(London) Guerrilla Dance Project

My sister Rebekah recently turned me on to this little happening over in our neighboring, Europe. Guerrilla Dance Project, based out of London, England, is a group that creates monthly performances around the city and has performed internationally in Zagreb, Croatia. Their material is generally set, and focuses on object manipulation to guide their movement and aid in being able to "appear and disappear." From what I've seen, they vary from sitting at a table in a cafe and dancing from that spot, or having seven people against a wall in a line, and slowly breaking out from reading a paper, all the way to slowly rolling down an entire staircase.

A short trailer of what GDP does is right here, and a longer video and interview with the leader of this group Laura Kriefman can be found here.

Check out their website for touring dates, more info about the group, and a list of on-stage performances they do/have done.

JR - Street Artist/TED Talk

While on Hulu today, I came across a talk by JR, a street artist from France. Feel free to check out those links to get a low down on JR, who's doing some really potent work around the world. I really appreciate how insistent he is on his acts/art creating a connection between people on a very everyday level.

A really nice example of this was in Brazil where he posted prints of women who had been raped/killed by militant groups, in an area frequented by violence. When members of these groups confronted JR and his crew about their activity and the cameras they were using, he explained that their desire was not to show others the violence of what was happening - much like journalists/members of the media that would usually come through. Instead he was looking simply to highlight those who lived in the area, and the depth with which their lives held. They were not stopped from putting up their prints or taking pictures/video.

For a broad overview of JR's career, check out good ol' Wikipedia.

referencing Shen Wei post

The post immediately previous contained information about some "guerrilla" activity from the well known Shen Wei Dance Arts company. I had some thoughts that came after posting that relate pretty directly, so I thought I'd toss 'em up on the ol' blog.

It's always nice to see big time choreographers "bring it to the people." Not only does it offer a chance for individuals to experience certain types of art that often require an expensive ticket, but it also makes steps to address the lines between the artist and the viewer: the 'fourth wall,' performers outside of their usual shell as "performer on stage" raised above the audience, the definition of a performance space, etc. Many concepts that are often intentionally/unintentionally addressed in most guerrilla art (not only performance guerrilla art, but also that of stencil, graffiti, and the like.) This type of guerrilla art showcased by Shen Wei however, is interesting as it not only comes from an established creator of art - sort of a philosophical(/literal?) oxymoron to the very idea of Guerrilla - but also plays a part as promotion for a non-guerrilla showcase of art. Part of me wonders about this performance being deemed by Shen Wei himself as "guerrilla."

Especially considering the fact that guerilla is often as a type of subversion of the greater society/culture, rather than a perpetuation of it - which could be seen here (promotion for a very non-guerrilla proscenium stage performance, and created by an organization (Shen Wei Dance Arts) that finds great amounts of support from the greater institution of society/culture.)

P.S. 

this is a huge topic...one that I think it pretty vital to my own thoughts about Guerrilla-ness, but something that can't fully be covered in this single post. I'll definitely come back to this. and for the record, this blog in no way means to downplay how much I support any type of guerrilla or guerrilla-esque act. My questioning and analyzation is merely for the sake of attempting to understand this monster of a subject.

Shen Wei: "RE-(III) THRU OUT NYC"

Shen Wei Dance Arts, a prominent contemporary choreographer in the field of dance (involved in the Olympic opening ceremonies a few years back) held some "guerrilla" performances in NYC back in October of 2010. While working on his most recent major work, he held some unannounced performances around the city (sort of a promotional tool I'm assuming. Not sure how supplemental these performances are meant to be, or separate from his final stage work.)

Check out a lengthy video, to see this in action.

gdance video #5

just posted a new video on Vimeo. Check it out.

The Marlow Knows.

Bodies in Urban Spaces

A while ago someone alerted me to this really cool group. It is led by Willi Dorner (head of Cie. Willi Dorner) and Rashana Smith recently directed me to speak with someone who has worked with the group. Lisa del Rosario was kind enough to lend me a few words about her personal experience with the group:

"The choreographer, Willi Dorner, traveled from Austria and auditioned dancers for this project 2 months earlier before the project began. Then 2 months later, we worked for 8 days straight working 9-5pm building a 2 mile trail of body sculptures. It was freaking strenuous. I felt like I got beat up by a bat at the end of the day...[and] I had to sleep on my belly one night after trying to squeeze between an electric pole and an electric box upside down several times. Lots of trials and errors, and very, very precise positioning.

The show consisted of about 20 pieces. We ran from one to another and had to hold it for 5 min or longer as the audience walked by. It really changed me--I'm still inspired by it because it fucking toughened me up."

Definitely google BIUS and check out the plethora of photos of Dorner's work.

a few links in that vein:

Wall Street Journal photo blog

Nice little description, and showing of presentational format, fi;af's Crossing the Line

watch it in action, and get a feel for the process of building some of these formations (2:47 is nice).

Dorner's site

...till next post

flow... ... . . . ... . . . . .

I was in one of my favorite parts of Columbus, leaving a coffee shop walking to my car when it started to rain. I quickly threw my bags into my car, dropped off some valuables, threw off my shirt and lept out into the storm (and I mean storm...raindrops the size of tennis rackets, people.) I ran around the little cobblestone village for a fair amount of time until the rain died down. I continued my walk, away from the car, until it started to pour even harder. This was getting pretty ridiculous, it was getting late, and I was getting to a not as nice part of town. I speedily turned to head back, badgered by the intense amount of water hitting my face. About half way to my car I fell upon a spot. I was drenched, the cobblestone lay unevenly below my feet, and little surrounded me other than the brick houses that sheltered all others from the rain. I stopped. I looked around. and I danced...I danced for quite some time. I did just that, doing little more than simply letting all my senses activate...

Raindrops fell like gravity was turned up times two, the lampposts burned as glowing spheres ignorant to the downward flow of water, the houses that lined the alleyway sat as unique as anything that is born in its natural environment, and the cobblestone...the cobblestone was the best part! The cobblestone jutted in every direction, refusing to be stagnant and predictable. I constantly had to reevaluate my footing while taking in my surroundings (both internal and external) and whipping through it all while I flew between over thinking my movement and finding moments of flow. The kind of flow that negotiated all that was being experienced without much consciously directed thought. I was surrounded by energy of all kinds, and was having a damn good time.

Guerrilla - as a part of another

Today was interesting in how we were asked to come to dance as part of someone's event. This is the first time this group has done this, and pretty cool to be noticed enough to be asked. However, it started making me wonder if we were simply a supplement to someone else's idea. Sometimes it felt a little like we were "tacked on." How should we dance "under"someone else? Especially when gdance seems so much about freedom, or at least it is fairly connected to it.
This feeling was increased by the addition of a nearby D.J. - we not only were dancing there because someone wanted us to, but we were also provided with their music...so their way of dancing? (It's interesting to note that up until recent months, whenever music was used as part of this group, I supplied it. As time has gone on, I've realized the importance of anyone using their music, partly because it's simply more fun to dance to what you know, but also because it helps to deteriorate any sense of a single individual being "in charge.") But does that really matter? Simply because gdance isn't about some agenda, some higher way of thinking, some more logical well-thought out way of approaching life - and definitely not about teaching anybody how to do anything, or higher art. Guerrilla seems less and less as a platform for revolution or telling anyone what to do, and more an opportunity to allow for actions to be taken (to be involved, or not.) So does it really matter who we work with, or in what fashion? As long as we're continuing to simply do, and not start getting greedy: as we gain more attention, not using our opportunities to make others "get" us, or attempting to influence them to become more like us. The desire to influence others is partly self-validation by way of gathering a posse of followers: changing how others think to match so that it fits with what we do. or in other words, validating ourselves and what we believe in by getting others to say "YES! I agree!" As such, gdance almost seems to fit wherever asked to go as long as we stay in line with our simple intention of dancing, unaffected by others' desire to use us to influence their surroundings. Our presence might be doing that, but we on the inside, performing the act of gdancing, not making any effort at causing such an influence.

(Is it even possible to disconnect one's self from attempting to affect others with one's actions? to simply do without agenda to influence?)

Of course, how we are perceived, how we seem to be acting in the eyes of others, that matters too? Do others perceive us to be losing ourselves/our original intention? Selling out? Does this matter if our actions and intent are the same? Will it affect us if others view us in these negative ways? Might we be hindered in some way? It seems as if none of that perception matters if our acts and intentions are in fact staying the same..."pure?"

Soloing - Slow Walk

I talked earlier about consequences, and I think this event that happened to me recently while guerrillering around the town provided a viable petri dish (if you will) to look at just such a concept.

Today was my first slow walk (another type of experiment, similar to the soloing, that I am going to start). Basically, I just walked from one location to another really slowly. We did some slow moving type activities last quarter, but we did out of the ordinary actions (like pretending to race really slowly) while today I engaged in everyday actions, with one simple difference: speed.

So, I went to Brenen's (a nearby cafe), and walked from the entrance to the counter. Early on in my journey, the girl behind the counter told me that I "was creeping her out. But I don't know if that is the point." I ignored the comment as I slowly walked while unzipping my jacket. Then, as I walked I saw a very tall bald man look at me from behind the counter as well (I believe he is a manger of the cafe) and I could tell he wasn't really feelin' it. I heard him say something about what I was doing being borderline somethin' somethin', but couldn't decipher what he was saying.
When I actually got up to the counter and he addressed me "Can I help you?" I turned my head slowly to look him straight in the eyes to which he replied "I consider this loitering and I'm going to have to ask you to leave." I stared for a second longer..."Can I have a bagel with peanut butter?"

This moment is where I find the most interest. It was one of the most intense moments of needed control. Control as far as fighting the fear of a much taller man, a manger for a cafe, and the fear of going against everything in my head telling me to not go against the social norms put in place for when someone asks a question; especially when staring that person straight in the eye. There were ways that I slightly gave into these pressures - not taking as long to look him in the eye, being slightly more compliant after asking for a bagel than I may usually be (not specifically asking for an 'everything' bagel). However, I could while I did feel the pressure, and did give in slightly, I also pushed beyond these moments, ignoring those pressures in many other ways. Rejecting them. Taking control of the helm instead of letting myself be guided (hijacked?) by my socially-conscious self.

He was so angry with me, furious even. Why did he have such a violent reaction to a fairly innocent act? This I do not know. What societal norm was I going against to even provoke such a rise in him? This I also don't know. The only thing I really know is that there are societal norms in all societies, and when individuals go against those norms, it can cause uproars of varying levels - often quite negative for some reason. I know this happens, and I know most individuals in these societies are afraid of (don't want to experience) the consequences involved when being "anti-norm."

The consequences in this case were not being able to stay in the location I was in, and not being able to get a bagel, which I was quite looking forward to.

While these are perfectly nasty consequences, I could have easily gotten a bagel from a different place, not even a block away. What I think was the worst consequence in my mind, what I was most afraid of, was that of getting publicly humiliated. If I had not complied with his look of "get your act together and act like you're supposed to" he would have broadcast to everyone in that cafe that I was a non-compliant member of this society. Nothing more than that. A bunch of people I never met before, and probably would never see again. It was their opinion that caused me to feel - quite honestly - a bit of terror.

It troubles me how important that was.

(on the side, freewritin' thoughts)

This isn't the first time soloing has happened in this project. I soloed back at Bates for a time and then most recently next to Jimmy Johns. All of which I've written/talked about. However, I never have tackled it head on - with intention to do so. I've never really had a reason to. My knees' pain gave me reason. I'm finding a core of interest in this society thing, and most specifically in the solo thing. It confronts the reality of what we're doing - Guerrilla Dancing - head on. Almost like it strips down the act to its purest form, without any perspectives, opinions, attempts at achieving a goal (which always alters an act) without any desire to make it into anything, but instead letting it breath and just be. Just like the quote from Siddhartha that I'm in love with, "As a result of your seeking you cannot find.....it happens quite easily that he only sees the thing he is seeking; that he is unable to find anything......because he is only thinking of the thing he is seeking...because he is obsessed with his goal." Dancing. It's just dancing, without any goal or attempt to affect/gain the approval of others - because you're going into it with the knowledge people might take to it negatively. You're not expecting any approval - quite the opposite - and even if you thrive on that type of defiance, that's not why you do it (at least not in the context I've been involved in - by myself and with Jasmine). An act beyond the walls of the past, the knowledge of historical /cultural pressures. In a sense, a completely new act. An act without a web of relation and precedence.

Or at least that sounds nice. Don't know if it's really true. :P

"This is your one opportunity to do something that no one has ever done before and that no one will copy throughout human existence. And if nothing else, you will be remembered as the one guy who ever did this. This one thing" - Sam, from the movie "Garden State"

Guerrilla Dance - Solo (pt. #2)

The first people I talked to were viewers of Jasmine's solo dancing.

I talked to one girl who was fairly surprised by the seemingly random act of dancing in the library, a place one rarely finds much more than quiet book reading and laptop typing. Nonetheless, she was quite positive about the dancing. She thought it was gutsy, cool to see, and despite the fact that she didn't really feel like it naturally fit in a library, was glad to have it there. I asked her about the fact that she was going solo, and she simply re-emphasized how gutsy Jasmine seemed. I prodded further to see if she would ever do something similar, and she again talked about guts: how she would only have enough to do it if she had a group of her friends to do it with her.

Soon thereafter, I talked to two other girls who I had spotted looking and laughing to each other about Jasmine. We had a long conversation that touched on many points, but one that really stuck out to me came when I asked about Jasmine's soloing, and whether or not these two girls would ever do the same thing. They both laughed, and voiced how one of them had suggested just that idea, of joining in: "I will if you'll come with me." They decided not to, but it kept this idea of soloing in the forefront of my mind. It was so important to have someone else to stand next to when going against what was established as the proper way to act in a specific setting. (Not that this was a surprise to me. Going against what the majority deems as appropriate is a well accepted difficulty in the life of many humans: ex. high school, media, religion, art in general, etc. but) Why was this so important? Both these girls, and the one I had previously talked to had expressed quite an interest in joining. They all wanted to do it, but didn't have the "guts" to unless a friend was beside them. What strength was there in this extra person? What did a partner offer that was a substitute for their lack of guts? And whatever was holding them back - society, culture, the "norm," rules - was holding them back from an experience that seemed enjoyable to them. They wanted to dance on the staircase of Thompson Library, in plain view of four stories worth of fellow studying students and passerbys. Yet there was some danger they wouldn't risk acting against. An entity of some sort that could hurt them. The joy in dancing wasn't worth the possible consequences.

These consequences...

Guerrilla Dance - Solo (pt. #1)

This whole idea of solo dancing in a place designated for a completely different type of behavior is slowly garnering an intense amount of attention in my mind.

A dancer (Jasmine) and I took a trip to our local library to dance, and as an experiment (and because my knees are shot from repeatedly dancing on concrete) I had her dance alone. First she danced without any music for about 20 minutes, a break, then danced for another 20 or so minutes with an iPod on.

The question was, would there be any difference with this dancing experience with a single dancer versus the groups of three or four that usually go out?

The difference was there, and I soon felt bad for knowingly putting my dancer into the...lion's den, if you will. I saw looks like I always do, and saw Jasmine dance with infectious joy and fearlessness, like I always do. At first, I found nothing irregular. However, time went on and I myself began to feel embarrassed for her - despite my own involvement in the project. There was something about her up on the staircase, a lone figure in her attempt to do something out of the ordinary. How horrible it seemed...

Beyond that feeling of my own, I didn't see any other obvious signs of real negativity. Until of course I actually went and talked to others...

Guerrilla Dance Writing #4

...continued from #3

and we danced, and enjoyed ourselves, and affected those who watched, and didn't affect some, and (it seemed) most importantly we spread dance. It was good.

But I knew something wasn't quite right. I felt good about the process, and it seemed to be fulfilling the goals I had set out to achieve. Yet it rarely felt really good like I thought it would. I felt unsatisfied with the process somehow, and I couldn't put my finger on it. I didn't really put a lot of thought into it - the actual act of making dance happen everyday of the week was more than enough to keep me occupied - I didn't have much of a choice.

At the end of last quarter, all the dancers involved in the project and I had a talk. The topic of connecting with viewers came up. They felt we had brought the fourth wall of proscenium performance with us to our everyday "stage."

As a result, I attempted to approach this Winter quarter differently, using social dance (that which might be done at a club, wedding, party, etc) mixed with a touch of studio movement, with the hope that this would be more inviting to the audience. It also made the focus automatically (albeit consciously) switch to fun. Which, I didn't notice it at the time, had been the original focus all along.

I wrote up a set schedule, found a set place to dance, made sure set people were assigned to each day, and we began...

Guerrilla Dance Writing #5

...continued from "Writing #4"

Day one was an absolute disaster. No dancing happened...it just wasn't right. All the set components weren't clicking, and freaking out by me commenced.

How could I possibly imagine to orchestrate this huge project? I didn't know what was right, and I seemed to get it wrong quite often. There was so much room for error.
On top of all that, it occurred to me: how could I possibly expect anyone else to adopt the responsibilities that I had? It was my hope that if a group of us began dancing in everyday life, on a consistent basis, others would join. Yet it was simply too much work, and too tiringly complex...especially for one person. All the leg work was messing with the fun, the joy. It was doubtful anyone would join the "cause." Even I was beginning to question my ability to keep things afloat.

Then a wise person suggested the idea of throwing out all the structure: "setness" if you will. Why do we need speakers, music player, set places, blah blah blah? Let's just go dance; pick some random place everyday; do our thing.

I smiled, the very next day did what I had been advised, and it finally felt right.

Spontaneity came into the picture, adventure, freedom to choose, flexibility: all qualities that say dance to me. Dance as a way to express whatever one is feeling, do so using the physical instrument of self (the body) and not let anything get in the way. After only three days of this new approach a random passerby joined in the dancing, another week and a slew of others were asking how they could be involved, and another two weeks and dancers from other states were expressing interest in doing the same type of dancing. All of which had never happened in the two and a half months we had already been dancing in public spaces.

There definitely seemed to be a shift, and that shift seemed to be caused by the shift us group of dancers had made. It stopped being about rules and lines to follow. It became about doing what we wanted, and using whatever we could find as a way to do it. It expanded on the ideas of the club and tribal dancing I had originally been inspired by. It took parts of what make that type of dancing for fun/entertainment, doing whatever you want. Now though, instead of going to designated locations to do it, the canvas was clear, and the paint began to fly.

Guerrilla Dance Writing #3

I keep coming back to this idea of fun. When the idea for this project/act/group/movement (Guerrilla Dance, or whatever you want to call it) was in its early stages, it centered around the little knowledge I had about social dancing of West Africa, the swing clubs in Harlem, wedding receptions, the club dancing of current day: dance, most of which is focused on social enjoyment. I noticed that the prevalence of dance within societies (along the aforementioned vein) appeared in a variety of ways and amounts, but all seemed to show up in a social setting of some sort. My first instinct, and the original iteration of this idea of Guerrilla Dance, was to go to the places that already had dance, encourage a movement that led away from bumping & grinding, and would include more complex dance.

I moved away from that approach quite early on, for many reasons, but looking back on what I had considered and how this project has evolved, I see a common thread that has survived: fun.

Last quarter, we had a set schedule with set locations, set people who were going on each day, and set scores to guide the dancing

...everything was set...

If Boundaries Had No Friends

A trailer for the documentary I'm working on as part of my senior project at Ohio State.

Enjoy

~Scarecrow

Oooh! A skip of my little ol' heart :)

A few places that make me happy:

http://astudioincoventgarden.blogspot.com/ - The Sept 06, 2009 post "Dancing Outdoors."

Santa Cruz, representin' - Wish it was a little more regular, but I still dig it.

http://www.collagedancetheatre.org/company/mission.html - A contemporary dance company based out of LA. Sort of an oxymoron, but they're pretty cool.

Dance in a non-dancer's life is often spontaneous, often blurps of energy or simply a joke. It's (almost) never about months of planning and rehearsal. The same could be said for music, so I'm not saying that dance can ONLY be performed as it is seen in everyday life. All I'm saying is that the performance of dance around the world should include much of that kind of dancing, slightly formalized by trained dancers. Maybe, just maybe, that would be a much easier type of dance for the everyday person to relate to.