Re: serious work

Stephan Koplowitz (SKoplowitz@packer.edu)
Fri, 05 Sep 1997 22:24:10 GMT

dance-tech@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu,Internet writes:
so i must take exception to
"(or perhaps _particularly_ its attendant hype) is more
likely to hurt serious work with dance and technology than promote it."

'cuz a truely 'serious' piece - will sooner or later - stand on its own merits

its not the presence of "failed to be serious" work that hurts dance and
technology it is its absence

so's i have a question to you dance techer's ... what is serious work? ....
where is it? ... why do we need it?

Dear Nik,

Thank you so much for your response (the whole thing..)

Look, I don't know what the protocol is in these listserv's etc....and perhaps
I missed something, but if Sarah is actually the choreographer or the person
most responsible for "leaping into the net" performance, I frankly found Mr.
Povall's response to her work quite unfair to Sarah...surely those words could
have been sent to her privately (perhaps he could have initiated a dialogue
with her prior to making his post...)....this kind of posting makes me really
question what is the real purpose of this group? Someone help me out here, what
did the folks who started this group intend? Is it to rip into people's work
in front of an audience of readers many of whom have not seen the same work?
This doesn't seem to be bringing anyone "together" or seem to make for a very
inviting atmosphere for dialogue and exchange...I'm not saying that Mr. Povall
should in anyway change his opinion about the work or not share it but this
kind of instant dialogue with a 100 people can get sticky...it's like being at
a party with a bunch of people and then stopping everyone's conversations to
say: "hey everyone, Sarah's work sucked! just thought you should know!"
Etiquette at such a gathering would be to approach Sarah and ask her a few
questions....how did she feel the concert went? What would she do differently
next time? What were her GOALS and intentions...? We have this technology that
enables us to contact people easily and privately, it would seem we should use
it with discretion....but I'm sure I've got the wrong model of what this
listserv or any listserv is but I can't help but write that I felt quite a
chill by Mr. Povalls words and to be fair to him, perhaps he did not mean for
them to come off as "chilly" as they did....

"Sorry to seem so negative, Sarah if you're listening...." Is Sarah a part of
this listserv? If she is not, it would be fair for Mr. Povall to have sent his
post to her too....I'm assuming she is a member and will ultimately "listen" to
his words.....

Personally, I have no interest in making "serious work" or anything remotely
resembling anything connected to nonlinear, non-narrative whatever....if I've
signed up somewhere to pass that litmus test get me out of here....terms like
"serious work" are terms that ultimately have no meaning...is a work less
serious because it is popular? is Pop music less serious than contemporary
concert fare? Did the Beatles write "serious" music or was it Charles Ives? or
no, not him, he sold insurance....I've made several dances in my career with
dancers who have little or no "serious" dance trainning and I've presented the
work as part of my seasons here in New York...does that make it less "serious"
The work I present for the stage is accessible, easily understood by all
audiences..does that make the work less "serious"? If so...well, I wear the
badge of making less "serious" work proudly...

The other aspect of Mr. Povall's posting that gave me pause is that it implied
that there was a "right" way or a more "pure" method to use dance and
technology (" A few screens from Netscape mocked up in Director does not really
make for a dialog between live dance and the virtual world")
The product may not always speak to everyone intellectually, politically or
spiritually or whatever but I think a view of our place in time, a perspective
that takes into a account that so much of what we are calling "advanced"
"sophisticated" etc technology will be viewed as "elementary" "prehistoric" etc
in a few years time....surely Sarah's concert in Cleveland isn't going to hurt
the march of "progress"...

>From what I can tell, Sarah is interested in reaching new audiences....it also
sounds like she wants to somehow present an aspect of her online experience to
an audience....sounds great....she also got a lot of publicity for her work
(good for her!)....that is wonderful and in this day when the arts are being
attacked in Congress etc, this can't really hurt anyone...

I'll stop now....

Steve

-------------------------
Packer Collegiate Institute
Brooklyn, NY USA