First Impressions
The Protégé in Dance talks about the start of the mentoring year. Interviewed by Roger Copeland in New York in September 2008.
What interested you most about participating in the Rolex Arts initiative?
The combination of altruism and autonomy. The Rolex mentorship is committed more to the process rather than the product. And what better way to experience that process than under the guidance of one of the greatest artists in your field?
Have you ever had a mentor before?
Yes, the idea of mentorship has always been important to me. You can read all the books you want, but it’s through observing the wisdom of the body that you acquire true knowledge in any given aesthetic. And if the person you’re observing is a master – and if you have an opportunity to interact with that person over a period of time – that’s the best sort of process.
What was your first impression of your mentor?
I was amazed by how welcoming he was. Unfortunately in the art world these days, we’re a bit jaded; and we assume that anyone in a position of power or who’s a prominent figure in their field is going to be rude and have their eyes narrowed by arrogance. Jiří is the very antithesis of that. I knew I was going to like him after our first hour together because neither of us mentioned art even once. We talked about life.
How do you think your work is similar to or different from your mentor’s?
I think Jiří and I are very similar as people, but fairly different aesthetically. Jiří is a choreographer’s choreographer. There’s a clarity in his work that comes across even to audiences who’ve never witnessed a dance piece before. By contrast, I’m not sure I ever know what I’m doing.
Do you think that your mentor’s guidance will change your approach to your work?
If it didn’t, I’d be the biggest fool in the world.
Mr Kylián is in his early 60s and you're in your late 20s. How do you think these generational differences will affect the collaboration between the two of you?
I hope they don’t. Jiří is very alive and perceptive and very up-to-date about the world around him. He’s grown up in the digital era just as much as I have. Or so it appears. But one thing I’ve learned over the years is that it’s imperative to understand the past and equally important to understand the present. And if you fail to acknowledge the youth, you yourself as an artist have died.
Can you talk a little about the “hybrid” nature of your work, your involvement with still photography and video, as well as choreography and dance?
I was a visual artist before becoming a dancer. What I can’t “say” with dance I try to say with film. What I can’t say with film I say with photography – and what I can’t say with photography I say with other means like illustration. These different media all act as an extension of my life in different ways. Dancers and choreographers are literally the peasants of the art world. My hybridisation is partly a new way of trying to survive as a dance artist in America. By transferring dance from its ephemeral state to a more permanent state via photography and video, I have more options for showing and selling my work.
You seem to have one foot squarely planted in the world of the art gallery, another in the contemporary dance world. Can you talk about the way these different interests cross-fertilise one another in your work?
Going to gallery shows and art exhibitions inspires me because I look at them from the vantage point of a choreographer and that helps me think about the art of dance in new ways.
- Read interview with Tara June Winch, protégée in literature
- Read interview with Celina Murga, protégée in film
- Read interview with Aurelio Martínez, protégé in music
- Read interview with Masanori Handa, protégé in visual arts
- Read interview with Nahuel Perez Biscayart, protégé in theatre