Spotlight On: The Olympics (Part Deux)

Well, the Olympics are over.  The two weeks of excitement, disappointments and drama made for great athletics and great TV (even if NBC can sometimes be overly cheesy and dramatic), and I loved getting into the spirit of things and rooting for my favorite athletes.

On my last blog post about the Olympics, I talked about Gymnastics, and some of the differences between this sport and dance; some glaring differences, and others more subtle, and the argument on if the sport has lost some of its grace, and if Gymnastics of previous years brought more quality to the floor, and is quality being sacrificed by the quantity of turns, flips, and general athletic tricks.  I know this will be an ongoing debate that we'll probably keep hearing more about as the Olympic chatter continues on even as the games close, and there is a similar debate that's sprung up in the dance world that parallels this same discussion going on in Gymnastics.

Risa Gary Kaplowitz published an article on Huffington Post not long ago reminiscing about a time when ballets and ballerinas gained their then rock star status not by doing 9 consecutive pirouettes or for hyperextended and hyperflexible lines, but by diving deeply into the character they were portraying through their dance; for a calm, carefully studied and expertly balanced (both physically and dramatically) performance.  I have to agree with many of Kaplowitz's points.  Check out the article here, and give some thought to this quote:

"Yet, as wonderful as [Cynthia Gregory's] heart-stopping moments [of dance] were, they never came at the expense of Ms. Gregory's characterizations and musicality. Rather, she used her technique as a means by which to express whatever character she was portraying. She was a true ballet artist of the narrative ballets.

Unfortunately, in these days of what appear to be an Olympian approach to ballet, such ballet artists are hard to find. And sadly, many ballet schools and major companies do not seem to be doing enough to preserve ballet's greatest asset -- its ability to transcend words and transport an audience into their world. Ballet technique that explodes with meaning instead of fireworks is vastly lacking."

Cynthia Gregory as Aurora

Kaplowitz goes on to compare Gregory's performance as Aurora to modern day (and fantastically talented) dancer Alina Cojocaru with The Royal Ballet.  Cojocaru has fantastic lines and lovely extensions, yet she attacks the Rose Adagio with a boldness that (in my opinion) doesn't quite fit a young and naive Aurora.  It is an impressive performance by Cojocaru, but to me, lacks the quiet gentleness that a budding 16 year old would have dancing with potential suitors.  Below I've posted two videos comparing the different dancers performances.

Similar to the Gymnastics discussion, this is also an issue that I think will continue to develop within dance.  Today, with audiences seemingly needing and being obsessed with "how much, how high, and how fast" dancers, athletes and performers can do or show, I completely understand how dance companies, dancers and choreographers are striving to cater to these ideals; showing audiences "how much" of a particular element they can show is engaging and entertaining and gets the "oooohs" and "aaaahs", therefore solidifying a future appreciation of dance, or Gymnastics, or whatever.  Given the choice to watch a dancer dare to balance for as long as she can while engaging an audience with smiles and charm or watching a dancer pirouette or fouette repeatedly or get some impressive air time in grand jete, most observers would choose the latter for the sheer excitement factor.  Therefore, in order to keep dance a relative experience to the public, more dancers, teachers and directors strive for impressive athletic excellence.  However, I also believe that dance is an art, not a competition, not an athletic showing.  Dancers are also actors and actresses, whose job it is to not only to inhabit the character they're dancing and make that character believable and relatable to audiences, but to do it in an effortless and timeless way as the ballet they're performing calls for.  
Kaplowitz asks if dancers now are artists or merely technicians, and its a valid question to consider as shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars and even events like the Olympics shape audiences expectations about dance and performing.  Personally, I would hate to see dancers become only technicians.  While technique is vital and important, not to mention impressive when used correctly, it is empty without a human soul to carry it.  I don't want to watch a robot dance, I want to watch a fellow human who shows me highs and lows, investment and heart.  I think that is what made dancers like Cynthia Gregory and Margot Fonteyn rock stars of their day, very much like athletes Gabby Douglas and Jordyn Wieber are today.  They bring their heart and soul with them to their performance and lay it on the line.  If that kind of humanity isn't impressive and heart wrenching, I don't know what is, and for me, that's what dance and to a certain extent the Olympic games is all about: putting your heart and soul into something you love and believe in, and watching the journey of that commitment unfold.  Congrats to all the Olympic athletes for doing just that!