Even as i was moving into unfamiliar territory in my documentary about Bernstein, I was watching how Ken Burns moved into unfamiliar territory with his Jazz series.
In the end, I have a lot of thoughts, and naturally some mixed feelings.
The dance class we took as NEA Fellows last week was a wonderful opportunity to revisit some of these questions, and reconsider some of my thoughts on this important issue.
The NEA workshop, taught by veteran dancer and choreographer Kay Cole was an eye-opening and positive experience. Kay was tremendously supportive with our group of 23 -- representing a wide range of experience. The most important thing perhaps was her closing the door and turning to us to tell us "This is a safe room. We are all colleagues here, and there is no criticism, shame or doing anything 'wrong'. It is just about being in touch with your self and supporting each other". With an attitude like this, we all breathed easier, and began to move comfortably.
In just a couple of hours there was not really time for us to learn about dance intellectually, but I think each of us began to 'feel' things physically in a new way. Most important, at least to me, was dealing with issues of self-confidence and putting oneself on display. This is something each of us has to deal with as critics or producers. While each of us has learned to deal with this over the years, it is always a concern, every time we publish a piece, and being placed back to a beginner status was a powerful reminder.
In the end, I think any exposure to an art form, its vocabulary, its basic techniques, and the creative challenges faced by its practitioners is a good thing -and only can stand to make us better critics and describe the processes better to our audiences.
For my thoughts on Ken Burns successes and failures in his Jazz series, please contact me directly.
Steve
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