Investigating hierarchies: 1962-1975
Between ages 14 and 27, I experimented with taking dance classes of all genres at the highest level; tested higher education’s approach to art at three institutions in which I learned more about the oppression of aesthetic hierarchies than I did about discovery; looked for a relationship to my peers in New York City; confronted the death of my mother, which forced me to find old people who could perform, a venture that changed the way I thought about technique, what a dancer’s body should be able to be, what it should look like, and even what we think of as beautiful; and settled in Washington, D.C., to get a master’s degree while I shaped the ideas that formed the basis of the Dance Exchange: 1) Who gets to dance? 2) Where is the dance happening? 3) Why does it matter? 4) What is the dance about?
Dance Exchange: different bodies & stories: 1976 – 2011
Dance Exchange was the dance company I made and led from ages 27 to 63. All subject matter, both broad categories and tiny details, were worth considering, so we made dances exploring themes such as family, identity and justice, what we celebrate, the ambiguities of history, Bonsai gardeners, and what Congress was or wasn’t doing with our money. We worked in shipyards and synagogues, on playgrounds and street corners, alongside health care workers and patients.
I received critical acclaim and critical bruising. Frustrated by useless critiques, around 1990 I developed a feedback method called “Critical Response ProcessⓇ” (CRP) to help make my work excellent, rather than drive me away from making work altogether. There is more to say, but enough for now.
Excerpts from an introduction Liz used for a CRP Certification Cohort
