The Winger » What engages you?

What engages you?

October 20, 2007 at 11:46 pm · Filed under SLOAN, dance, life, performances, future, audiences, change, discussion

KRISTIN SLOAN
New York City Ballet
New York, NY USA
BIO | POSTS

Since we’ve recently had the pleasure of entertaining some new readers, (welcome!) I thought it might be fun to open up a discussion about what elements of a dance performance we find the most interesting or engaging.

What elements do you think contribute the most to your enjoyment of a show?

What elements do you think would get you the most excited about attending a show?

- Cost
- Popular music
- Recognition of an artist involved (dancer, choreographer, visual artist, musician, designer…)
- Location/Venue
- Lighting/Stage design
- Collaboration with other art forms
- Use of digital media
- Interactivity (audience participation)
- More information/education about the performance beforehand
- A social gathering in conjunction with the performance?

What helps set your expectations about what you are about to see?

If dance is in danger of becoming less relevant, and less a part of people’s lives, what can we do to change that course?

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Chai Neuhaus said,

October 21, 2007 @ 1:31 am

For a performance to be exemplary, it HAS to stop my mind, completely arrest it. How does a dancer do this?
By expressing that which is beyond them. We all have the capacity to elevate one another by reaching into the unknown, not only that which is unknown to the observer, but that which is unknown to the artist. True art lives in the realm where anything, even total failure, is possible. Be willing to die in your performance, and my heart will hear you and being touched, remember how to fly.

bob said,

October 21, 2007 @ 1:36 am

i loved the commercial.

tonya said,

October 21, 2007 @ 3:04 am

Great question! I’ve been a balletomane for about three years now, so am not a new fan, but newish…

Cost is a biggie for me since I’m in a career transition and will likely be very poor for a while. NYCB’s 4th Ring thingy is a savior.

Next most important thing is, I am a literary person and I also love art, so collaboration interests me a lot. I especially like when a work is based on something literary: Romeo & Juliet, Othello, Death in Venice, Dorian Gray, Nightingale & Rose, etc. Collaboration with artists excites me too — can’t wait for the upcoming Chuck Close collaboration ABT is doing!!! Let’s get some other artists in there: Damien Hirst anyone? Chris Ofili? What about something based on Schiele — didn’t we discuss that before, Matt? Also, social relevance makes me happy: Castrati which I recently saw of Nacho Duato, exploring the lives of Italian sopranos along with nature of masculinity / gender themes. I love Forsythe’s 3 Atmos. Studies for its ruminations on the current state of affairs. I like work that makes me think about things, that engages my mind as well as my feelings and visual or aural senses. Yes, I like things involving my favorite dancers (as I think every dance fan does) but I didn’t have favorites until I was already into ballet, so the above things came first.

Erin MacMillan-Ramirez said,

October 21, 2007 @ 4:01 am

I don’t think dance is being threatened in America. I do think more education is necessary for more people to appreciate and understand what they are looking at or paying for. Television shows like “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing With The Stars” are bringing ballroom, hip-hop, modern and lyrical into the average American’s living room for free. Perhaps opening up lower cost shows on slow nights or 2-for-1 ticket nights might increase audience numbers.

Inter-active media is always fun and interesting. I love when dance, film, photography and music come together on stage. There’s nothing better than a live performance.

Outdoor free performances like festivals, parks or as a part of a larger community event will increase awareness. And school programs really help. Getting kids excited about ballet means they will talk to their parents about going to see a performance. Then if a special day and time is offered for children with discounted ticket prices the whole family can enjoy the ballet the way they do a baseball game.

I started ballet when I was three and I’m going back to dancing now that my son is going to be six months old. Once you love dance you always love dance. It’s just a matter of exposing people to it and educated them so they appreciate it, then they can fall in love with it.

Dance allows the soul fly, even if you’re just watching.

Michael said,

October 21, 2007 @ 4:16 am

I think that music plays a very vital part in what I like to see. I play guitar/sing and consider music to be essential with whatever I’m watching whether it be film, ballet or a play. The ‘right’ music adds an emotional aspect that sticks in my memory as I head home after the show.

Todd Vodka said,

October 21, 2007 @ 6:26 am

I believe that the passion you portray here and examples of self-expression and true artistry are becoming exponentially rarer. I am emboldened by your site and hope others will be too.

Kara R. said,

October 21, 2007 @ 2:08 pm

“What elements do you think contribute the most to your enjoyment of a show?”
I think that just by being a dance and thereby being in sympathy with the performers, I enjoy a show. My muscles twitch and ache toward the dance, crying “I want to play, too!” I find myself on the edge of my seat, straining forward and no matter how many times my conscious mind settles my body back against the seat, it inches its way forward again and again.

“What elements do you think would get you the most excited about attending a show? ”
Recognition of artists definitely gets me excited. I grew up in a rural area without a lot of cultural offerings in easy reach. It took an hour and a half to reach the nearest theater, so for my family (or my dance family) to make that trip (especially considering the return trip late at night), having a recognizeable name attached to the performance was a big motivator. There wasn’t a lot of enthusiasm about driving all that way just to see an obscure artist/company performing a piece we’d never heard of. So even now I get more excited about familiarity. It probably holds me back some, because I probably miss a lot of up-and-coming talent. But it’s hard to change that instinctual selectiveness.

“What helps set your expectations about what you are about to see?”
The artist’s reputation. And beyond that, I actually want to know as little about the performance as possible, so as not to spoil anything. I’m the same way when reading a book. I tend to stick to a select number of authors and choose books written by them. I might read the back cover synopsis once, but after that I won’t even look at it because I want the book to present the story to me. I don’t want to be expecting this or that to happen, and in that expectation, skim over some literary gem that would have struck me as wonderful in its own right if I weren’t on the lookout for something else to happen. I want my reaction to the story and my interpretation of the writing to be entirely my own, and not based (not even subconsciously) on whatever critic, editor, or translator got hold of the book before me and put their mark on it. So it is when I see a performance.

“If dance is in danger of becoming less relevant, and less a part of people’s lives, what can we do to change that course?”
If the people won’t come to see the dance, bring the dance to see the people! Dance needs exposure. As I said before, I grew up in a rural area where dance was not prevalent in the community. There is one studio (thank God it was a good one and not some two-bit Dolly Dinkle establishment), but the saintly lady who runs it has worked for years to bring dance and appreciation of it to this community. She takes her students into the public schools to give lecture-demonstrations and allow the children to ask the dancers questions. She takes them to the local nursing homes to dance for the residents. She takes them to local festivals and they dance on the street. So many members of their audiences at these places would have never, of their own accord, bought a ticket to see a dance performance, whether it was a show by these local students or one featuring a major company. Yet here they are, being exposed to dance, and enjoying every minute of it.

I believe that the accidental audience can be the most appreciative. They happen upon the dance with no prior expectations of what it should be because they didn’t know they were going to see it and no idea of getting their money’s worth because they haven’t paid any. Yet because they have no expectations, their impression will likely be stronger and longer-lasting than that of someone who intentially bought a ticket and intentionally went to the theater indending to see something. These are the prodigal sons of Art, who, upon their return to the fold, are celebrated with the slaughter of the fatted calf and rejoiced over more loudly than the ones who have never been lost. So we should leave the 99 sheep in the fold of the theater and go out into the world seeking after the one who is lost, if we are to be good shepherds of Art.

Ms. V said,

October 21, 2007 @ 3:40 pm

HMMM. Thanks for making sure we are all thinking. I will give the last question a shot.
Getting people who don’t dance to relate to it is always hard. There has to be a reason why they’d be interested in seeing it. The expense of live performance is outrageous-so many are excluded from the opportunity to see it because they simply cannot afford it. The best way to change the course is through kids! Arts programs in schools etc. If you study Shakespeare-why not dance history?

Daniel said,

October 21, 2007 @ 4:15 pm

As a dance neophyte, it is hard for me to appreciate different dancer’s styles and also difficult for me to have a technical basis for appreciation. Not dissimilar from attending a NY Phil concert, there are moments of overwhelming peace and inspiration, where I almost forget that I am at the ballet or at a concert; where I feel as if the art has stepped into my life and is occurring inside of me. And while this ephemeral and heavenly feeling is worth the price of admission, I do wish, especially with the performing arts, that I had a greater technical understanding of what I was watching. I wish I knew more about the dancers, their styles, their philosophies of movement, and their lives. Also, the easier they make dance look, the harder it is for me to grasp just how impossible it is to fly through the air. I used to play baseball in college. Pitcher. When I watch a Yankees game, I can appreciate how great and hard it is to throw a perfect 92 mph sinker. I have a basis for appreciation. I wish I had that with dance!

Daniel said,

October 21, 2007 @ 8:43 pm

PS I never did throw a slider at 92 mph, but once threw a splitter at 88.
PPS I like watching dance prior to running the NYC Marathon, as it helps me imagine what it would be like to be properly stretched-out and limber!

Jennifer said,

October 21, 2007 @ 8:53 pm

Hello! First time reader courtesy of the iPhone commercial… feel like a Johnny come lately. I used to be more active with the online dance community, but unfortunately real life has interfered for the last few years.

I feel that for me, being a dancer myself (though amateur), my knowledge makes me even more critical of professional productions that I would be otherwise; so much so that I often leave performances so uninspired that I don’t go back for years if ever.

The things that get me the most amped up about seeing a show is, admittedly, the star power involved and the style of choreography. If there is a dancer guesting from a major company, I’m automatically intrigued.

As far as keeping my happy while I’m there, however, there is really only one thing I’m watching… technique, technique, technique. All the bells and whistles of lighting, costumes, A/V, etc etc mean nothing if I’m unimpressed by the dancing. Give me Maria Kowroski in a unitard in front of a black backdrop any day over a mediocre dancer with the most lavish costumes and innovative lighting.

As far as social events surrounding performances… I’m probably outside of the norm of the typical theatre-goer, but I’m mostly not interested. If I’m going to shell out more precious cash to benefit the ballet, I’m much more likely to spend it on a master class with a company dancer, for example, than a fete with the upper crust.

The best thing that advertising can do to draw me to a performance is PHOTOGRAPHS. I cannot stress this enough. It always shocks me how few photographs companies publish given that ballet is largely a visual medium.

SanderO said,

October 21, 2007 @ 10:55 pm

Wonderful topic Kristin. Loved the IPod spot.

Ballet and dance are very special in that that almost cannot be experienced except in a live performance. TV, vids, podcasts and so on are completely different. Whatever the performance, you are seeing IT; it’s new that moment… even it is a standard which has been done before. So for me each performance is a unique treasure. You can think of a meal as something familiar but new ever time you eat it. Not a great analogy, perhaps.

I love to see the differences which each performance offers. Seeing it once is only a means to wet my appetite and therefore each time I come back it’s new and subtly or not so subtly different. So I love to see how different dancers do the same part. And different conductors how they make the music sound… tempo and so forth.

I like a proper setting for the viewing dance, so I can be comfortable, see well, get there without lots of problems and so forth.. Lincoln Center is fine in that regard. But the theatres are very large. City Center is much more intimate and one hardly has a need for binocs.

I actually prefer to attend alone or with my wife and be free of the obligation to socialize because I need time to absorb and reflect on what I am experiencing. Perhaps before hand might be the time to socialize, but then I really would not be great company if I was into the preformance.. or I could be good company and lose a lot of the experience.

Dance is pretty “sacred” and so it doesn’t mix well with martinis and lattes and what they go with - chatter. That’s just me.

I do like to hear some presentations before a performance… as in a lecture or similar to get more of the “back story”. That makes my experience more robust.

I’m somewhat addicted to ballet, but I am not close to ODing on it because I just don’t have the opportunity or the money to indulge as much as I might want. I usually get an enormous “thrill/ high” whatever the world is from seeing all that talent whirl before me.

And I love great ballet photography. It’s rare, but it can transport me in a way to the theatre.

I love to see how the AD interprets/presents the costumes and the sets and how the dance plays off it, with it etc. Therefore sets and lighting are very important to my dance experiences. Sets need not be elaborate, but they need to really ADD to the dance. But all the visual things can really amplify or detract from the experience. Color can be incredible on stage along with light and contrast.

Also where I sit determines what I see. Dance seen from the orchestra level is very different from when viewed from above. I prefer the lower balconies to the orchestra because I like to see the PLAN view as opposed to lots of overlap of movement. This is especially important for some choreography. So this means that I can’t afford or get enough tix because I like the pricier ones. So I have to be selective.

I don’t like pop music, but contemporary music might be OK… and it.

I like innovation with stage craft and prefer that to museum like interpretations. But the classics are wonderful too, but for different reasons.

I don’t know about audience participation aside from Bravos.. and it may be to random as a part of the work.

I prefer live to recorded music.

Curtiss said,

October 21, 2007 @ 11:13 pm

You’re a terrific ambassador for dance, the NYCB … not to mention yourself! in that iPhone ad.

Now I have to come to New York to see Nutcracker.

Thanks.

btw … I love the flow and majesty of the human body set to music. I know that’s pretty general, but that’s my succinct answer to your question.

SanderO said,

October 21, 2007 @ 11:16 pm

If dance is in danger of becoming less relevant, and less a part of people’s lives, what can we do to change that course?

It isn’t relevant… it’s a very esoteric experience. This is not the copa… It’s high art and you have to have a need to have your art bone tickled.

That’s a which came first the chicken or the egg type of thing, because you need to nurture your art tickle bone or art/dance has no meaning or to use your word - relevance.

I’d stay away from that word - relevance - because it suggests a real measurable something which is “essential” and has a message applicable to / in all our lives. I’d like to believe this is or could or should be true, but in reality what we get from ballet is more spiritual, ethereal and will have nothing to do with your earning potential… if you get my drift. But that word always seems to surface and is the basis for justifying some thing’s existence or need for a budget and so on.

It just IS and lucky for us that people figured it all out and are continuing to. One of the best things since sliced bread!

emma said,

October 22, 2007 @ 12:06 am

A dancers passion and adaptation of the character they are portraying must shine through in order for me to be swept away in a performance. Fluidity of steps is also very important to me, usually I find myself critiquing the execution of the steps (doesn’t everyone do that? ‘oh her shoulder needs to come down a bit’). But when those elements all come together, it is easy to get swept up in the emotion and journey of a piece/ballet and THAT is when a performance is the most enjoyable for me. Recognition of someone involved (be it choreographer, dancer, director, company) definitely gets me excited to go to a show. Face it, when you hear a Jorma Elo piece is going to be performed near you, wouldn’t you go? This also goes along with what my expectations will be. Obviously these people have a great reputation and that is going to lead me to have somewhat high-ish standards. Even so, there are times when you just need a little bit of dance and I just go to a show by a local company with no idea what to expect. Sometimes I’m blown away and sometimes I’m not but it’s good to take a chance once in a while otherwise who will discover local talent?

david said,

October 22, 2007 @ 12:24 am

knowing someone in the show is what would make more enjoyable and more exciting for me.

E McKie said,

October 22, 2007 @ 9:56 am

SanderO….I always seem to agree with you.

mbb said,

October 22, 2007 @ 3:56 pm

Just a side note, LOVE YOUR COMERCIAL!! Whe i saw it last night, i screeched, “I know her”, (kinda)!! when everybody asked me how, i replied “through “The Winger”. how fun!!!

tonya said,

October 22, 2007 @ 5:21 pm

mbb, I saw it too, on Saturday night, and did the same thing! Except I was in a crowded bar. People laughed at me, and I think I kinda embarrassed my friend, but oh well!

I totally agree with Emma. I think dancers need to think about what they are doing — even when it’s an abstract ballet — too often it seems dancers are only doing steps, without putting anything into them. I think choreographers need to better train dancers to convey whatever the choreographer is trying to convey. Otherwise, it’s all just a big glob of nothingness up onstage. I love Elo too! Though he won’t talk a lot about his process, I feel that he must do this with his dancers, because his work is structured, and there’s definitely something going on up there — I don’t always know what, but trying to figure it out is part of the fun of dance.

nothsa said,

October 22, 2007 @ 10:09 pm

A fearless, unselfish performance trumps everything, even defects of the body. And here’s my personal, highly biased theory on why dance audiences (at least in the U.S.) are dwindling: the dance education system here. Because, as Americans, we tend to place such an inordinate amount of pressure on our children to aspire only to the very top in all that they do, when they don’t reach that pinnacle, they end up quitting and hating the art or sport or activity they loved so very much in the first place. We have lost the very people who should be filling audiences for the rest of their lives before they even get out of high school here. I wish ballet schools here would ease up on the pressure to “go pro” and would make attending and appreciating dance performance (by others) as big a part of kids’ training as they do competing at YAGP and attending summer intensives has become!

OK, soap, you can have your box back now.

nothsa said,

October 22, 2007 @ 10:10 pm

Oh, and I’ll pay to see anything choreographed to Radiohead.

thewinger.com » Where does it all Start? said,

October 23, 2007 @ 1:44 am

[…] So the other night I wrote a post, asking everyone what they find interesting or engaging about a dance performance, or what would draw them to see a dance performance that they wouldn’t otherwise have sought out. […]

Lizz said,

October 24, 2007 @ 12:41 pm

There are many ways for one to express themselves and dance is my favorite. I danced for 17 years. A couple of those with The Georgia Ballet under the direction of the late, Iris Hensley. I cherished every moment. The music just gets you going and you feel it in your bones and soul. My life took many turns in the past, which steered away from ballet but it’s still in my heart and I will still put on the classical music and dance around the house, hold onto a chair and use it as my barre. I still have the flexibility and ponder the thought of attending an adult class. I think once it’s in your soul it’s always there. I haven’t attended a performance in a very long time but whenever I see it on tv, or in the movies (one of my favs is Center Stage, love it) my eyes always well up, it just gets to you and then you want to dance and release. I miss it so much, perhaps some day I will connect with it again, one way or another.