Rehearsal spaces in New York are small. Maximum 30×40. Rehearsal spaces in the Salt Lake are large. Minimum 70×40. Considering these two vastly different creating environments, I wonder how the dimensions of our labs affect the creation and, ultimately, the qualitative texture of our work. Faye Driscoll’s continuously sold-out ???There is so much mad in me” is a very intimate piece exploring “the physical and theatrical narrative that drive our misplaced need to be seen.” Company???s like Misnomer, Miguel Gutierrez and John Jasperse are all creating very personal pieces. John is always creating immersive dance experiences.
New York is going through a shortage of space and as a result dances are closer, even closer than before. While I was in New York about a month back I had the privilege of rehearsing in one of the newest spaces for dance in the SoHo area, The Rover. The mind behind The Rover, Rani, describes on the space???s website that ??? Opening the Rover emerged out of my own need for SPACE???to rehearse and perform my own work. Every studio I had used over the last 13 years had been hiked up to a ridiculous price that I could no longer afford hourly. I have to admit I also felt a bit suffocated and halted creatively in some ways???.wondering where if at all my work really fit.???
Pictured Above: Juan Aldape Rehearsing at The Rover.
In comparison, Salt Lake’s rehearsal spaces are open and endless. This of course greatly affects the work being created. Come to one of the local shows and witness dancers with open arms and grand second plies. We are aroused by the grandeur of the dancers. This is not to say New York does not have avenues for such virtuosity, they do. Look at the Lincoln Center.
“Siesta” by Charlotte Boye-Christensen :: photo by Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake Tribune
What I am saying is that these little or big boxes that we step into to make art happen, have a greater impact on our work than we realize. Last Spring John Jasperse was invited to the Utah scene to set a work on Ririe-Woodbury Dance company. He attempted to make use of his craft and opened up all of curtains on the stage to reveal everything on the stage. The piece felt distant, vacant and uneventful. The movement didn???t make sense in the space. Is this the reason why we sometimes feel unenthralled during a performance? Did the piece look and feel ???great??? in the intimate rehearsal space, but then lost its appeal in a different environment- that traditional stage? Is it even possible to make space-neutral pieces? I wonder if the texture of the piece would feel different if the creator rehearsed in large and small circles or other non-rectangular shapes. Mixing it up every time.
