'Independent dance is a much tougher life: all dancers expect that and accept that there will be periods of not being able to work provided there are choice moments during the year when they really can work. But having made that choice I don't ... see why they should suffer all the way down the line so that by the time they've reached 35 or 38 they're exhausted [and] they've never earned more than £10,000 a year. They've contributed to the advancement of the artform, and they haven't been valued enough. I want to address that - I can't address it totally, but in small splinters of activity, I can try...' (1)
'There are times during a dancer's career, when the lack of consistent employment inhibits their creative and professional development. I am looking for ways in which committed dancers can feel valued through the experience of learning a piece of choreography very, thoroughly ... not only the final piece but the very seeds from which it was made. They will then I hope gain the kind of experience that feeds their life as contemporary artists.'(2)
I was one of a group of six independent dancers venturing into this radical devising process in which we focused on Siobhan's acclaimed work Bank. Together with Deborah Saxon and Sarah Worsop, we embarked upon an extraordinary journey - investigating, refocusing and remaking the work - Siobhan eager for us 'to not only have a physical understanding of the piece but to have worked through the intelligence that went to make the piece.' (3)
Fuelled by an innate desire to revisit my life as a dancer and inspired by Siobhan's work, I embarked on this venture eager to explore and discover something new in my dancing. Deep down I was excited by the reality of spending time in a decent studio setting, engaged in the physical form of movement without all the complexities of initiating, driving or being fully responsible for the success or failure of a project.
It was one of those rare moments in an independent dancer's life, which nourished me with the joys of hard work and invigorating play and I crave for more. The pure simplicity of just dancing fused with a creative environment that both Deborah and Sarah so skillfully fashioned allowed space for me to achieve some of my aspirations and personal enquiries and much, much more.
Sacred space
The studio, the keystone, the place where the tools of the trade can be truly passed on, exchanged, developed and explored. Just as martial arts require a sacred space, there is a fundamental need for us to adopt and demand a similar ethos in our own artform. For it is in the studio that I can project a more global picture of myself as an artist, from which boundaries can then be moved, crossed and opened between other art forms and a wider audience.
The amount of time I spend in a studio these days in order for me to be able to practice my craft and concentrate fully on the job that I believe I do best, is becoming frighteningly rare. Over my 11-year history as a professional artist, I have become all too familiar with the demands on an independent dancer, teacher, performer and creator whose portfolio necessitates adopting a nomadic lifestyle. My survival skills stretch beyond the practical form, to involve administration, fundraising, self-promotion even tour booking. Meanwhile my body, constantly changing in texture, tone, colour, quality and dynamics craves attention, inspiration and a regular flow of movement activity.
Bank afforded me a chance to articulate and acknowledge a more conscious understanding of what remarkable things one's body can achieve given a climate that is conducive. The opportunity to suspend my beliefs as my body was allowed the time to investigate, explore and digest. I began to observe myself differently and as a result, I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing a longer lasting flavour of heightened consciousness in my dancing.
I want to be able to celebrate this, as I believe the richness I have gained over this period can lead to a richer quality of work - whether this is through teaching, performing or creating, or for the observer. Through this heightened awareness of my survival strategies, I want to be able to challenge myself through my dancemaking in a true effort to focus on just the job in hand.
The heat is on
On a cold winter's day our body's natural instinct is to tighten - we concave inwards, shrink in height. A numbness encroaches, depleting it of its ability to move. But the warmth of the studio engulfs us, we become open, relaxed, ready to move, our body able to perform to its optimum - with ease, accuracy and efficiency. The sheer physicality of performing and the adrenaline that creative exploration can generate, flow in an environment tailored to our needs.
Within the parameters of Siobhan's set material - the heat was on. I chose to experiment with some of the qualities and techniques that I am familiar with in improvisation - working through each mini microscopic moment in order to discover another moment equally rich in possibilities. The shifts of weight and the changes in relationship to the floor allowed me to unravel a dialogue of astute alertness tested to the extreme. Each studio, each theatre, demanded something new from me that I then layered on top of what was revealed to me the previous day.
Sprung surface
My solo challenged me and my limits as a performer - the dancer whose part I took possessed a capacity to spring - his natural rebounding rhythmical energy - so different to mine. My habitual body patterns and rhythms became challenged as my network of joints met and cushioned the explosive movement. This allowed me to break out into the space - to expand and deflate, discovering a full range of 'springiness' in the body. As layers of images were introduced, new pathways opened up and frustrations of realising one's imperfections faded.
Through the process of selecting material I became more aware of the difficulty of capturing the full experience of spontaneous movement again and again. Each time I repeated it I felt I lost something. The demand of tuning our bodies to be able to deliver and achieve its optimum potential takes time and focus ... I can still hear the poignant words of refining and clarifying resonating through me.
Sound sensitive
Imagine at one's fingertips - surround sound - a music installation with projector and large screen and a professional crew for a 'get in' at every venue. A portable, stacking sound system with CD and tape player, available on tap, amplifying the sound score. The unusual rhythms created from cardboard boxes, inspire, propel and give momentum to my body that extra layer needed for the body to re-organise itself as it intelligently unfolds an orchestra of natural rhythms and dynamic shifts, moving in and out of time.
Volumes of light and space
Volumes of space physically filled with natural light reflecting off mirrors, passing through our bodies to release a calm inner and outer state allowing baggage to be striped away...
Basic necessities
The fundamental practicalities of changing rooms, toilet and shower facilities and our own lockers enable us to work more efficiently.
I linger on the fate of the independent dance artist, who juggles his or her career as a teacher, performer and creator. The complicated, and at times hectic lives of self-managing, self-motivating and self-disciplining - the roller coaster of highs and lows - our platform where we develop the ability to constantly ride the ups and downs of life's learning curves.
The reality of the short-term nature of my dance work has led me to initiate my own ventures - separating out teaching, performance and choreographic projects and more recently, artist led initiatives. As a regionally based artist, I often feel the need to create my own training programme, a programme that is more appropriate to where I am currently at in my career. This has led me beyond the mainstream but has equally influenced and challenged me personally and professionally.
I would be lying if I was not sometimes tempted to work in a more established dance setting where the desire to contribute to the artform seems more appreciated, supported and respectful than in the independent sector. But having regained my strength from working on Bank and recognising the importance of not wanting to abandon the more experimental forms of dance, I shall continue to investigate my personal working processes. The impact of such an initiative is the thread bearer for the next. Each time, I rediscover a more productive and fruitful way of working which will hopefully extend and enrich my life as a dancer and those that I constantly make contact with. Like any memorable experience, Bank for me was resemblant of a retreat - away from the daily chores and pressures - I find am holding on to what now feels like a brief moment in time, and recall the experiences as something to aspire to.
Andrea Buckley, independant creator, teacher, performer.
Email andreabuckley@onetel.com
References
1. Davies S., Extract from www.ballet.co.uk, 2001
2. 3. Davies S., Extracts from the dance artists briefing 2001 www.sddc.org.uk