SPOTLIGHT

Have there been challenges with the "Split Scenes" in terms of pairing companies together with similar repertoire?

When Charles and I first started thinking about curating this season, we wanted to show the widest breadth and depth of what the modern dance repertoire is, and show classic work from history, commission new work [and] represent the national and international companies and artists in the work. So we had this idea of all that we wanted to do and we started the think, "Yes, it would be terrific if we could put XYZ in one program because it makes a really nice fit." In most cases, it sometimes worked out. But then there's another factor that plays into it greatly, which is [that] when you're trying to coordinate that many companies, their schedules don't always work out to be available at the same times that you hoped. But I think that despite that, it ends up in a way just as interesting, if not more, because there's more diversity, which gives the audience a real range of work to look at.

You've worked with a lot of other festivals and productions. What do you think makes ADF different?

I think that ADF is unique-and I don't like using that word often-but unique in the sense that it is an intensive, six-and-a-half week festival that brings together choreographers, dancers, scholars, critics [and] faculty, all together, and they're working side-by-side, so there's this incredible opportunity for exchange, and I think the amount of information in relation to sets, scene and form is life-changing. And you're removed from most if not all of the struggles of day-to-day life. In a way, you're going to camp. And you get to do what you love to do for that intense period with 400-plus other people who share that same passion. It's unusual to be surrounded by people who care so much about the same thing you do.

ADF also runs a summer camp. How does that tie in with the performances aspect?

We have a six-and-a-half week school, and the younger dancer school. They take classes four days a week, six hours a day, and on the weekend they have a big smorgasbord of dancing classes and other things that can't fit into the regular schedule. ADF is the place where we train dancers for the choreographers, and by coming and training, dancers also get to see the different performances and they get to audition for different pieces in our season. We're trying to bridge the training and the professional world together. A lot of people don't know this, but we offer tours to go behind-the-scenes and see what's happening on East Campus.

Modern dance is sometimes esoteric and for people that don't have background into it, how would you say they should go about appreciating the variety?

I think art is very subjective and personal. The thing with modern dance is that it has such a wide palette to choose from. It's only by seeing many things that you can understand the wide range of this art form, so it's allowing yourself to go to the theater, commit yourself to what's happening there, and you take away what you want to take away from it. I think a lot of people go and don't understand what they think they're supposed to understand, but there isn't something you're supposed to understand. There are some very intellectual pieces and there are the other programs that are much more accessible. But that variety of flavor is, again, the richness of the art form.