This week, curatorial
advisor Anna Drozdowski interviews Red
Thread co-choreographer Lisa Kraus with dancer Meg Foley, offering an
inside peek into the creative development of both artist’s work.
Anna
Drozdowski: Why did you choose to sew several generations
together for this project? Lisa Kraus: It came up because I saw
how the Gee’s Bend quilters pass on their ways to daughters and nieces. Also,
if you ask what it means to be dancing as an older person, you end up
contrasting that with what it’s like dancing in your twenties or thirties. Meg,
Michele and Gabi are around the ages Eva, Vicky and I were when we first met.
It made sense to see how the two kinds of energy and ability and interest work
together.
Tell me about the things you’ve learned
from your younger contemporaries in this process.
Lisa: We’ve gone into using movement language you don’t usually associate
with older people - moves from hip hop. Meg and I captured some of her improve
and we’ve scored some sections around that quality. It’s segmented and small,
interesting in contrast to all the flowing Brown-esque quality we know so well.
Gabi is very offhand with her humor and her presence magnetizes me. I’m
studying it. And Michele, who is delicate physically but has the capacity to be
gargantuan and thrilling has us thinking about how you light fires and spark abandon…
Published on March 8, 2010 - 4:09pm
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