Lucinda Childs's minimalistic masterpiece

By means of a video installation, the legendary production Dance by Lucinda Childs was given a prominent place at the exhibition “Danser sa vie (art et danse de 1900 à nos jours)”, which ran at the Centre Pompidou early this year. The American choreographer had, of course, written history with her minimalistic masterpiece, set to a score by Philip Glass, in 1979. More than thirty years later, the power of the choreography’s expression is surprisingly intact; a combination of mathematical precision, poetic simplicity, and a defiant atmosphere.
“I wanted to make a production based on everyday movements,” Childs said of her controversial ideas at the time. The vocabulary of movement, so-called “pedestrian movement” is minimal and abstract, and is based on motions such as “walking” and “skipping”. But by repeating a simple dance phrase in all kinds of ways, in various directions, and in geometric combinations, she creates a mesmerising sense of space and a complex web of patterns. At the same time, it is a visual interpretation of the hypnotising, repetitive music by Philip Glass. Childs had worked with Glass previously, on the opera Einstein on the beach by Robert Wilson, and the composer introduced his friend, visual artist Sol LeWitt to Childs. LeWitt came up with the ingenious idea of using the dancers themselves as a backdrop and made a 35mm black and white film that is projected onto a transparent screen at the front of the stage. The dancers, dressed in neutral white costumes, move with extreme concentration behind the screen, and thus appear almost like shadows of their projected alter-egos. The interdisciplinary game that the trio from New York’s then avant-garde scene plays with our perception is fascinating, at the very least. What is more, it is still – so many tributary dance creations later – very relevant. Don’t miss this appointment with history!

Lucinda Childs: Dance 12 & 13/10, 20.30, €16 > 30, Kaaitheater, square Sainctelettesquare 20, Brussel/Bruxelles, 02-201.59.59, tickets@kaaitheater.be, www.kaaitheater.be (post-performance talk with Lucinda Childs 12/10)