Danceletter 20
The big news this weekend is: I went for a walk. Like a long-ish one to the park closest to my apartment, which is about 15 minutes away on foot. I know different people in the city have different relationships to walking. I personally haven’t been able to do much of it, except to go a few blocks to the grocery store. I love walking so much, and I miss it. But it used to be something that helped me relax, allowed my mind to wander, and now it’s the opposite. I’m constantly on guard. Especially on a day like yesterday, which was so beautiful, with so many people out and about. The park was crowded.
On the subject of walking in the city, choreographer Kim Brandt wrote an essay called “Solo” for Critical Correspondence that you should definitely read. On one mid-March walk through SoHo and the Lower East Side, with a friend, she writes:
We pass so few people on the sidewalks during this hour that it feels like we’re in some other city, and we agree that it’s the Downtown of our dreams, which our elders warned us against being nostalgic for. It’s time to go home, and I wonder where that is, along with when I’ll next see anyone I care about face to face.
When will we see next each other face to face at the theater? I also wrote something for Critical Correspondence this month, very brief, which indirectly asks that question. Some of you might know about a photo series I started on Instagram, using the hashtag #aftermathsofdances. After a show (back when there were shows), I would take a picture of what remained in the performance space and, if I liked the picture, post it with that hashtag. I encouraged others to use it, too. I was so surprised when CC’s editors reached out to me and asked if they could publish some of these images. I had never imagined them migrating beyond Instagram, and it’s nice to see them in a different context. Under the circumstances, they’re more melancholy than before.
A lot of people responded to last week’s Danceletter in agreement about the difficulty of watching dance online these days. It’s good to know I’m not alone. We’re in this for the long haul, and I have a feeling that our aversions and attractions to looking at dance on screens will keep shifting. For those who are up for watching dance online right now, here are a few good things that are currently available (expiring very soon) and coming this week:
For the Trisha Brown Dance Company’s 50th anniversary, the Joyce is streaming Aeros, a 1990 film by Burt Barr looking at the evolution of Brown’s 1989 Astral Convertible, along with a 2017 performance of Brown’s Groove and Countermove. They’re up through today (Sunday, April 26) at 5pm Eastern time. (More on Aeros here, if you’re wondering what you’re looking at.) The Joyce has also generously compiled this collection of online dance-viewing platforms for your exploration.
Justin Peck’s Rotunda, part of New York City Ballet’s digital spring season, is streaming through Monday, April 27 at 8pm Eastern time. (I really liked this piece when I saw the premiere 1000 years ago in February.) Next up, starting Tuesday, April 28 at 8pm Eastern time, and available for 72 hours, is a 2019 performance of Balanchine’s Apollo, starring Taylor Stanley in the title role.
From April 30 to May 7, Ailey All Access will stream Ode by Jamar Roberts, one of the highlights of the company’s most recent winter season. (You can learn more about Roberts, “a quiet disruptor,” in this profile by Gia Kourlas.)
(Note: If you’re interested in these, please check the links to confirm dates and times.)
I also wanted to alert you all to a new website aimed at connecting artists with people looking to learn new skills or otherwise bring artists’ offerings into their lives: HireArtists.org. Whether you’re an artist with a service to share (French lessons? copy-editing?) or someone who wants to, say, learn the guitar or commission a painting for that home where you’re spending so much time, you might be interested.
This was founded by people who understand that artists, many of whom are now out of work, need sustainable sources of income, and people with more resources, many of whom are balancing work and family life — or solitude — in new ways, could benefit from the experience they have to offer. The site does not take any commission, which is great, and I’m sort of astounded by the range of skills and services listed. If you’re starting to feel restless at home and have some dollars to spare, take a look.
Thinking about walking in the city, I was reminded of the 2011 dance film Girl Walk // All Day. Anyone remember that? In 12 short chapters, directed by Jacob Krupnick, it follows dancer Anne Marsen (“The Girl”) as she breaks out of ballet class, hops on the Staten Island Ferry, and dances through New York to a soundtrack by Girl Talk. It’s very 2011, though I’m not even entirely sure what I mean by that. Last week’s video, I realize, was also from 2011. Maybe I’m especially nostalgic for that time.
This was my favorite chapter back then. Now, to be honest, it makes me a little sad, but it was also fun to look back at: