Victor Lozano, Jason Collins, Patricia Delgado and Brooklyn Rider in Pam Tanowitz’s Blueprint. Photo by Teresa Wood.
Allowing imperfection was new for Cornejo, who The New York Times has described as “virtuosic,” “miraculous” and “an impulsive force of nature.” He noted that imperfections make the individual, which in turn makes the dance, particularly when there is no story to explicitly portray. “I had to work to accept those imperfections, to be comfortable with them and to create art as a consequence of them.” This discovery allows him to approach the piece with a fresh perspective this summer. “It’s the dancer who makes the work come across,” said Toogood. “Merce was very open to what each individual would bring to the material—he didn’t discriminate against movement.” Scenario will be one of many modern dance works featured at the Festival this summer. Pam Tanowitz—who has been described as “one of the most formally brilliant choreographers around” (The New York Times)— will present her newest work, Blueprint, to the music of Leonard Bernstein Composer-In-Residence Caroline Shaw. The piece will feature former Miami City Ballet principal Patricia Delgado alongside two Juilliardtrained modern dancers, Jason Collins and Victor Lozano. Delgado and Tanowitz first worked together last summer after sharing a car ride from Denver to Vail. Sensing strong artistic chemistry, Tanowitz spontaneously asked Artistic Director Damian Woetzel if she could create a solo piece for Delgado. Woetzel agreed and the result was a witty, upbeat and musical creation in which Delgado was praised for being “elegant, wholly unpredictable, commandingly playful” (The New York Times). “What I love about Pam,” said Delgado, “is that she brings out a strong and independent woman in me in her work.” Tanowitz’s process stems from discovery and does not rely on a constructed character to carry the dancer or the audience away. Delgado “had to work at stripping away the ballerina way of carrying a posture, of always performing,” in order to be purely herself on stage. “Our lives already have so many stories,” Delgado exclaimed as she recounted the challenge of tempering back her dramatic expressiveness. “Modern dance can be like meditation. It can inspire clarity and be
Rashaun Mitchell and Silas Riener in Desire Liar. Photo by Erin Baiano.
transcendent because it’s not driven by beginning, middle and end.” Such clarity invites the audience to bring their own stories and interpretations. Rashaun Mitchell and Silas Riener, who both danced alongside Toogood in the Cunningham company, layer many narratives upon complicated and abstract personal stories. The pair last performed their cheeky duet Desire Liar at the Festival in 2016. “We were trying to portray that we are two men in a romantic relationship as collaborators,” Riener said, “and the interesting tensions and humor that come out of that.” Through a lens of abstraction, the modern choreographers cleverly embed stories within their work, allowing for audiences to experience the “multifaceted, complex, ambiguous portrayal of how we live in the world.” Whether stripped away or radically layered, modern dance encourages letting go of expectations—there is no single correct interpretation. Instead, it offer audiences and dancers alike the freeing experience of reveling in the art of individuality.
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