DD Dorvillier &
Jennifer Lacey
ProSeries: Vampire Theresa
© ©DD Dorvillier & Laurent Ziegler
Adv+
Pro Series
Week 3, 30.7.–3.8.2007
11:00–17:00
DA
Vampire Theresa
Dance Artists arise! All our works are sacrosanct and untouchable! They are precious and splendorous in their uniqueness! But wait! We work in an ephemeral medium -- no amount of video, touring, or documentation will save our super special beloved output from it’s constant, continual fading and dying. It is happening while it's happening and that's that. This, of course, is obvious; it is hardly even a thought. So then why does so much of our discourse happen after the fact on the written/talking language plane? This is not a negative point -- a good work (or very, very bad work) unleashes great conversation and stimulates us, generates ideas and challenges the dreaded status quo. But it is another conversation from that of the work, a vital conversation but a parallel one. But what if we put our money where our mouth is and engage ourselves and our bodies in critical discourse, put our thoughts, opinions, and words into action. What form would be produced? Do you think a work can be better? Here is the chance to do it better, or maybe not even better, just different, or wrong, or worse, or more extreme, or whatever. Take on criticism as a visceral and generous activity. Destroy the form and perhaps witness that the work remains suspiciously whole, suck out the content and see how the frame glistens with fresh meaning. Can generosity be ruthless? Can we open our works believing that the transformations will be like a refreshing vacation? Can we plunge our hands into the guts of someone else's something, pull out the intestine and shake them around to make a pleasing abstract? Can we do this like a loving grandmother? Vampire Theresa says yes! VT says put your dance practice in service to the transcendence of the form!
This is what we think will happen in this workshop: DD and Jennifer will each steal, appropriate, borrow and/or accept a work from the other. Something that has lived a little life, that has an identity, a reputation if you will. We will then lovingly and ruthlessly re-open the seams and sutures of said product to make Practices for the group. The group will also make proposals on sucking the blood out of -- transfiguring said work -- into alternative Practices (you will have access to documents before arrival). This will become our critical discourse, one that may actually produce a new form. Jennifer thinks that it would be good to engage the projects of workshop participants as well. This is tricky because you have to be able to offer your work up for sacrifice. It has to be a clear form to offer, if not a finished project. DD thinks this a fine proposition and suspects that due to a rich surplus of forms in the universe, there is plenty of material even in one single work to go around for an eternity. She says "...the work belongs to those who practice it". Is this benevolent recycling or unabashed cannibalism? Attention please: this workshop is NOT about getting unmuddied information on how to make your (or our) work good or even better. It might be about learning what is really true about it as you watch it get fucked-up. But don’t worry; it comes whole out of the fire at the end.
(We) DD and Jennifer are working together but don’t always agree. In the spirit of the project we will make room for our points of view, the first two points, but not the last nor the most stable in the architecture of Vampire Theresa (long may she reign!). Vampire Theresa will engage itself with the ImpulsTanz organism. Feeding off the frenzied, beautiful acquisitive energy, we will try to steal out to take a class or two or just plain spy, dragging back fresh meat to spiritually enlighten our brethren. If you were somebody into a certain kind of data culture you might call this an open source, except that this source is not really open, it's instead both offered and stolen. The forms of the work remain the better to transgress them.
DD Dorvillier
DD Dorvillier has created experimental and multi-media performances in New York City since 1989, developing works for dance/theater venues like The Kitchen, PS122, and Danspace Project, as well as for nightclubs, galleries and site-specific environments. She has collaborated and worked with a variety of artists including: Jennifer Monson, Jennifer Lacey, Yvonne Meier, Sarah Michelson, Karen Finley and many others. Since 1996 she has collaborated extensively with director/playwright Peter Jacobs with whom she formed human future dance corps. She has been a certified teacher of Skinner Releasing Technique since 1995, teaching workshops in SRT, improvisation and composition worldwide. She has been Artist in Residence at Movement Research as well as guest co-editor of its Performance Journal, the "Release" double issue, and co-curator of the Movement Research Festival 2004 and 2005. In 2000 she received a NYFA Choreography Fellowship, and in 2003 she was awarded, along with composer David Kean, two Bessies (DTW Dance & Performance Awards for Choreography and Soundscore of „Dressed for Floating“.
Jennifer Lacey
Jennifer Lacey is a choreographer/performer based in Paris and New York. Her work has been presented by many progressive festivals and theatres, e.g.Tanzquartier Wien, Biennale d'Art Contemporain de Lyon, Centre Georges Pompidou, Kaaitheater, Klapstuk, PS 122 etc. As often as possible, she participates in improvisational performances/festivals in the states and abroad. As a dancer she worked with many independent choreographers such as Randy Warshaw, Jennifer Monson and DD Dorvillier. She has taught classes and workshops internationally, e.g. at the EDDC (Arnhem), ISSD (Japan), Charleroi/danses, Movement Research and Danspace (New York).
DD DorvillierJennifer Lacey