DANCE IS THE WORD AS TOTAL MK WRITER GEORGINA BUTLER IS INVITED TO ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET WRITERS' EVENT
Dancing and writing are what I do and, as a writer for Total MK, I am determined to get all our lovely readers interested in the dance works featured at the new city’s theatres – and beyond.
A press invite to English National Ballet’s ‘Emerging Dancer’ (an annual competition to recognise and nurture young talent within the Company), alongside an offer to attend their series of ‘Dance is the Word’ dance writers’ events, saw me pirouette my way into the capital on Saturday (10 May).
Selected dance writers, journalists and bloggers were invited to Westminster Reference Library by ENB to discuss our experiences of writing about dance, consider best practice and share ideas.
World-renowned dance journalist Donald Hutera led the discussion.
He writes regularly for The Times, Dance Europe and Animated Magazine (to name a few) and has an energy and enthusiasm for the arts – and communication - that is incredibly infectious.
Donald said: “I like the dialogue around the arts and the fact that so much of it is about opinions, thoughts and feelings and relationships.
“There is an idea I go back to often – this idea of a triangular relationship between the people who make the work, the ‘professional watchers’ and the public.
“Their thoughts, actions and opinions are linked – they all want and need things from each other in order to do what they are passionate about.
“Without the audience and the writers, the creator has no one to respond to their work, and without the work we have nothing to watch or write about.”
Donald has watched and written about every conceivable dance style but he reveals that ballet still intimidates him.
He tells me: “It does still intimidate me – just a little bit.
“It’s because I have never taken a ballet class before in my life!”
He adds: “I think it’s too late for me to try one now.”
Having trained in classical ballet since early childhood, I remind Donald that age is but a number and assure him it really is never too late to start...
When it comes to objectivity – the idea that we can (or even should) ensure we are entirely neutral and remain slightly distant – Donald is adamant that this is impossible and unnecessary.
He said: “We have to be aware of ourselves as writers and as people and acknowledge the baggage we bring with us.
“I don’t like to use the term critic – it has implications – I say journalist or writer.
“I want to engage with my audience and with artists, not be sat in my ivory tower and making judgements.
“I can know people socially and engage with them and still respond to a piece of dance or theatre that they create.
“Certainly, I have a responsibility to my readers to respond to a work as honestly and fairly as I can.
“But I definitely take pleasure in the wider aspect of writing in the arts – pleasure from the discourse, the analysis and getting behind the scenes to know and understand the artists themselves.”
Speaking of getting behind the scenes, this intrepid reporter will be waltzing off to Markova House – the home of English National Ballet – next weekend, to have a peek at the dancers in rehearsal.
I’ll let you know how I get on!
By Georgina Butler
http://georginabutler.
