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ENLARGE
VAIL, Colorado — As a community of outdoor enthusiasts, Vail Valley audiences understand the impact of environment on performance. Powder sets the stage for a different ski day than bluebird; a rainy spring makes for different river activities than a dry season.
When it comes to dance, few choreographers factor environment into dance more than Alwin Nikolais. Considered by many to be the “pioneer of multi-media,” Nikolais' work was groundbreaking in its use of lighting, costume and atmosphere to create breathtaking works. He encouraged his dancers and students to leave behind their own egos and interpretation and surrender to the dance, making his vocabulary of movement accessible to and inclusive of the audience.
Because his work achieved such a multi-media, theatrical nature, it's remained on the cutting edge of modern dance to this day.
The Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company — co-founded by two former Nikolais students — will present a celebration of the choreographer's contribution to dance with the Alwin Nikolais Centennial at the Vilar Performing Arts Center tonight. Their visit to the Vail Valley includes a performance at Vail Valley Medical Center as part of the Arts in Healing program, a STARS performance for Eagle County schoolchildren and a full evening of repertoire tonight at 7:30 p.m.
A pioneer of multi media dance
Nikolais believed that dance was far greater than a dancer, and could incorporate more than just movement and grace.
“Nik was a magician — he was a genius,” says Joan Woodbury, a former Nikolais student and co-founder of Ririe-Woodbury. “He was a man with a vision of a big, big picture. He called it total dance theater. He believed that so many of the accoutrements you find in theater were also important to his work. He began his choreography with an emotional base, started with the human being, the dancer. Then he added the color of the lights, the angle of lights, the design of costume, the music — together they all contributed equally to the end result.”
Defined by its illusionary multi-media nature, aspects of Nikolais' choreography can also be seen in the works of Momix and Pilobolus, both audience favorites and past performers at the Vilar Center.
“This is not dance that necessarily tells a story, like a ballet, or asks the audience to become emotionally invested,” said Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company Tour Manager Jena Woodbury. “This dance is very visual, very athletic. It's meant to be enjoyed as a performance as a whole, to be absorbed on a more visual level.
“Nik called it the decentralization of dance,” Joan Woodbury added. “What he meant was that you need to take away your personal ego from the dance, let the dance speak for itself. So it's not ‘look ma, I'm dancing,' but ‘look ma, look at the dance.' The result is a guileless, egoless process for the dancer – they move for the pure pleasure of what they are doing.”
The result for the audience is all about pure enjoyment.
“As Nik used to say, ‘I'd like Aunt Minnie to enjoy what I do',” said Joan Woodbury. “In other words, I want this to be accessible to everyone, to be dance that is enjoyed by the general public, not just by dance enthusiasts. Come in and open your eyes, and you will enjoy what you see.”
Ririe-Woodbury originally intended to have a one-time tour celebrating Nikolais' works, which the company brought to the Vilar Center seven years ago, but found that audiences were so thrilled by the dance that they decided to continue touring the tribute show.
“After the first year celebrating his work, we realized we needed to make a commitment to keeping Nikolais' legacy alive,” said Jena Woodbury. “There are a few companies out there that present one Nikolais piece here and there. But to see a whole program offering a variety of his work in one evening is something so special, we couldn't stop at just one year of it.”
Passing it on
As part of the dance company's two-day stay in the Vail Valley, Ririe-Woodbury is performing at Vail Valley Medical Center as part of the Vilar Center's Arts in Healing program, and presenting STARS (Support the Arts Reaching Children) show for local students.
“We're actually considered one of the leading companies in dance education,” said Jena Woodbury. “We believe that you really need to expose kids to this art form.”
Particularly because of its accessible nature, Nikolais' choreography resounds strongly with young audiences.
“It's wonderful to watch young audiences have so much with Nik's work,” she said. “It's so immediate. There's nothing in this dance that restricts them from responding.”
When it comes to dance, few choreographers factor environment into dance more than Alwin Nikolais. Considered by many to be the “pioneer of multi-media,” Nikolais' work was groundbreaking in its use of lighting, costume and atmosphere to create breathtaking works. He encouraged his dancers and students to leave behind their own egos and interpretation and surrender to the dance, making his vocabulary of movement accessible to and inclusive of the audience.
Because his work achieved such a multi-media, theatrical nature, it's remained on the cutting edge of modern dance to this day.
The Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company — co-founded by two former Nikolais students — will present a celebration of the choreographer's contribution to dance with the Alwin Nikolais Centennial at the Vilar Performing Arts Center tonight. Their visit to the Vail Valley includes a performance at Vail Valley Medical Center as part of the Arts in Healing program, a STARS performance for Eagle County schoolchildren and a full evening of repertoire tonight at 7:30 p.m.
A pioneer of multi media dance
Nikolais believed that dance was far greater than a dancer, and could incorporate more than just movement and grace.
“Nik was a magician — he was a genius,” says Joan Woodbury, a former Nikolais student and co-founder of Ririe-Woodbury. “He was a man with a vision of a big, big picture. He called it total dance theater. He believed that so many of the accoutrements you find in theater were also important to his work. He began his choreography with an emotional base, started with the human being, the dancer. Then he added the color of the lights, the angle of lights, the design of costume, the music — together they all contributed equally to the end result.”
Defined by its illusionary multi-media nature, aspects of Nikolais' choreography can also be seen in the works of Momix and Pilobolus, both audience favorites and past performers at the Vilar Center.
“This is not dance that necessarily tells a story, like a ballet, or asks the audience to become emotionally invested,” said Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company Tour Manager Jena Woodbury. “This dance is very visual, very athletic. It's meant to be enjoyed as a performance as a whole, to be absorbed on a more visual level.
“Nik called it the decentralization of dance,” Joan Woodbury added. “What he meant was that you need to take away your personal ego from the dance, let the dance speak for itself. So it's not ‘look ma, I'm dancing,' but ‘look ma, look at the dance.' The result is a guileless, egoless process for the dancer – they move for the pure pleasure of what they are doing.”
The result for the audience is all about pure enjoyment.
“As Nik used to say, ‘I'd like Aunt Minnie to enjoy what I do',” said Joan Woodbury. “In other words, I want this to be accessible to everyone, to be dance that is enjoyed by the general public, not just by dance enthusiasts. Come in and open your eyes, and you will enjoy what you see.”
Ririe-Woodbury originally intended to have a one-time tour celebrating Nikolais' works, which the company brought to the Vilar Center seven years ago, but found that audiences were so thrilled by the dance that they decided to continue touring the tribute show.
“After the first year celebrating his work, we realized we needed to make a commitment to keeping Nikolais' legacy alive,” said Jena Woodbury. “There are a few companies out there that present one Nikolais piece here and there. But to see a whole program offering a variety of his work in one evening is something so special, we couldn't stop at just one year of it.”
Passing it on
As part of the dance company's two-day stay in the Vail Valley, Ririe-Woodbury is performing at Vail Valley Medical Center as part of the Vilar Center's Arts in Healing program, and presenting STARS (Support the Arts Reaching Children) show for local students.
“We're actually considered one of the leading companies in dance education,” said Jena Woodbury. “We believe that you really need to expose kids to this art form.”
Particularly because of its accessible nature, Nikolais' choreography resounds strongly with young audiences.
“It's wonderful to watch young audiences have so much with Nik's work,” she said. “It's so immediate. There's nothing in this dance that restricts them from responding.”
