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Transcending the Image
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20161 |
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Section : |
THE ARTS
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| Issue
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1 / 1992 |
1,423 Words |
| Author
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Maya Wallach
Maya Wallach is a dance writer, critic, and photographer
currently based in Los Angeles |
In nine cases out of ten, transferring folk dances to the concert state is like yanking a fish out of water, an instant death warrant. What is more ludicrous than a troupe of Native Americans stomping down imaginary grass on a marly stage? What is sadder than a row of Russian women shuffling across the stage like so many puppets in front of an audience that has no hint of the personalities hidden beneath their identical braided wigs? Fixed in the sterile spotlight like a speared moth, Balinese prayer dances become meaningless and impotent. Transported away from their village audience, from their circle of family and friends, joyful African celebrations become suddenly isolated and, worse, patronizing.
Are folk dances then to be condemned to stay in their native environment, unknown to the rest of the world and--very often--dying from disinterest? No, thanks to such inventive and daring presenters as the eleven-year-old Montpellier Dance Festival in southern France.
Directed by Jean-Paul Montanari, the festival's theme in 1991 was The Black Continents. Traditional dances from Guinea, French Guiana, Burkina Faso, and Haiti were presented--not as exotic showpieces but as a vibrant part of our common human inheritance. Even those who had never seen any kind of dance before were drawn in and welcomed, not just as audiences but also as participants, part of a community that bridge cultures, continents, and skin color.
As important as it was to find excellent dance companies for the festival, Montpellier's success was just as dependent on finding the right atmosphere. Outdoor performances in beautiful stone courtyards or, for free, in the streets, daily workshops culminating in performances for local disadvantaged youth, even the perfect Mediterranean climate contributed to the festival's warmth, openness, and liveliness.
Significantly, the festival began not in Montpellier proper but in one of its suburbs, La Paillade. Cut off from Montpellier by rolling fields, La Paillade's cement apartments blocks are inhabited primarily by Algerians. A none too subtle attempt to make an "acceptable" ghetto, La Paillade is one of France's "planned cities," earmarked to receive special funds and activities. A quarter of the Montpellier Dance Festival's ticketed performances, three-quarters of the free dance demonstrations, and all of the youth workshops (which began six months in advance) were held in La Paillade.
Just as significantly, the festival
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