It is absolutely unfinished until you are here

Before the presentation of her latest piece Phase Space, Peggy Baker spoke about it to the audience, saying "It is absolutely unfinished until you are here." Her comment got me thinking about what makes dance valuable for those who practice it, and what performing in front of an audience contributes in creating that value.

I know dance to be a powerful personal practice that can affect my emotional and spiritual states, in addition to my physical state. I remember David Earle (co-founder of an influential modern dance company called Toronto Dance Theatre) telling a group of us students that he still danced every day, even though he was no longer performing. He danced even on the morning of his mother’s death; it gave him that much comfort.

Learning dance or aerial technique is an excellent way to challenge one’s self in new and exciting ways. Bodies become stronger and more intelligent, coordination and stamina improves, musicality is enhanced, and confidence increases.

Offering movement classes is my way of sharing this potent and empowering activity. The classes I teach are grounded in the training I have received, and in the aesthetic sensibilities that the training has nurtured. The pace, the structure, and the movement vocabulary are all influenced by what I have learned and continue to learn.

Technique is about learning a certain way of moving, whereas creative work is about finding your own way of moving. Our classes often include time to play with movement, usually through choreographic games and exercises. Sometimes the tasks are individual in nature, and other times the entire class is involved.

So, dance is good for the body and soul, and can be a vehicle for self-expression; all this without getting near a stage.

Performing in front of an audience can however be a significant step in the creative journey. It may certainly be stressful and at times difficult, but it also has the capacity to focus a dancer’s efforts, consolidate their technique, and clarify their intentions. It can also be a really fun time of sharing and of celebration.

In terms of the audience’s role, Baker seems to be suggesting that a performance work is created as much by them as for them; that the act of viewing, in a way, completes the work. Audiences respond to what they are seeing onstage, and this response both feeds, and provides feedback to, the performers in a mutual and hopefully beneficial exchange.

TOP: Kate Holden. BOTTOM:  Sahara Morimoto and Ric Brown. ALL IMAGES:  Peggy Baker’s Phase Space | January 22 - 24, 27 - 31, 2016, Betty Oliphant Theatre, Toronto | Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh