Questions for Vanessa Jun 19, 2011

by Eric P

Since I missed the Studio show (kicking myself), I'm posting questions I've asked Vanessa DeWolf:

1. Why is performance art and modern dance so often...so frenzied and angry?

2. When a dancer starts to twitch, writhe, beat themselves and fall to the ground do you work harder to find reason, or the opposite? Since this seems to happen a lot, is there a collective debate as to where the 'pain' comes from? Is this a reference point in dance vocabulary, or indulgent 'acting out'?

3. Can a shorter performance piece deliver on the same grounds as more lengthy work? 

4. Is there a middle ground...a space in which exact definitions and explanations co-mingle with innate mystery? Do we need to figure everything out?

5. If a narrative is implied, does it really need to have resolution?

6. Must we require an 'entertainment value' on performance if we are sitting in seats?