58. Architecture and the Moving Body with Jennifer Salk

“Lets activate a place that’s used all the time, and make people see their space in a way they’ve never seen it before!”

This week, we welcome in the new year with a stunning discussion on the relationship between dance and the spaces we perform in with Chair to University of Washington’s department of dance, Jennifer Salk. 

Image: "Murmur" work by Jennifer Salk and D Chase Angier on site at Chateau Le Coste Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade, France, 2018 

Timestamp Outline

2:23 “Why are you interested in architecture as a site for composing dance?” -VP 
2:54 Jennifer describes how particular sites offer opportunities to expand ones’ movement vocabulary, referencing dancers who have developed especially iconic choreography, such as; Mark Morris and Twyla Tharp 
3:50 How Jennifer’s work with frequent collaborator, D Chase Angier, engages these sites, in particular “Hello!?” at University of Washington’s Gould Hall in 2012.  
10:07 Discussion of notating dance, Jennifer mentions Labanotation as a formal written language of dance. 
11:29 Jennifer describes excavating the site at the Chateau Le Coste Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade, France for her 2018 work with D Chase Angier, Murmur. The site was designed by Tadao Ando. 
15:24 “Lets activate a place that’s used all the time, and make people see their space in a way they’ve never seen it before!” - JS 
20:02 Jennifer discusses earlier works that explored redefining how dancers interacted with space on stage, referencing her 2012 work, “Beats Me” 
21:24 A moment in the piece, “Beats Me”, dancers play a schoolyard game, four square. 
22:57 “So your background is in Modern Dance. Do you have a certain lineage you trace? The Cunningham method? What school do you belong to?” -VP 
23:23 Jennifer describes her dance background, referencing early exposure to the work of Alwin Nikolais and witnessing the evolution of postmodern dance, mentioning Cunningham’s use of the program lifeforms 
27:58 Jennifer references the work of modern dance choreographers; Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, José Limón and Erick Hawkins 
28:57 Jennifer recalls being immersed in the world of postmodern dance at UCLA and in New York in the 80’s. 
30:43 “What is the ethos of dance culture today?”-VP
37:37 Jennifer talks about the Seattle dance community, in particular other site specific work like that from Alia Swersky and the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s work at Seattle Sculpture Park.
38:56 Vikram recalls a performance by dance group, Bandaloop at the University of Washington
39:58 Vikram and Jennifer discuss the possibilities of a dance and architecture studio.