 Front row: Bob Beswick, Nitzia Vieyra, Alberto (Tito) Del Saz, and Mary Ellen Carafice. Standing: Tim Harling, Suzie Creitz, Linda Tarnay, Peter Kyle, Ruth Grauert, Bebe Miller, Kathy Heath, and Barbara Hayley. Not pictured: Phyllis Lamhut, Marc Lawton, Lynn Needle, Gerald Otte, Robert Small, and Jim Van Abbema. |
|
| |
Because Nikolais taught his company dancers in his classes, freeing them to move directly to the stimuli of image and idea rather than teaching them patterned movement, he could draw from them the motion unique to each of his ballets. The practice of such moving is the stuff of primal creativity.
In order to formulate a comprehensive statement of Nikolais's methods of teaching, we organized the Conference on the Nikolais Aesthetic, held at Bearnstow in Mount Vernon, Maine, this past August. There the attendees, all who had studied with him or had been members of his company, pursued the various aspects of his classes. Each contributed by teaching a class and defining the aesthetic. We had a great time schmoozing at dinner where, of course, the main topic was dance, dance, dance. Did any of us swim sans suit?
Those who were there can attest to the legacy of the freedom to create that Nik gave us. We sincerely hope that this attempt to document the process will give others such freedom and continue to produce more and more great dance. More photos of this extraordinary conference will be online soon. In the meantime, see Ruth's summer 2010 workshop at Bearnstow, Exploring the Nikolais Aesthetic—An Emersion in Time, Space, Shape, and Motion, with a slide show of Conference photos.