Movement does not speak for itself

I have been thinking a lot lately about the role of dance in my life. A thought has been forming in my head for a long time and it has to do with my idea of pre-futurism in dance. This is to say that dance does not need to stand alone in a theater. I saw the play Lord of the Flies at the Round House Theater choreographed by Kelly Mayfield and what she did with movement in the play was quite inspiring. What I liked about Lord of the Files was that there was a solid story, the acting was good and they moved well. The choreography made sense to what they were communicating and it was not over done but it was intricate and relevant and resolutely dance! The set, the costumes and the suspension of disbelief were all integrated in a well executed performance.

So often someone makes a dance about a subject and in the end the dancing is the least important part of the work. Why do we feel like we have to put movement to something that does not require a display of movement? You know what I mean, you look at a work and wonder why this is not a five second piece or done as another art form. Why not just make a work that does just that, a 30 second commercial. Is that not how our minds work? Why ramble on for 20 minutes saying nothing or saying the same thing over and over without using other non-dance devices to go deeper into the subject. Movement cannot say everything, so for all of you who repeat the line that movement speaks for itself, wake up, it does not.

My skills as a dancer and choreographer are valid skills that transfer to theater and visual arts. Dancers have skills that they just do not use and they put movement where something else would work better. Collaborate with yourself!