Virtual Pillow Views
Dance speaks in new online videos
January 2014
 
Greetings!

Although dance is itself an eloquent language, some artists also incorporate the spoken word into their work, and this month we look at notable examples. 

In addition to the past highlights mentioned below, the just-announced Festival 2014 promises even more opportunities to savor dance with text, including the incomparable Carmen de Lavallade.  Enjoy!




Norton Owen
Director of Preservation
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 
New Dance Videos Featuring Spoken Word
BODYTRAFFIC

The influential Yemeni dance artist Margalit Oved often spoke in her own works, and her son Barak Marshall showcased some of her stories in his new creation for BODYTRAFFIC's 2013 Pillow debut.  The story leads into a delicious movement section, so be sure to watch it all! 

Liz Gerring Dance Co. 
The use of text in Liz Gerring's work is somewhat ironic, as she eschews traditional storytelling in favor of an abstract approach where the movement is the message.  This 2012 excerpt from she dreams in code uses recorded text embedded in Michael J. Schumacher's electronic score. 
Martha@The Pillow 
It's a rare treat to hear the Judson Dance Theatre's iconic Yvonne Rainer speaking about some of her groundbreaking work, as she does here in a mock "debate" with Richard Move channeling Martha Graham.  These choice moments from 2002 include Patricia Hoffbauer's recreation of an early Rainer solo.   
Joe Goode 
A longtime dynamic force in San Francisco, the Joe Goode Performance Group has only made one Pillow appearance thus far, and it was fortuitously a retrospective program that included Goode himself in one of his most enduring duets.  Goode's way of speaking and moving is all his own and well worth sampling.   
Ralph Lemon 
This solo originated from a recorded conversation with tap pioneer LaVaughn Robinson.  Lemon and his work were seen here often in the 1980s and 1990s, but this clip marks his first appearance in Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive.  Here's an unusual opportunity to sample Lemon's dancing at an earlier stage in his career.     
More Dancing and Speaking

Bill T. Jones: Story/Time
Members of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company do the dancing here while Jones himself handles the speaking, and it's a fascinating combination. Story/Time was inspired by John Cage's Indeterminacy, a random collection of Cage's stories. 
Liz Lerman 
The text in this work has special Pillow significance, as it was drawn from the diary of Esther Miller, who served as the cook here in 1942.  Lerman incorporated a particularly poignant diary entry into her 2000 work, Hallelujah: In Praise of Fertile Fields, commissioned by the Pillow.
 

Steve Paxton
A pioneer of the improvisational technique known as contact improvisation, here Paxton explains the concept while two dancers demonstrate.  More of a lecture-demonstration than a formal dance, this excerpt sheds a fascinating light on a central building block of contemporary dances.
Virtual Pillow Views represents the monthly culmination of many hours of research, curatorial selection, video editing, and writing. If you enjoy this publication, please consider making a donation to help us continue sharing the latest additions to Dance Interactive with you. Donate Now
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Header Photo Credits (left to right): Ted Shawn, photo Shapiro Studios; Drew Jacoby, photo Liza Voll; Cynthia Gregory, photo �Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos; Savion Glover, photo Len Irish; Shantala Shivalingappa, photo C.P. Satyajit