From Naked to Gloria: "Go," a Collaborative Dance Thesis Show

What can we define as “dance”? Where do we draw the line between “dance” and “performance art”? Fred Astaire is quoted as having said, “I have no desire to prove anything by dancing. I have never used it as an outlet or a means of expressing myself. I just dance. I just put my feet in the air and move them around.” I understand that sentiment. When I attend a dance performance I want to see dancing. I hope to be transported from my seat by the beauty of movement. I want to experience afresh how the body can play with space and time.

What does this mean for a performance like “Go,” where five out of the six pieces represent the thesis work of seniors in the dance department, asked to create something new and fresh for this final product of their time at Princeton? It’s a tough question when there’s so much pressure to create a masterpiece unlike anything before it, and I think it’s the wrong question to ask. I don’t mean to undermine any of the hard work and dedication of the students, but it’s clear to me that this pressure to over turn tradition in every sense of the word led to works that were in some cases far less successful than what could have been produced by such talented students.

Before looking at the seniors’ pieces more specifically, it might be beneficial to consider the last piece in the performance: “Gloria,” choreographed by Mark Morris in 1981 and staged by Dance Department faculty member Tina Fehlandt. A renowned modern dance choreographer, Morris is well known for his interests in folk dancing and forms of religious expression, which often inspire his choreography. “Gloria” is set to Vivaldi’s Gloria in D, a musical setting for part of the traditional Roman Catholic mass.

In “Gloria” Morris has created this full and joyous movement, born out of Vivaldi’s music and working within the world of “Glory be to God.” It is movement born of tradition and freed by its own artistic merit. The difference between “Gloria,” the final work in the performance, and the very first is striking. In so many circles, “tradition” is seen as some manifestation of the fear of change. And yet what it really represents, and what I think Morris is so fascinated with, is the expression of our humanness. While “Gloria” embraces this expression, “/.The Flower Child-- Forty Years Later /..” by Sarah Fingerhood seems both to reject it and also to willfully misunderstand it.

Throughout the piece, a dejected-looking woman in a frumpy dress meanders about the stage acting depressed. All around her dancers strip down to nude unitards and draw on each other’s breasts with marker. There are several sexual-looking vignettes, a little bit of dancing, and at the end the dancers spit water onto the dejected woman and leave her folding their discarded red dresses. After the show I was told that it was “one of those pieces you’re not supposed to get.” I think I got it, though. I believe I’m right that the woman—who begins the piece by playing the piano beneath a crystal chandelier and changing out her flower vase—in some way represents “tradition” and “society.” And yes, she was actually spat upon. By any definition, this aspect at least constitutes not dance but performance art.

Though rather high in shock value, this piece did not manage to steal the spotlight. “Internal Laws” by Jennifer Oswald featured live musicians and both live and recorded speaking, both of which added a unique dimension. “if/when” by Patty Chen was a fascinating exploration of Billy Collins’ poem Walking Across the Atlantic, although it could have benefitted from a little more attention to the principle of visual unity, and Kate Adamson’s “…within and without” left me both satisfied and curious from its playful juxtaposition of adult longings and childhood games. “5 Minutes to 3” by Bridget Wright was one of my favorites. The choreography was well thought out and showcased the dancers’ technique extremely well, and the ending was striking as a wooden hoop spins faster and faster in a spot of light before finally collapsing.

In all, the show was enjoyable, and many of the pieces were successful. However, the misguided idea that we must always have something newer than new to thrust in the faces of our unsuspecting audience will always lead us down an ugly path. If I wanted to see performance art, I’m sure I could find plenty to see in the City. I went to the Berlind to watch dance, and if it hadn’t been for Mark Morris and one or two of the Dance Department seniors I’m afraid I would have left it rather disappointed.

--Chloe Davis '12