytime events 11am-5pm free.

11.30am-1pm Class: Ballet (basic/elementary level) with Debbie Lee of DebbieLee Dance Company. www.debbieleedance.com

Classes are open level and beginners are welcome, except where stated. All events are drop-in, pre-registration is not required.

12 noon-1pm Class: Nia with Jasjit Rai: a blend of dance, martial arts and healing arts. www. joiworks.com

Ongoing: Exhibition Remembering Amelia celebrates the life and work of Amelia Itcush. A dance artist, teacher, mentor, fitness pioneer, healer and one of Canada’s finest somatic movement analysts, Amelia developed an astonishing body of work that is relevant to all people looking to release movement potential, heal injury or create work. Curated by Robin Poitras (New Dance Horizons, Regina) and touring seven locations around Canada, this interactive exhibit of drawings and documentary film, complemented by workshops and discussions, examines the past and future impact of the Itcush Method. (Exhibit runs to the end of September.)

12 noon-1pm Studio showing: choreographer Nicole Mion shows excerpts from her new work Quiver performed by Justine Chambers, with a talkback moderated by Su-Feh Lee of battery opera performance. www.springboardperformance. com

11am-1pm Discussion and demonstration: Remembering Amelia. Dance artists Robin Poitras and Susan McKenzie discuss the life and work of Amelia Itcush, and Itcush Method teachers Ashley Johnson and Kana Nemoto will demonstrate the four foundational elements of the work. Plus a guided tour of the Remembering Amelia exhibit.

11am-12 noon Class: Hatha Yoga with yoga instructor, Reiki practitioner and trained dancer Kelsey Jorssen. Ages 16+; participants should bring their own mats. www.kelseyjorssen.com 11am-5pm Interactive installation: dumb instrument Dance/Ziyian Kwan in throwing coin squeezing soy – an interactive public research of the I Ching, the ancient Chinese method of fortune telling. Kwan, along with dance artist Anne Cooper, will translate questions from visitors through dance

1-1.15pm Event: Mascall Dance’s Nijinsky Gibber Jazz Club. Jennifer Mascall’s witty and spontaneous ‘happenings’ feature improvisations by company dancers and musician Stefan Smulovitz.

(Also at 1.45pm.) www.mascalldance.ca 1-2pm Lecture demonstration: classical Indian dance with Mandala Arts and Culture. Artistic Director Jai Govinda gives an introduction to the bharata natyam style with an informal performance by dancers in full costume. www.mandalarts.ca 1.30-3pm Class: Ballet (intermediate level) with Debbie Lee of DebbieLee Dance Company www.debbieleedance.com 1.45-2pm Event: Mascall Dance’s Nijinsky Gibber Jazz Club. Jennifer Mascall’s witty and spontaneous ‘happenings’ feature improvisations by company dancers and musician Stefan Smulovitz.

(Also at 1pm.) www.mascalldance.ca 2-3pm Class: Flamenco with Karen Flamenco, a Vancouver-based flamenco school and performance company. www.karenflamenco.com Dance Central September 2004

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2-3pm Studio showing and discussion: Michelle Olson (Raven Spirit Dance), Margaret Grenier (Dancers of Damelahamid) and Starr Muranko show excerpts of contemporary works rooted in First Nations traditions, originally created for site-specific settings and now being re-worked for the stage, followed by a discussion moderated by Su-Feh Lee of battery opera performance. www.ravenspiritdance.com www.damelahamid.ca www. starrwind.com 2.30-4.30pm Open rehearsal: 605 Collective (followed by a studio showing at 4.30pm). An opportunity to watch the creative process as 605 Collective rehearse a new work commissioned from Maiko Yamamoto and James Long of Vancouver’s Theatre Replacement. Supported through The Dance Centre’s Artist-in-Residence program. www.605collective.com 3-4pm Studio showing: Kinesis Dance somatheatro hosts a showing of work developed by dancers during a week-long workshop with a guest choreographer from France, Joseph Aka. Originally from West Africa, Aka blends traditional African rhythms with contemporary dance to create his own ‘Afrikan’ style. www.kinesisdance.org 3-5pm Workshop: Introduction to the Itcush Method with Ashley Johnson and Kana Nemoto. The Itcush Method is a series of exercises and theories developed by Amelia Itcush that helps to free the body from pain and physical restrictions, aiding people from all backgrounds to create a structure that is flexible, mobile and strong. Floor, standing and chair exercises will be covered as well as how to incorporate this work into a daily self-maintenance program.

3-4pm Class: Introduction to Argentine Tango with Argentine Tango Lab. www.argentinetangolab.com

3.30-4.30pm Class: Pilates with Darcy McMurray, professional dancer and owner of Full Circle Pilates and Health. Participants should bring their own mats. www.fcpilates.com 4-5pm Demonstration and workshop: bhangra with South Asian Arts. Dancers from the VanCity Bhangra competitive team will kick off the session with a short demonstration, followed by an introductory workshop. Presented in partnership with the Diwali Fest. www.southasianarts.ca www.vandiwali.ca 4-5pm Class: contemporary with Linda Arkelian. Class begins with a floor barre focusing on alignment, core strength, release work, flexibility as well as the integration of breath to guide movement. Creative centre combinations move the dancers across the floor with grounded expressive fluidity.

4.30-5pm Studio showing: 605 Collective shows work in progress from their new piece, a commission from Vancouver’s Theatre Replacement. www.605collective.com

8pm Performance: Danny Nielsen LOVE. BE.BEST.FREE Premiere Danny Nielsen’s first full-evening tap creation follows a man's quest for love, and his journey of personal discovery. An electrifying all-male cast comprising Ryan Foley, Shay Kuebler, Johnathan Morin and Nielsen himself tells a story for our times through tap, with live music by singer/songwriter Andrea Superstein and pianist Sharon Minemoto. www.danonielsen. wordpress.com Presented through the Santa Aloi Award Dance Central September 2004

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Designing Dance: A conversation with Barbara Clayden

"Definitely not clothi 10

Dance Central September/October 2013

ing."

AK: You have been a costume designer for many years, and I realize that you have been working mostly with theatre companies, as well as film, but also with choreographers like Karen Jamieson, and I am curious how you experience the difference between working with these forms.

BC: I think the biggest difference is that in theatre I start from the play, and from the characters, their psychology and emotions. The advantage is that you can build what they look like on the outside from who they are on the inside. In dance the performer often isn't a character, and the framework can be just a concept. I remember one case, where I was close friends with one of the performers, and I was having some difficulty communicating with the choreographer, trying to understand what she wanted. When she told me "I don't like costumes on my dancers, but they need to wear something", I knew that it was going to be challenging, so I talked to my friend, the dancer, and asked "What is going on for you emotionally? What have you been told about your character's psychological life?" and he said "I have been given the steps and told to follow them." My experience with costumes dance is that there is often not as much to hold on to, and that compared to theatre or film it is much more conceptual.

AK: I am curious about the word 'costume', as it relates to dance. In theatre or film, the 'costume' places the character in historical time, in a social and psychological framework, whereas dance doesn't necessarily require any of these things, and approaches the notion of 'costuming' differently.

Where do you begin when you aren't required to convey specific information? Fabric? Colour?

Dance Central September/October 2013

11

BC: Absolutely. There is a functional aspect, where fabric has

BC: Except for greek chorus perhaps...

to move a certain way, and be flexible. But communication about the conceptual aspect is tricky. I remember one time

AK: Does the fact that you have to accommodate a greater

when I was drawing many, many sketches for a choreogra-

range of movement affect your work?

pher, without getting any clear response until I finally figured out that I had to bring in the actual, tactile object, and the

BC: Definitely! You need to use different fabrics and construc-

choreographer had to put it on the dancer and see them move

tion methods. I have worked on a number of dance and theatre

before she could understand my drawing. She had to see it

projects like musicals, and if you want a performer in something

in three dimensions, and in motion. Unfortunately, that is a

that looks like a suit and you want them to do high kicks, the

very expensive and time-consuming way to develop a design,

costume has to be built to accommodate the movement, which

although, luckily, it worked out in this case because I only had

means using certain kinds of fabric and elements like gussets.

to design a few things...

Another aspect to designing for dance is that choreographers change their minds as they build a show, sometimes in unex-

AK: A similiar process applies when creating set or sound for

pected ways. Once I worked with someone who suggested a

dance. Choreographers seem to use a very specific form of

totally outrageous costume choice. I had been getting a very

visual imagination; one that appears to work from the inside

different idea about the show and I asked why she would chose

out, rather than with imagined configurations of exterior ele-

that costume for that show. She said: "Well, in case the dance is

ments in the way designers tend to work. They often express

boring I want people to have something to look at." That spoke

frustration with the need to make decisions before they see

to me about the insecurity of building something from nothing,

and hear all the elements with the bodies in the space—at

without a script, putting themselves on the line. Choreographers

which point they become very quick and sure judges.

have to do that all the time.

BC: I found it both interesting and challenging to realize that

AK: Do you design differently now from what you did twenty

you couldn't talk about the design in the abstract, but needed

years ago.

to tie it directly to the moving body. Once I understood that I also understood that I had to talk about in a very different

BC: I guess I know what's possible with money and time, and I

way.

know more tricks and what can be achieved in the time allotted.

AK: Is there something you particularly like about making

AK: In theatre, performers often wear rehearsal clothes that

costumes for dance?

resemble the costumes, whereas dancers have to deal with completely new parameters between rehearsal clothes and the

BC: You do get a chance to be more 'out there' and to use

costumes, which often appear only during technical rehearsal.

things that don't exist in reality or represent a concrete per-

Sometimes this means that the dancers struggle to regain the

sonality. That opportunity is interesting, but that takes

movement, and some choreographers prefer ready-made cos-

potentially a lot more time and of course time is money in

tumes to avoid the adjustment just before the performance.

the performing arts...

BC: I think it is in part a matter of time, because usually the AK: I imagine that non-gendered ensemble costuming is also

dance is being built at the same time as the costume. Ideally,

more common in dance than other performance forms?

you would build the dance and then see what the costume should be, but that is rarely possible.

Dance Central September/October 2013

12

Designing Dance A conversation with Barbara Clayden

AK: Do you talk to the performers you design the costume for?

Snipper, in which the dancers were naked. Their skin was the costume, alongside a 'skin suit' that appeared as a de-

BC: That is really important to me, and it is the part I really like—

sign element, giving rise to a specific 'costume space' that

to develop a costume with a performer, because they know their

held the performers' naked bodies. As a result, I recall the

character better than anyone. When I go through a play I 'semi-

choreography with the bodies as 'costumed'. If nudity is a

direct' and even go through some of the acting work to get to know

costume, what is it you design? Clothing? Character? A form

the characters, but the actor knows them most intimately, and the

of coded message for the audience?

best thing that happens to me is that an actor comes to a fitting and says:"Ah, now I see what that character is!" Along similiar lines,

BC: It is like a mask—an outward manifestation of an inner

dancers really know their body, and they know what looks good on

dimension. It is definitely not clothing, which is something

them.

you put on to be socially acceptable, or to stay warm. A costume is something that defines your character, or a truth

AK: A critical aspect of design in the performing arts is how the

about you, as well as the space and time where you are. It

decision-making is structured. The traditional hierarchy of dance

is also a question of hinting to the audience, to help define

often means that the choreographer is the only person with com-

something essential in a short time on stage. At home, a

plete information, and the design elements don't come together

character would have a whole closet full, whereas on stage

until the very end of the process, which means that in the event of

you have only one chance to show, so every colour, every

a conflict, say between video and lights, there is little time to make

fabric, every style becomes the essence of an entire ward-

changes. Set, sound, lights and costumes all potentially define the

robe full of clothes...

space the bodies inhabit, and the choreographer controls every aspect. Is it different talking to choreographers as compared to

AK: Dance dress developed from period clothing such as

directors?

court dress of the 17th century, toward costumes that suggested architectural elements, such as shape or volume, or

BC: Yes, because the script provides a common framework in the-

enhanced visual aspects of the dance, such as line. Volumi-

atre, and choreographers talk about abstract concepts, or about a

nous costumes have all but disappeared, it seems. Some-

quality of movement rather than a place and a time.

times costumes still enhance the lines of bodies, or use trailing elements, but more typically, contemporary dance

AK: That suggests that you can work more independently in the-

has become pedestrian in its use of costume. Do you ever

atre than in dance.

find yourself having to deal with swaths of fabric any more?

BC: Yes, mostly because the play communicates a lot of informa-

BC: No, but that was also a take on the fashion of the day.

tion directly, and sometimes directors want to be relieved from the

The flowing dresses created movement after the move-

burden of having to decide every detail. I think many choreogra-

ment had finished, and they only worked with a body.

phers are interested in the incredible human body, and what it can

Hanging on a hanger they looked like nothing. In dance, it is

do, rather than shapes and colours which can mess it all up. You

the body that tells the story...

see so many dance costumes that seems to just be covering the naughty bits, in different colours. It's when you try to go beyond

AK: Thank you!

this that things get more complicated, and more interesting.

AK: One of the most costume-intensive dance projects I ever worked on was a piece called SLAB, choreographed by Chick

Dance Central September/October 2013 13 Dance Central September/October 2013 13

Opening a Third Space A conversation with Alvin Tolentino

AT: I don't think I was all that conscious of that aspect at the time. They asked me to create a dance component for the

continued from page 7

DIVA Festival, and I was interested in Anna Pavlova's image AT: Last year, I toured a solo show in the Philippines and Shang-

of the dying swan, and wanted to know how a male dancer

hai, with a live musician. I didn't deliberately focus on the gen-

could transform that. I wanted to find a way for an idea to en-

dered body in that solo, but it is always an element and it was

ter into the artist's body to articulate gender. I saw the female

striking that in the East, people made references to the exterior,

figure; I am male, and I wanted to enter it, without looking for

to trees, to animals, to sensations rather than to the gendered

an answer, because in any given work I may have an idea that

character. Their ideas are more situated in the environment and

inspires me, but the information becomes available only in

in a mythical context, compared to Western audiences, and it

the process. That's when the complexity arises, when I have

was very interesting to have that dialogue.

to see from the inside and the outside, and when the audience may perceive the work very differently from me.

AK: When we first met you had created a piece for the DIVA Festival at the Western Front, and Lincoln Clarkes took your

AK: Speaking of audiences, the work you recently created,

photo for the cover of FRONT magazine. What it showed was

25 Gestures for Dancing on the Edge, took place in direct

a deliciously hybridized body that refused to be placed in one

proximity to the audience, and in a public space. How did you

space or another. Was that the first time you deliberately

experience working in that process?

worked with gender identity?

Dance Central September/October 2013

14

Lighting and Photography by Itai Erdal

AT: That was a real learning experience. It really focused

AK: What happens next?

me on the perspective that as performers we take advantage of the safety of the arena that we are luxuriously given.

AT: I am developing a new project with Pichet Klunchun, and then

Suddenly, the private space disappeared, and I really had to

I will be working with RafaĂŤle Giovanola, Artistic Director of CO-

negotiate and maneuver my way through pedestrians, and

COONDANCE and a group of German and Canadian dancers in a

allow the voice of the form to emerge in this literal chaos.

work called Shifting Geography, that will be premiered in Bonn, and

Thankfully, dancers train daily in order to be able to find that

presented at The Cultch in February 2014.

centre. Some site-specific work at least defines a temporary performance space, but we were right in the middle of

AK: Is there a long–term trajectory for your future work?

people, and I have never had an experience where I was so nervous before performing, where anything could happen,

AT: My interest in Asian aesthetic remains strong, and I want to

where someone could push us, or shoot us... It also gave

articulate that more in my work. I began with the Colonial project,

a me a perspective on how we negotiate the presentation

which exists in parallel in the work with Pichet who comes from a

of dance in public, compared to other places. In Indonesia

country that has not been colonized. He works with a classical dance

for example, dance in public space is very much part of the

method, owned by the king, and he is trying to merge it into main-

cultural framework, and there is a sense of reverence for it

stream contemporary practice. I am very interested in seeing what

as ritual. I wanted to integrate that aspect in the piece, but

happens when working with someone who has no colonized style or

the space it had to exist in was very different, and I didn't

mannerism, compared to myself coming from the Philippines where

realize the full impact until I was in the middle of it. People

we attempt to re-enliven the traditional forms. In the contemporary

can be very oblivious...

context we are looking from different but parallel points of view at the same question: How do we move bodies?

AK: Thank you!

Dance Central September/October 2013