Bill T. Jones, Anne Bogart, Janet Wong

"A Rite"

Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY  |  2013

A piece made important by the collaboration, the consideration. It was a work that decided to stand up and take a place of importance in our art world. its importance is supported by the fact that they chose to merge the separately successful companies, that they chose to consider the now epic work of the original Le Sacre du Printemps. The necessity of the merger was not business but pure enjoyment of innovation. The necessity of the subject matter was not a selfish play to ride the infamous nights reputation into history, but i think more of a natural need. Something about this subject matter has pulled and coerced hundreds of artists (mostly of the dance variety) to make their own version. (mostly to their detriment). It is a siren, calling to the artist as they pass by…alluring and mysterious. This particular iteration has managed to steer clear of most of the pitfalls that comes with the thought of recreation, or new version number 378. 

The things that I would like to pick apart about it are somehow negated by its truth. Its acknowledgement of the ways in which this world has taken in and been morphed by the original creation of the work in 1913. Each article, interview, or essay written about this monument somehow must cite the fact that KNOW what happened. That is boring. This production was only boring when it tried to do that. That wasn't very often. (And that was rare.) The beginning was terrible. A hold your breath horror that made me fear for my sanity. oh shit Bill T. has decided to just Bill T. his way out of the commitment of creating yet ANOTHER version of the Rite of Spring Why is this an annual trial that dance audiences must go through? - I usually ask. This time around however any initial fears, brought on by the viewing of an entire company dancing in their own taped out squares, doing their own frantic movements for a while before joining in unison, then again their won frantic and wild movements (visually a big jumble of target bought clothing (read costume)) and back to a unison that was ALMOST together. ouch. not a very auspicious start. However as I was saying these frustrations i felt melted away as soon as this scene melted away and bore a new world. a world of dance theater. perhaps they need an initial wiping away of any precious handling of the piece. A big sign saying ATTENTION: watch with levity and a general acceptance that imperfections are our business! Im Ok with that. I like that. They transitioned into something more raw and unexpected. They grabbed my heart and held it the rest of the way through. The words of an article I had read earlier that day kept ringing through my head. The author was Jacques Riviere and the article was entitle Le Sacre du Printemps, written in November of 1913.  The words he first put down to describe Nijinskys work: Coarse, crisp, clear and pure. A work "presented whole, and in its natural state." 

There was something missing for me the whole time. Perhaps it is merely history that we all wait for. The passage of time that will tell us whether this one piece of work will stand or fall.  Or perhaps I am not used to watching a famous artist put aside pretensions and ego. The piece that was missing for me was somehow the same piece that disconnects me from a lot of work. That stands at the front of the stage yelling "im IMPORTANT. don't you get it!? Idolize me already!". As I sat in this gorgeous theater chock FULL of people ready to do just that, I felt the monster shrink back from this particular fight, to linger at the back scrim, merely observing the fullness and honesty of the performers before him.