 |
|
|
|||
|
Interviews
|
|||
|
|
Dance or Theatre? Terry O'Donovan talks to Jasmin Vardimon, one of the new breed of sharp, visceral and modern choreographers who draws large crowds of younger audiences to the world of dance.. Celebrated Israeli choreographer Jasmin Vardimon is jetting into London next week following the largest international tour of her company to date. Vardimon, an Associate Artist at Sadlers Wells, is fast becoming one of the new breed of sharp, visceral and modern choreographers who draws large crowds of younger audiences to the world of dance. As with Hofesch Schecther, her pieces blur boundaries between dance and theatre and for 'Justitia' - a courtroom drama - she has collaborated with playwright Rebecca Lenkiweiezc. Last week I chatted to her about 'Justitia' and how her creative process is developing: What has drawn you to explore the justice system in Justitia?My inspiration comes mainly from the life around me, around us. Life takes its course and along this journey there are significant moments that influence me and trigger a creation. In Justitia, which I created in 2007, it was the notions of guilt and justice in their wide and narrow scale that were constantly on my mind. The piece is set in two locations: a courtroom where you traditionally try to prove "not guilty", and a group therapy for people who live with guilt, where you try to openly express your guilt. The story follows a crime case, where the events are replayed several times from different perspectives. The audience are in a similar position to a jury; they keep receiving new information that every time creates a new truth, a new reality. Each audience member has a different point of view, but is there one absolute truth? Does what we see dictate our point of view, or is it our point of view that dictates what we see? How did your collaboration with Rebecca Lenkiewiezc come about?I have worked through several development periods at the National Theatre Studio, where I developed the first stage of this piece. After the first period, I discussed with the Director of the NT studio my interest in collaborating with a script writer. Rebecca was suggested amongst others, I read many scripts, and decided to work with her. The process of interpreting my ideas into another person's words was challenging, the text travelled a lot between us until it arrived at its final destination. How does working with a text affect your choreography?When creating a new work, I don't like to feel stuck or limited to working in one style. I am interested in creating a multi-layered product that can communicate my thoughts on different levels and through different channels. The text is there to tell a story that the visual, or physical methods can't. In Justitia, the text gives us historical information on the characters and how they got to the specific point where we are seeing them. For example, it tells us the thoughts of the stenographer and her inner state of mind while she types. In some cases I like to use text to create another layer of information that can actually contradict what we see on stage (like in the evidence scene). Some people will trust what they hear, when others will only believe what they see, but it is the combination of both that creates the complexity we have in life. How much of the material comes from your dancers and how much is pre-prescribed?I am not always traditionally choreographing (creating movement). Actually I see my role sometimes more as an initiator or catalyst of a process, and also the final editor. As I want the performers I work with to be honest about what they do on stage, I create room for them to input from their own worlds, abilities and experiences. I lead them to look for the origin within themselves. I believe in developing the creativity of the performers I work with, and we go through a process to develop their own abilities and to look for new ways of expression that can reach their hidden qualities and skills. Through this we create a pool of material to work with that will be moulded into the new piece of work. Although flexible, the process is very precisely directed to achieve the aims of the specific project, and to fulfil the content and structure I originally intended for it. You're renowned for searching for dancers who truly connect with you in large open auditions. Why do you have open auditions and who is your latest discovery?I hold open auditions, as I truly believe in fair opportunity for all, and not preselecting by CVs or other method. I like to be surprised by the personalities I meet in the studio. The first and most important thing I look for in an artist is the 'flexibility of mind'. It is in fact the first thing I look for in any collaborator, and even what I hope to find in an audience. It is this ''flexible mind" that allows us to learn and understand new realities faster, even complex ones. One thing, I keep finding with dancers that have been trained in a specific dance style, is that they adopt the mannerism of this specific style and can't develop elsewhere. They won't let go of what they feel safe with. I look for artists that have the ability to let go of what they already know, and look for new qualities or new ways to 'talk' with their bodies. It's this maturity and confidence in a personality that can allow these artists to grow and adopt new skills and awareness. Then they can be good partners to go on a creative journey with me. Is it important to you to have the word 'theatre' in the description of your company?It would be misleading to call it 'pure dance'. Some theatre directors who present my work even wonder why we call it 'dance', they see it as 'Physical Theatre'. For me the title is not important, it's the content of the work. My art is a form of expression, a form of communication that I invent every time for the purpose of the specific production. It is always physical, as that's where my artistic roots are, but language and text are in my roots as a civilised human being, and media and technology are part of our modern life. I use all of these elements in order to communicate my thoughts and ideas. How is your work received differently in different countries?We always have a great audience at home in the UK. We recently did our first performances of Justitia in Germany and France. Justitia has a long script, and so we had to use surtitles for the first time. I was worried about the local audiences being able to read and understand the text while watching the piece, but it almost seems as if they understood it better, as it was both read and heard. In both countries the performances were a huge success. The audience reacted all the way through and at the end literally didn't let the dancers off stage, which was a fantastic experience for us all. What's next?We still have a long tour with Justitia and Yesterday throughout 2009. I will then be starting to research my next creation which will premiere in Autumn 2010. It will be a piece for large scale venues which will bring new elements that I've never worked with before plus new technology that we will be developing especially for it, which I'm very excited about. 2009 marks the company's 12th anniversary, and they're currently looking for a full-time home. Lets hope, for our sake, its nearby - I, for one, want to catch everything as soon as possible! Justitia is at the Peacock Theatre, London from
30 April - 2 May 2009
|
||
|
|
