Past, Present and Future of Urban Dance

Tilburg Dansstad, Fontys Dansacademie and Kunstbalie present Past, present and future of urban dance

Reader for the Talentweek conference, Thursday Jan 27th, 2011

Fontys Dance Academy & Kunstbalie 26-1-2011

Introduction Many young and international choreographers were invited to the Talentweek in Tilburg. Besides participants from The Netherlands there were people from Belgium, India, Senegal, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Russia en Czech. These young talents will engage themselves with the theme Public | Space.

On this particular conference we have involved ourselves with urban dance. What are the relationships between dance from the streets and dance from the stage? ͚Raw vs academic͛ was one of the titles of an evening Tilburg Dansstad organized earlier. Today it͛s the collaboration of ͚raw and academic͛, of choreographers coming from the street and academy, together discovering the future possibilities of urban dance .

Programme Host of the day: Allies Swinnen time title Presented by

09:30 Workshop Jam* Johnny Lloyd 5

10:15 Lecture History of Urban Dance Johnny Lloyd 2

11:15 Break

11:30 Lecture McDance Nishant Bhola 2

12:30 Lunch 3

13:30 Workshop Contemporary Urban Languages* Joshua Trebi 5

14:00 Presentation Altermodernism 2

14:30 Break

14:45 Lecture The new dance body is curious John Wooter 2

15:45 Closing words 2

17:00 End

Table of contents Introduction ...... 2 Programme ...... 2 Floorplan ...... 3 Presentations ...... 4 Nishant Bhola ʹ McDance ...... 4 Joshua Trebi - Contemporary Urban Language in African point of view ...... 7 Niels van der Steen - Urban dance and its position in the current Art world ...... 8 John Wooter - The dance body is curious ...... 19 Addtional content ...... 22 Pablo Cabenda on Blaze ...... 22 Participants ...... 25 Organisation ...... 25 Choreographers ...... 25 Guests ...... 25

Floorplan

Presentations

Nishant Bhola Ȃ McDance Below you will find the powerpoint-presentation by Nishant Bhola

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/video/2009/dec/09/akram-khan-dance

http://vimeo.com/4146546

Joshua Trebi - Contemporary Urban Language in African point of view It is clear that Globalization have had strong impact on dance; no matter where is coming from. And with that, dance has made a tremendous transformation from it extreme cultural belonging to a share global entity. This notion has allowed dance to move from it specific technical orientation and ŚĂƐďĞĐŽŵĞĂŶĞĐůĞĐƚŝĐĂŶĚǀĞƌǇĞǆƉĞƌŝŵĞŶƚĂůŝŶƚŽĚĂǇ͛ƐĐƌĞĂƚŝǀĞǁŽƌůĚŝŶƚŚĞƵƌďĂŶĚŝƐĐŝƉůŝŶĞ͘ Dance in Africa for some time now, has anchored strongly to this transformation, which has put African dance from its traditional point of view to a contemporary African urban movement language. This style was created to serve in a global arena. . Its technical orientation is eclectic, but strongly African, which is suitable to both technical and none technical dancers . This style is vibrant, energetic, expressive, static accent with flow and very rhythmic,

Niels van der Steen - Urban dance and its position in the current Art world When I studied choreography we concluded that we were at the end of a very long period called post-modernism waiting for a next thing to come. With a reference to the swing of a pendulum, the ĐŚĂŶŐĞƚŽ͞ǁŚĂƚĞǀĞƌŶĞǆƚǁŽƵůĚĐŽŵĞ͟ǁĂƐƐƵƉƉŽƐĞĚƚŽďƌŝŶŐĞǆĐŝƚing times.

Not even a year late, writing my thesis I tumbled on what is believed to be the new era after postmodernism, that long awaited beginning of something new, start of a new swing; Altermodernism.

Nicolas Bourriaud introduced this philosophy in 2009 with his exhibition at Tate Modern in London. Through Urbanization different (non western) cultures are furiously coming in contact with each ŽƚŚĞƌƚŽĂƐƚĂŐĞǁŚĞƌĞƚŚĞǇĐĂŶŶŽƚďĞƐĞƉĂƌĂƚĞĚĂŶǇŵŽƌĞ͚͘ŚĂŶŐŝŶŐďǇĞǆĐŚĂŶŐŝŶŐ͕͛ĂŶĞǁĞƌĂ called Altermodernism.

Many post-modern artists searched into history to present their roots, their culture and their identity as the content of their work. Those artists will stay in the same place and one place only to become a logo of their own culture. An altermodern artist will move beyond the coexisting of dance ƐƚǇůĞƐǁŚŽ͛ƐĂƵƚŽŶŽŵǇŚĂƐƚŽďĞƉƌĞƐĞƌǀĞĚĂŶĚŝŶĚŽŝŶŐƐŽǁŝůůĞŶƚĞƌĂƐŚĂred theoretical space ǁŚĞƌĞĂůůĂƌƚĐĂŶďĞũƵĚŐĞĚŶŽƚ͚ĂĐĐŽƌĚŝŶŐƚŽ͛;ǁŚŝĐŚĂƵƚŽŵĂƚŝĐĂůůǇĞǆĐůƵĚĞŚŝŵĨƌŽŵŽƚŚĞƌĂƌƚ forms) but with the same set of universal rules. Urban dance as a movement language seems to fit in perfectly as it arose out of a constant process of blending cultures.

Nevertheless we see that not all urban dance practitioners have freed themselves from rules and restrict the dance form by a strict set of rules in vocabulary and presentation.

To them I would say that if you believe that your dance is art and you want to position yourself in that environment, it should be judged in the same theoretical space as other art forms and so you will have to move beyond a framed dance idiom. It is beneficial to train yourself in specific styles who have become codified techniques like popping, locking (and like Graham or Cunningham) and study them in their pure form but to perform and present it in an artistic setting, it has to move beyond those original steps and moves to become a personalized movement language, able to express oneself.

This is the freedom of an artist.

Just looking at the theatre program and the amount that urban companies have taken, but also looking at the content of companies that used to be modern, it feels safe to say that there is a increasing interest in the use of Urban dance language. But did this new interest and its appearance in theatres elevates urban dance from its purely entertainment quality, giving it a greater status of art, and if so, where it do so, what are its parameters?

Can this new increased interest be understood by the changing character of the art world? ͚ůƚĞƌŵŽĚĞƌŶŝƐŵ͛ĂŶĚ͚EĞǁƌƚ͛ĂƌĞŶĞǁƚĞƌŵƐŝŶǀŽůǀĞĚŝŶƚŚĞƌĞ-examination of the art worlds character.

When I wrote my thesis on this matter there was nobody that made the link from Altermodernism to dance. Although I saw the connection to the Urban dance developments, I was still very careful to do so. But in the past year I noticed that more people are making the comparisment. I would not feel very comfortable to make statements on other dance forms besides the Urban ones because it is not really my field of expertise but nevertheless I would like to qouto Sally Banes that makes an ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚŝŶŐŽďƐĞƌǀĂƚŝŽŶŽŶĚĂŶĐĞĂŶĚƚŚĞŵŽĚĞƌŶŝƚǇ͛Ɛ͘^ŚĞƐƚĂƚĞƐƚŚat

͞/ŶĚĂŶĐĞ͕ƚŚĞĐŽŶĨƵƐŝŽŶƚŚĞƚĞƌŵ͞ƉŽƐƚ-ŵŽĚĞƌŶ͟ĐƌĞĂƚĞƐŝƐĨƵƌƚŚĞƌĐŽŵƉůŝĐĂƚĞĚďǇƚŚĞĨĂĐƚƚŚĂƚ historical modern dance was never really modernist. Often it has been precisely in the arena of postmodern dance that issues of modernism in the other arts have arisen; the acknowledgement of the mediums materials, the revealing of ĚĂŶĐĞƐ͛ essential qualities as an art form, the separation of formal elements, the abstraction of forms and the elimination of external references as subjects. Thus in many respects it is post-modern dance that functions as modernist arts. (Banes, 1987, p,XV)

I could get the impression that with Urban dance, dance has caught up with the other art forms and conforms itself with the aspects that give shape to the latest modernity, altermodern.

Altermodern stands first of all for the cultural globalisation that is taking place in the first decade of the 21st century, and the reactions to that. The new artists are global citizens and reflect on society. In an online interview Nicolas Bourriaud states:

͞tŚĂƚŵĂƚƚĞƌƐƚŽĚĂǇŝƐƚŽƚƌĂŶƐůĂƚĞƚŚĞĐƵůƚƵƌĂůǀĂůƵĞƐŽĨĐƵůƚƵƌĂůŐƌŽƵƉƐĂŶĚƚŽĐŽŶŶĞĐƚƚŚĞŵƚŽƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚŶĞƚǁŽƌŬ͘dŚŝƐ͞ƌĞůŽĂĚŝŶŐƉƌŽĐĞƐƐ͟ŽĨŵŽĚĞƌŶŝƐŵĂĐĐŽƌĚŝŶŐƚŽƚŚĞϮϭƐƚĐĞŶƚƵƌǇŝƐƐƵĞƐĐŽƵůĚďĞ called altermodernism, a movement connected to the creolisation of cultures and the fight for ĂƵƚŽŶŽŵǇ͕ďƵƚĂůƐŽƚŚĞƉŽƐƐŝďŝůŝƚǇŽĨƉƌŽĚƵĐŝŶŐƐŝŶŐƵůĂƌŝƚŝĞƐŝŶĂŵŽƌĞĂŶĚŵŽƌĞƐƚĂŶĚĂƌĚŝǌĞĚǁŽƌůĚ͟ (Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2005)

Altermodern art is made in today's global context, which is a reaction against cultural standardization and commercialization. This art is characterized by artists' cross-border, cross- cultural negotiations. He defines these as the end of postmodernism; cultural hybridization.

It is the foundation for the tendency of reaching out to street art, which does communicate through a common global street language because of generations of mixing cultures. It is typically through urban society that first sees an organic exchange of ideas and influences between different cultures. This happens in cities all over the world, unlike in the countryside where tradition is typically preserved the longest, free from outside (cultural) influences, whereas big cities and urban environments are in flux of different cultures crossing.

Dance in theatre

Many art philosophers called on theatre to be an absolute bad thing because of the strict separation between the active performer and the passive spectator. Jean Jacques Ranciere calls for a new kind of theatre, one without passive spectators; a theatre where an action is taken to its conclusion by ďŽĚŝĞƐŝŶŵŽƚŝŽŶŝŶĨƌŽŶƚŽĨůŝǀŝŶŐďŽĚŝĞƐƚŚĂƚĂƌĞƚŽďĞŵŽďŝůŝǌĞĚ͘͞tŚĂƚŝƐƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚŝƐĂƚŚĞĂƚƌĞ without spectators, where those in attendance learn from as opposed to being seduced by images; where they become active participants as opposed to passive voǇĞƵƌƐ͘͟;ZĂŶĐŝĞƌĞ͕ϮϬϬϵ͕Ɖ͘ϲϲͿ

I think we can all recognize the (post modern) works of last years where we are not invited in the space of the performer or where it takes a set of codes and harddcore education to find a way into the work. Bourriaud therefore ĐĂůůƐĂůƚĞƌŵŽĚĞƌŶŝƐŵ͗͞dŚĞŶĞǆƚƐƚĂŐĞ͕ĨŽƌĐŝǀŝůŝǌĂƚŝŽŶĂĨƚĞƌ postmodernism, and artists who mocked its own claims to greatness (the people who canned their own poo, put donkeys in arƚŐĂůůĞƌŝĞƐŽƌĞǆŚŝďŝƚĞĚƚŚĞŝƌƐŵŽŬĞĚĐŝŐĂƌĞƚƚĞƐͿ͘͟;>ĞǁŝƐ͕ϮϬϬϵͿ͘,ĞƌĞ ŽƵƌƌŝĂƵĚƐƵŵƐƵƉǁŚĂƚ/ƐƵƐƉĞĐƚĞĚǁĂƐĐŽŵŝŶŐĂƐŝƚƐĞĞŵĞĚƚŽŵĞƚŚĂƚĂƌƚŝƐƚƐ͛ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚŝŶƚŚĞŝƌ own identity had reached the roof only connecting to a small elite group of audience. In these times of economic crisis and the questions that are being raised on the necessity of art (why it needs funding) it seems even much more important to establish the connection with the outside world. Being understandable in language could be a start. dŽĚĂǇ͛ƐǁŽƌůĚŝƐĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞůǇ'ŽŽŐůĞ-earthed with no hidden places or cultures yet to discover, - where over 15 million people are in the air at any given moment transporting themselves to another country - this requires an global state of mind. We have been given a world citizenship in our way of thinking. Especially in the big cities, we are so influenced by other cultures that it becomes a part of our lives without us necessarily being conscious of it. Urban culture facilitated this. As Bourriaud noticed͗͞dŚĞǁŽƌůĚǁŝĚĞĞǆƉůŽƐŝŽŶŽĨŵĞŐĂĐŝƚŝĞƐ͕ĨƌŽŵDĞǆŝĐŽŝƚǇƚŽ^ŚĂŶŐŚĂŝ͕ĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƚĞĚƚŽƚŚĞ emergence of a global formal vocabulary to the point that one could describe the art of our era as an ĂƌƚŽĨƚŚĞŵĞƚĂƉŽůŝƐ͘͟;ŽƵƌƌŝĂƵĚ͕ϮϬϬϵ͕Ɖ͘ϭϮͿŝĨĨĞƌĞŶƚƉĞƌƐƉĞctives will warrant different opinions on the goodness or badness of this new development--Bourriaud claims it to be an inevitable result of the cultural hybridization in postmodern times:

͞ƐĨŽƌƚŚĞĨĂŵĞĚŝĚĞĂŽĨĐƵůƚƵƌĂůŚǇďƌŝĚŝǌĂƚŝŽŶ͕ĂƚǇƉŝĐĂůƉŽƐƚŵŽdern notion, it has proved to be a ŵĂĐŚŝŶĞƌǇŽĨĚŝƐƐŽůǀŝŶŐĂŶǇŐĞŶƵŝŶĞƐŝŶŐƵůĂƌŝƚǇďĞŶĞĂƚŚƚŚĞŵĂƐŬŽĨĂŵƵůƚŝĐƵůƚƵƌĂůŝƐƚƐ͛ŝĚĞŽůŽŐǇ͕Ă machine of erasing the origins of the typical and authentic elements that it propagates on the trunk of the western techno sphere. So-ĐĂůůĞĚĐƵůƚƵƌĂůĚŝǀĞƌƐŝƚǇƉƌĞƐĞƌǀĞĚƵŶĚĞƌƚŚĞďĞůůũĂƌŽĨŚƵŵĂŶŝƚǇ͛Ɛ patrimony, turns out to be the inverted reflection of the general standardization of imaginations and forms. The more that contemporary art integrates heterogeneous artistic vocabularies deriving from multiple non-Western visual traditions, the more clearly there emerge the distinctive characteristics ŽĨĂƐŝŶŐůĞŐůŽďĂůĐƵůƚƵƌĞ͘/ƚŝƐŶŽƚƚŚĞĐĂƐĞƚŚĂƚƚŚĞŝĚĞĂŽĨĂ͚ĚŝĂůŽŐƵĞŽĨĐƵůƚƵƌĞƐ͕͛ĂŶŽƚŝŽŶĚĞĂƌƚŽ official discourse, stems from a conception of the world as a series of cultural preserves. Indeed, from that animal humanism that Alain Badiou defines as a humanism without any goal, except that of preserving existing ecosystĞŵƐ͍͟;ŽƵƌƌŝĂƵĚ͕ϮϬϬϵ͕Ɖ͘ϭϯͿ

Bourriaud does noƚůĂďĞůƚŚŝƐĐƵůƚƵƌĂůŚǇďƌŝĚŝǌĂƚŝŽŶĂƐĂďĂĚƚŚŝŶŐ͕ŶŽƌĚŽĞƐůĂŝŶĂĚŝŽƵ͗͞>ĞƚŶĂƚƵƌĞ ĚŽŝƚƐǁŽƌŬ͕ĂĨĨŝƌŵŝƚƐŶĂƚƵƌĂůƌŝŐŚƚƐĞǀĞƌǇǁŚĞƌĞ͘&ŽƌƚŚŝŶŐƐŚĂǀĞĂŶĂƚƵƌĞƚŚĂƚŵƵƐƚďĞƌĞƐƉĞĐƚĞĚ͟ (Badiou, 2007, p. 176) It is a development we should consider as it leads to one of the underlying principles of Altermodernism, Creolisation

Creolisation dŽŽƵƌƌŝĂƵĚƚŚŝƐŝƐ͞ĂƉƌŽĐĞƐƐŝŶǀŽůǀŝŶŐĂĐĐůŝŵĂƚŝǌĂƚŝŽŶĂŶĚĐƌŽƐƐďƌĞĞĚŝŶŐŽĨŚĞƚĞƌŽŐĞŶĞŽƵƐ ŝŶĨůƵĞŶĐĞƐ͟;ŽƵƌƌŝĂƵĚ͕ϮϬϬϵ͕Ɖ͘ϮϬͿĚŽƵĂƌĚ'ůŝƐƐĂŶƚĞǆƉůĂŝŶƐŝƚŝŶƚŚĞĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐǁĂǇ͗͞dŚĞǁŽƌůĚŝƐ becoming creolized, that is to say that the cultures of the world are furiously and knowingly coming into contact with each other, changing by exchanging, through irremediable collisions and ruthless wars, but also through breakthroughs of moral conscience anĚŚŽƉĞ͟;'ůŝƐƐĂŶƚ͕ϭϵϵϲ͕Ɖ͘ϭϱͿ

With this notion of creolisation and the reconsideration of multiculturalism as an underlying principle for this altermodern principle, Bourriaud takes a step back from the multiplication of cultural specificities and the accumulation of identities and calls on the association of different cultures, the dynamics of translation and appropriation. According to him artists no longer start with their specific culture but with a culture that is already ŐůŽďĂůŝǌĞĚ͘͞dŚĞǁŽƌŬŝƐŵŽƌĞĂďŽƵƚƐƚĂƌƚŝŶŐ ĨƌŽŵƚŚŝƐŐůŽďĂůŝǌĞĚĐƵůƚƵƌĞĂŶĚĂƌƌŝǀŝŶŐĂƚƚŚĞƐƉĞĐŝĨŝĐƐƚŚĂŶǁŽƌŬŝŶŐĨƌŽŵŽŶĞ͛ƐŝĚĞŶƚŝƚǇŽƌŽƌŝŐŝŶƐ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚůĞĂĚƐƚŚĞĂƌƚŝƐƚƚŽďĞĐŽŵĞƚŚĞůŽŐŽŽĨŚŝƐŽƌŚĞƌŽǁŶĐƵůƚƵƌĞ͟;'ĂůůŽŝƐ͕ϮϬϬϵͿ͘/ŶƚŚĞŽŶůŝŶĞ intervŝĞǁĐŽŶĐĞƌŶŝŶŐƚŚŝƐŵĂƚƚĞƌŚĞŝůůƵƐƚƌĂƚĞƐƚŚŝƐ͗͞DĂŶǇĂƌƚŝƐƚƐ͕ǁŚŽƐĞǁŽƌŬĚŽĞƐŶ͛ƚŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚŵĞ very much, are content to simply present their culture, their roots or their identity as content in itself. I think that the attitude that consists in presenting ŽŶĞƐĞůĨĂƐĂďŽǀĞĂůů͞ĚŝĨĨĞƌĞŶƚ͟ŶŽůŽŶŐĞƌ ǁŽƌŬƐ͘ŝĨĨĞƌĞŶĐĞŝƐƐŽŵĞƚŚŝŶŐƚŚĂƚŚĂƐƚŽĂƌŝƐĞ͖ŝƚĐĂŶ͛ƚĚĞĐůĂƌĞŝƚƐĞůĨ͟;'ĂůůŽŝƐ͕ϮϬϬϵͿdŚŝƐŝƐĂ particular interesting issue to urban dance on how hip-ŚŽƉ͚ƉƵƌŝƐƚƐ͛ŚĂǀĞĐŽŶƐƚƌƵĐƚĞĚĂƐƚƌŝĐƚƐĞƚŽĨ rules for hip-hop dance protecting the dance idiom to stay in its pure form and how this infects the debate on hip-hop dance vocabulary in more contemporary settings.

One theoretical space for judging art

Having one theoretical space for judging art, affects the way we look at and judge an object of art or piece of work. If (for example non western) artists and their works are being looked at and judged by ͞ŝŶĂĐĐŽƌĚǁŝƚŚ͟ŝƚǁŝůůƐƚŝůůƌĞĐŽŐŶŝǌĞƚŚĞŽƚŚĞƌĂƐ͞ŽƚŚĞƌ͟ĂŶĚĞǆĐůƵĚĞƚŚĞŵĨƌŽŵƚŚĞƐĂŵĞĐƵůƚƵƌĂů scene and theoretical space. It also implies that every artist will stay in the same place and in one place only and will not move from there, with only one voice in which to express himself. Bourriaud makes a critical observation concerning postmodern multiculturalism in this matter:

͞/ŶĂŶĞƌĂŝŶǁŚŝĐŚĂŶĐŝĞŶƚƉĂƌƚŝĐƵůĂƌŝƚŝĞƐĂƌĞďĞŝŶŐĞƌĂĚŝĐĂƚĞĚŝŶƚŚĞŶĂŵĞŽĨĞĐŽŶŽŵŝĐĞĨĨŝĐŝĞŶĐǇ͕ aesthetic multiculturalism urges us to examine with particular care cultural codes that are on the path to extinction, and in doing so makes contemporary art into a conservatory of traditions and ŝĚĞŶƚŝƚŝĞƐƚŚĂƚĂƌĞŝŶƌĞĂůŝƚǇďĞŝŶŐǁŝƉĞĚŽƵƚďǇŐůŽďĂůŝǌĂƚŝŽŶ͟;ŽƵƌƌŝĂƵĚ͕ϮϬϬϵ͕Ɖ͘ϮϵͿ

But moving beyond the peaceful and sterile coexistence of reified cultures to a state of cooperation among cultures that are equally critical of their own identity would lead us to a state of translation of singularities. In that case, Bourriaud reasons, new works should be judged differently from postmodern works. If postmodern works were merely products of the historical conditions in which they appeared and normally are interpreted from an ethno-sociological perspective, new contemporary works should be explained by their birth in a universal megalopolis from where they draw their spontaneous meaning. The city is a new form of totalization, an infinite urban environment that would be the arena for an identity struggle between immigrants and natives, and for territorial conflict between public space and private property. From these observations Bourriaud draws the conclusion that the result of the postmodern ideology has to be a new era, which he calls Altermodern.

͞/ĨƉŽƐƚŵŽĚĞƌŶĐƌŝƚŝĐĂůƚŚŽƵŐŚƚŝŶƐŝƐƚƐƐŽĨŽƌĐĞĨƵůůǇŽŶĂŽŶĞ-way relation of influence between art and history, it is because such a relation is at the heart of the politics of assignment, of the ideology of belonging (to a place, to a moment) that underlies its core discourse. Postmodern thought thus arises as the negation of those powers of decentering, of setting in motion, of unsticking, of de- ŝŶĐƌƵƐƚĂƚŝŽŶ͖ƉŽǁĞƌƐƚŚĂƚĂƌĞƚŚĞĨŽƵŶĚĂƚŝŽŶŽĨƚŚĞĞŵĞƌŐŝŶŐĐƵůƚƵƌĞƚŚĂƚ/ƚĞƌŵŚĞƌĞůƚĞƌŵŽĚĞƌŶ͟ (Bourriaud, 2009, p. 37)

/ĨǁĞĨŽůůŽǁƚŚĞƐĞŝĚĞĂƐƚŽƚŚĞŝƌĐŽŶĐůƵƐŝŽŶ͕ƚŚĞŶŽƚŝŽŶŽĨ͚ǁĞĂƌĞŶŽƚǁŚĂƚǁĞǁĞĂƌĂŶǇŵŽƌĞ͛ĐĂůůƐ for a new way of judging art in a way that all art could exist in the same theoretical space and assessed according to the same set of aesthetic criteria. For example, if one believes that the future of art depends on a simple coexistence of identities whose autonomy is to be preserved one would have to disqualify a construction that is formed by the system of art, which historically depends on tĞƐƚĞƌŶĐƵůƚƵƌĞ͘ŽƵƌƌŝĂƵĚďĞůŝĞǀĞƐƚŚĂƚƚŚŝƐĚŽĞƐŶŽƚŚĂǀĞƚŽďĞƚŚĞĐĂƐĞ͕͞ŝĨŽŶĞƚŚŝŶŬƐƚŚĂƚĞĂĐŚ of these specificities can participate in the emergence of a modernity specific to the twenty-first century, a modernity to be constructed on a global scale, though cooperation among a multitude of ĐƵůƚƵƌĂůƐĞŵĞƐĂŶĚƚŚƌŽƵŐŚŽŶŐŽŝŶŐƚƌĂŶƐůĂƚŝŽŶŽĨƐŝŶŐƵůĂƌŝƚŝĞƐ͗ĂŶĂůƚĞƌŵŽĚĞƌŶŝƚǇ͟;ŽƵƌƌŝĂƵĚ͕ 2002, p. 39) Following that believe, urban dance, being used in an artistic space, should not be ůŽŽŬĞĚĂƚĂƐ͞ĂƌĞǇŽƵƉŽƉƉŝŶŐ͕ŽƌůŽĐŬŝŶŐ͍͕͟ŽƌǁŚĂƚĞǀĞƌƌĞƐƚƌŝĐƚĞĚƐƚǇůĞǇŽƵŵŝŐŚƚďĞĚŽŝŶŐ͕ĂŶĚĂƌĞ you true to that style A discussion that is on-going in hip-hop world. If urban dance is put in an artistic setting all this should not matter anymore. It should be the freedom of the artist to use the movement language to express himself and move beyond technical dance-rules. I quote the founder ŽĨƚŚĞƚĞƌŵ͚ĂůƚĞƌŵŽĚĞƌŶ͕͛ŽƵƌƌŝĂƵĚŽŶĐĞŵŽƌĞĂƐŝƚƐƵŵŵĂƌŝǌĞƐĂůƚĞƌŵŽĚĞƌŶŝƚǇƐŽǁĞůů͗

͞tŚĂƚ/ĂŵĐĂůůŝŶŐĂůƚĞƌŵŽĚĞƌŶŝƚǇƚŚƵƐĚĞƐŝŐŶĂƚĞƐĂĐŽŶƐƚƌƵĐƚŝŽŶƉůĂŶƚŚĂƚǁŽƵůĚĂůůŽǁŶĞǁ intercultural connections, the construction of a space of negotiation going beyond postmodern multiculturalism, which is attached to the origin of discourses and forms rather than to their ĚǇŶĂŵŝĐƐ͘/ƚŝƐĂŵĂƚƚĞƌŽĨƌĞƉůĂĐŝŶŐƚŚĞƋƵĞƐƚŝŽŶŽĨŽƌŝŐŝŶǁŝƚŚƚŚĂƚŽĨĚĞƐƚŝŶĂƚŝŽŶ͘͞tŚĞƌĞƐŚŽƵůĚ ǁĞŐŽ͍͟dŚĂƚŝƐƚŚĞŵŽĚĞƌŶƋƵĞƐƚŝŽŶƉĞƌĞǆĐĞůůĞŶĐĞ͟;ŽƵƌƌiaud, 2002, p. 40)

Postmodern multiculturalism was looking for roots and from there trying to create cross-overs or hybrits. In an altermodernist era this is already the starting point. Concerning urban dance this will have to result in not have to be stuck in boxes like popping, locking etc but to be free of all those rules, using the urban qualities of movement as tools to create a movement language to express oneself.

Urban culture and subcultures

Urban culture has a wide variety of expressive forms depending on the compilation of ethnic groups that inhabited any one city. Urban Culture is glocal, meaning that it joins global and local cultural aspects together. For example, Banghra, with origins in Indian folkloristic dance with Punjabi beats, is inextricably linked to the urban culture of London, but in Amsterdam this influence of music is rarely heard. This is because Indian culture was not nearly as historically and culturally involved in Amsterdam as it was in England. The cultural influences and expressions of Surinam, Indonesia however are more present in Amsterdam than they would be in England. dŚĞǁŽƌĚ͚ƵƌďĂŶ͛ŚĂƐďĞĐŽŵĞŵŽƌĞĐůŽƐĞůǇĂƐƐŽĐŝĂƚĞĚǁŝƚŚĂůŝĨĞƐƚǇůĞ͕ǁŚŝĐŚĐŽƵůĚďĞĐŽŶŶĞĐƚĞĚƚŽĂ wide variety of subcultures such as hip-hop, break-dance, street dance, dj, beat box, rap, graffiti-art, skating, clubbing, as well as a way of dressing and even talking. Soon these underground street ĐƵůƚƵƌĞƐďĞĐĂŵĞ͚ďƌĂŶĚƐ͛Žƌ͚ůĂďĞůƐ͛ĂŶĚǁĞƌĞ͚ďŽƌƌŽǁĞĚ͛ƚŽďĞƵƐĞĚĨŽƌĐŽŵŵĞƌĐŝĂůƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐůŝŬĞ cars, which actually had hardly anything to do with where that label came from.

Kodwo Eshun notes in his book More brilliant than the sun (1998), that contemporary electronic ŵƵƐŝĐŝƐƐŽŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚŝŶŐďĞĐĂƵƐĞŝƚĐĂŶŶŽƚďĞůĂďĞůĞĚĂŶǇŵŽƌĞĂƐ͚ďůĂĐŬ͛Žƌ͚ǁŚŝƚĞ͛ŵƵƐŝĐ͘͞Technology ƚĂŬĞƐƚŚĞĐŽůŽƌŽĨƐŬŝŶŽƵƚŽĨƚŚĞŵƵƐŝĐĂŶĚŵĂŬĞƐŝƚƚƌĂŶƐƉĂƌĞŶƚ͟;ƐŚƵŶ͕ϭϵϵϴƉϭϰͿ͘/ĐŽƵůĚĞĂƐŝůǇ

12 spend hours to this theme, but for the argument of now, the notion is put forward that urban ĐƵůƚƵƌĞƐŚŽƵůĚŶŽƚďĞŵŝƐƚĂŬĞŶĨŽƌ͞ůĂĐŬĐƵůƚƵƌĞ͟. But as hip-hop is a big part of Urban culture, the origin goes back all the way to Africa.

ŶĞƐƐĞŶƚŝĂůĞůĞŵĞŶƚŝŶƚŚĞƐĞŽƌŝŐŝŶĂůĨƌŝĐĂŶĚĂŶĐĞƐĐĂŶďĞƐƵŵŵĂƌŝǌĞĚŝŶ͚ĂůůĂŶĚZĞƐƉŽŶƐĞ͛ǁŝƚŚ the body responding to and provoking the voice of the drum. In the article Essence of the Body (2004) this is well illustrated;

If we can accept that the dance responds to the drum, not solely in a reactive manner but within a configuration of communicative collaboration, we can understand how dance is performative, mirroring the way in which speech may be equated with action. Dance movements convey speechlike qualities that contain meaning beyond the formal, aesthetic shapes and sequences of movement detailed by the body in motion. (Defrantz, 2004 p.66)

The African ĚĂŶĐĞ͚ƐƉĞĂŬƐ͛͘/ƚŝƐĂďŽƵƚĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƚŝŶŐĞŵŽƚŝŽŶƐĂŶĚĞǀĞŶƚƐ͘dŚŝƐĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƚŝŶŐ quality is so evident in the urban dance styles that derived from African and African American dance, that it is essential to the understanding of the expanding use of urban language in the world of art, as art, according to altermodernism, is more and more about communicating to the world in a reloading process and being in constant dialogue with the observer.

From High art to new art:

Hans Abbing in his book From High Art to New Art (2009) did research on the appreciation of art in ĚŝĨĨĞƌĞŶƚŵŽŽĚƐĞƚƚŝŶŐƐ͘,ĞĐŽŶĐůƵĚĞƐƚŚĂƚƚŚĞƐĞƚƚŝŶŐƚŚĂƚƐƵƌƌŽƵŶĚƐƚŚĞ͚,ŝŐŚƌƚ͛ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞƐŝƐ less appealing to the new (young) generation of theatre visitors. According to Abbing, this has to do ǁŝƚŚƚŚĞƵŶǁƌŝƚƚĞŶ͚ƐƚŝĨĨ͛ƚŚĞĂƚƌĞƌƵůĞƐǁŚĞƌĞƚŚĞĂƵĚŝĞŶĐĞŝƐĞǆƉĞĐƚĞĚƚŽďĞƉĂƐƐŝǀĞĂŶĚƋƵŝĞƚĂŶĚŝƐ ŶŽƚĞŶĐŽƵƌĂŐĞĚƚŽďĞƌĞƐƉŽŶĚŝŶŐƚŽǁŚĂƚŝƐŚĂƉƉĞŶŝŶŐŽŶƐƚĂŐĞ͘tŚĞŶ͚,ŝŐŚƌƚ͛ĐŽŶĐĞƌƚƐĂƌĞ played in an much more informal setting like for example an pop podium where the bar is open and people are able to walk in and out, the same concert turns out to be much more appealing to the young generation. It is this informal atmosphere that does that. Abbing explains this by the ͚ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂůŝǌĂƚŝŽŶ͛ƚŚĂƚtook place during the last generation. With the dismissal of formal rules came room for negotiation --suddenly every situation calls for a reaction. An example of this would be an ĂŶŶƵĂůĞǀĞŶƚŝŶŵĂũŽƌĐŝƚŝĞƐŝŶƚŚĞEĞƚŚĞƌůĂŶĚƐĐĂůůĞĚ͕͚ŵƵƐĞƵŵŶŝŐŚƚ͕͛ǁŚĞƌe audience can walk in and out of art galleries, theatres, museum etc. The art is the same, but here the public is allowed to behave more informally, and are encouraged to express themselves and react to what they see. The informal character of the event is even announced on the flyer. (Abbing, 2009, p.31). This mentality is evidently clear in modern society through our daily lives and jobs. It is now common for people to switch careers almost as often as they change cars, and most jobs demand creativity. People often need to be multitasking throughout their day as well. Pascal Gielen and Paul de Bruyne named this ĞƌĂ͚WŽƐƚ&ŽƌĚŝƐŵ͚͛͘WŽƐƚ&ŽƌĚŝƐŵ͛ŶŽƚĞƐƚŚĞĞŶĚŽĨ&ŽƌĚŝƐŵĂƐĂƉĞƌŝŽĚǁŚĞŶƐŽĐŝĞƚǇǁĂƐƐĞŐŵĞŶƚĞĚ ĂŶĚƉĞŽƉůĞŽĨƚĞŶƚŽŽŬŽŶůǇŽŶĞĐĂƌĞĞƌ͘͞&ŽƌĚŝƐm features serial labour within a strong hierarchy, with clear-cut working hours. Inside the Fordist factory ʹnamed after car manufacturer Henry Ford ʹ ƚŚŝƐŝƐŝŶůŝŶĞǁŝƚŚƚŚĞĞǆƚƌĞŵĞĨƵŶĐƚŝŽŶĂůƐƉĞĐŝĂůŝǌĂƚŝŽŶǁŚŝĐŚŝƐŝŵƉůĞŵĞŶƚĞĚ͟;'ŝĞůĞŶΘƌƵǇŶĞ͕ 2009 p. 7) Post Fordism brought a completely different attitude towards life, as a creative industry implemented artistic value to the work floor. When people started to validate the looks of their car or phone over the functionality and the fact that it was actually still working fine, Fordism, as a

13 period of functional manufacturing of products, came to an end. Creativity became in important factor.

From the 1980s onward, individual assessments and performance interviews including yearly outward-bound and creativity excursions are part of the neo-managers toolkit. Since then vitality, creativity, flexibility and communication skills have been at the center of the shop floor. A typically artistic sociology has become the pivot of economic vitality (Gielen & Bruyne, 2009, p. 8).

ďďŝŶŐĐŽŶĐůƵĚĞƐƚŚĂƚƐŽĐŝĞƚǇŚĂƐďĞĐŽŵĞŵŽƌĞŝŶĨŽƌŵĂůďƵƚƚŚĞ͚ŚŝŐŚĂƌƚƐ͛ĚŝĚŶŽƚĨŽůůŽǁƐƵŝƚ͘/Ŷ theatres, the conventional rules still apply. He argues that it is not the content of a work that ĚŝƐƚŝŶŐƵŝƐŚĞƐƚŚĞ͚ŚŝŐŚĂƌƚ͛ĨƌŽŵƚŚĞ͚ŶĞǁĂƌƚ͕͛ďƵƚƌĂƚŚĞƌŚĂƐƚŽĚŽǁŝƚŚĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƚŝŽŶĂŶĚ participation with the audience (Abbing, 2009, p. 24) Abbing addresses classical music concerts primarily, but occasionally draws parallels to dance. Abbing concludes that a classical music performance is not at all connected to the audience; the audience delivers nothing that contributes to the performance. The performance with or without the audience (like the rehearsal) is exactly the same. The only way the audience can influence it is in a negative way. (Abbing, 2009, p. 19) He illustrates this with the coughing phenomenon as a striking example. One person in the theatre is not able to hold his cough. Apparently the others around him have another opinion about it and feel that he is not doing enough effort holding it. Unwritten theatre rules apparently tell that a person should not cough more than once. This is the only moment the audience moves. They turn around making clear that they are not pleased by the disturbance of the cougher and they will start throwing nasty looks at him. This might spread to a collective attempt to correct the cougher. Even people too far away to be bothered by the cough might join in. In this example, the audience holds ŝƚƐĞůĨŚŽƐƚĂŐĞŝŶĂŶĞŐĂƚŝǀĞƐƉŝƌĂůŽĨ͚ǀŝŽůĞŶĐĞ͕͛ǁŚŝĐh keeps them from enjoying the performance or concert and which can even have a negative effect on the musicians/performers. (Abbing, 2009, p. 20) In the theatre, the tiniest disturbance of the usual can result in inconvenience and I use this example to demonstrate how uptight the formal theatre rules can turn out to be because of the conventional setting.

The next example shows us how a much more informal setting can provide a deeper sense of concentration. Abbing calls on a classical musician who stated that she preferred the concentration of the majority of an audience in a setting where others walk in and out (in a respectful way) over the minimal disturbances like the coughing phenomenon that takes place in an overall completely silent setting like an concert hall.

I can personally relate to this coughing phenomenon, often experienced in such places as the National Ballet theatre, where the setting is very formal.

ůƵďŽŶ͛ƚ,ŝƚDĂŵĂ͗ dŽŵĞ͕ůƵďŽŶ͛ƚ,ŝƚDĂŵĂŝƐĂŶĞǆĂŵƉůĞŽĨƚŚĞ͚ŶĞǁĂƌƚ͛ƚŚĂƚďďing calls on. It is informal, there is a direct connection and interaction between the performers and the audience and people are free to express themselves, they are even encouraged to do so.

ůƵďŽŶ͛ƚ,ŝƚDĂŵĂĨŝƚƐƉĞƌĨĞĐƚŝŶƚŽďďŝŶŐ͛ƐĚĞĨŝŶŝƚŝŽŶŽĨ͞ŶĞǁĂƌƚ͟ůƚŚŽƵŐŚďďŝŶŐ͛ƐďŽŽŬĚŽĞƐ not discuss dance, from what I have read, the book fits into the Altermodernism theory quite ƉĞƌĨĞĐƚůǇ͘&ŽƌĞǆĂŵƉůĞƚŚĞǇƐŚĂƌĞƚŚĞŶŽƚŝŽŶŽĨƚŚĞ͚ƌĞůŽĂĚŝŶŐƉƌŽĐĞƐƐ͛ĨƌŽŵĂƌƚďĂĐŬŝŶƚŽƐŽĐŝĞƚǇ͘

Also the notion of the artist as a global citizen, the dialogue between the artist and the audience/observer. And over all, the presentation of a dance performance as an event, even an ŝŶƐƚĂůůĂƚŝŽŶ͘tŝƚŚ>ŝĞŵƐ͛ǁŽƌŬĂƐĞǆĂŵƉůĞ͕ƉƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐĂůůƚŚĞƐĞŝŶŐƌĞĚŝĞŶƚƐ͕ƵƌďĂŶĚĂŶĐĞƚŚĞŶƐŚŽƵld ĨŝƚŝŶƉĞƌĨĞĐƚůǇ͘dŚĞĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƚŝǀĞƋƵĂůŝƚǇŚĂƐĞǆŝƐƚĞĚŝŶƵƌďĂŶĚĂŶĐĞƐŝŶĐĞŝƚ͛ƐŽƌŝŐŝŶƐŝŶĨƌŝĐĂŶ ĚĂŶĐĞƚŚĂƚĐĂƌƌŝĞĚƚŚƌŽƵŐŚƚŽƚŽĚĂǇ͛ƐƐƚǇůĞƐƐĞĞŶŝŶĨŽƌŵƐŽĨŚŝƉ-hop. Urban dance is inhabited in the culture. Not in the commercialization but in the pure form. Quoting Dj Cool Herc, one of the ͚ĨĂƚŚĞƌƐ͛ŽĨŚŝƉ-hop states: dŽŵĞŚŝƉŚŽƉƐĂǇƐ͕͞ŽŵĞĂƐǇŽƵĂƌĞ͟tĞĂƌĞĨĂŵŝůǇ͘/ƚĂŝŶ͛ƚĂďŽƵƚƐĞĐƵƌŝƚǇ͘/ƚĂŝŶ͛ƚĂďŽƵƚďůŝŶŐ- ďůŝŶŐ͘/ƚĂŝŶ͛ƚĂďŽƵƚŚŽǁŵƵĐŚǇŽƵƌŐƵŶĐĂŶƐŚŽŽƚ͘/ƚĂŝŶ͛ƚĂďŽƵƚΨϮϬϬƐŶĞĂŬĞƌƐ͘/ƚis not about me ďĞŝŶŐďĞƚƚĞƌƚŚĂŶǇŽƵŽƌǇŽƵďĞŝŶŐďĞƚƚĞƌƚŚĂŶŵĞ͘/ƚ͛ƐĂďŽƵƚǇŽƵĂŶĚŵĞ͕ĐŽŶŶĞĐƚŝŶŐŽŶĞƚŽŽŶĞ͘ dŚĂƚ͛ƐǁŚǇŝƚŚĂƐƵŶŝǀĞƌƐĂůĂƉƉĞĂů͘/ƚŚĂƐŐŝǀĞŶǇŽƵŶŐƉĞŽƉůĞĂǁĂǇƚŽƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚƚŚĞŝƌǁŽƌůĚ͕ whether they are from the suburbs or the city or whatever. (Chang, 2007 p. xi)

This philosophy has many parallels with the understanding of altermodernism.

Justin Bua, a famous hip-hop dancing graffiti artist, opens his book The Beat of Urban Art (2007) with the following statement;

The characters that I draw and paint represent who I am and what I value. They are from different backgrounds that together form one urban culture. People ask me what I am. Puerto Rican? Italian? Jewish? African-ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ͍>ŝŬĞŵǇĐŚĂƌĂĐƚĞƌ͕/ĐĂŶ͛ƚĚĞĨŝŶĞŵǇƐĞůĨďǇĂŶǇŽŶĞƌace. I have so many different bloodlines flowing through my veins and grew up in such a uniquely integrated culture, ƚŚĂƚ/ĂŵũƵƐƚŵĞ͘/ĂŵƉĂƌƚŽĨĂŶƵƌďĂŶƌĂĐĞƵŶŝƚĞĚďǇƚŚĞĐŝƚǇ͘ƐŬŝĚƐ͕ǁĞǁĞƌĞŶ͛ƚƐĞƉĂƌĂƚĞĚďǇƚŚĞ color of our skin. We judged each other by the content of our character. This is where the slang word ͞ŽŶĞ͟ĐŽŵĞƐĨƌŽŵ͘tĞĂƌĞKE͘hƌďĂŶůŝĨĞĐŚĂůůĞŶŐĞƐƵƐƚŽƚŚƌŝǀĞĂŵŽŶŐĚŝǀĞƌƐŝƚǇĂŶĚǀŝďĞŽĨĨŽŶĞ another in a positive way. This is the gift of a city. (Bua, 2007, p. 5)

This characterizes as well the philosophy behind urban culture and its artists. What is striking is the concept that urban culture is always described as universal, and that it never belongs to a particular group. In The Art Of Rebellion 2 (2006) by C100 he describes where street art stands today;

Many feared that it (urban art) became trendy and being exploited like many other trends before. >ƵĐŬŝůǇƚŚĞĞǆƉĞĐƚĞĚďŽŽŵĚŝĚŶ͛ƚĂĐƚƵĂůůǇŚĂƉƉĞŶƚŚĂƚďŝŐ͙^ŝŶĐĞƚŚĞďŝŐŐĞƌƉĂƌƚŽĨĂƌƚŝƐƚƐĂƌĞǀĞƌǇ conscious of what they do and wŚĂƚƚŚĞǇĚŽŶ͛ƚǁĂŶƚƚŽĚŽǁŝƚŚŽƵƚƐĞůůŝŶŐŽƵƚ͙DĂŬŝŶŐĂƌƚĨŽƌ ĞǀĞƌǇŽŶĞ͕ĨŽƌĨƌĞĞ͕ǁŝƚŚŽƵƚƉĂǇŝŶŐĂŶǇƌĞŶƚƐĞƚĐ͘dŚĂƚ͛ƐǁŚĂƚƐƚƌĞĞƚĂƌƚŵŽƐƚůǇŝƐĂďŽƵƚĨƌŽŵŵǇ point of view. Doing your own thing without any limitation, giving something back to the street, making people smile and think, causing reactions (C100, 2006 p.7)

Urban art originated from territory driven tag-graffiti to a recognized art form, appreciated by not ŽŶůǇƚŚĞŝƌƉĞĞƌŐƌŽƵƉďƵƚĨŽƌƚŚĞĂƌƚŽĨŝƚ͘/ƚĚĞƌŝǀĞƐĨƌŽŵƚŚĞĚĞƐŝƌĞŽĨ͚ƌĞůŽĂĚŝŶŐ͛art back into society, having a dialogue within the altermodern parameter.

͚<ĞĞƉŝŶŐŝƚZĞĂů͛

͚<ĞĞƉŝŶŐŝƚƌĞĂů͛ŝƐĂƉŚƌĂƐĞŚĞĂƌĚŵŽƐƚůǇŝŶƚŚĞŚŝƉ-hop scene. It essentially means to stay true to the ŽƌŝŐŝŶĂůĨŽƌŵ͘/ƚĐĂŶďĞĞǆƉůĂŝŶĞĚďǇƚŚĞ͚ƌĂƉĞ͛ŚŝƉ-hop has gone through by the media explosion that took over the hip-ŚŽƉĐƵůƚƵƌĞŝŶƚŚĞϴϬ͛ƐĂƐŝƐďĞŝŶŐĚŝƐƉůĂǇĞĚǁĞůůŝŶƚŚĞĚǀĚĚŽĐƵŵĞŶƚĂƌǇdŚĞ

Freshest Kids, a History of the B-ďŽǇ;/ƐƌĂĞů͕ϮϬϬϮͿ͘Ƶƚ͚ŬĞĞƉŝŶŐŝƚƌĞĂů͛ĂůƐŽŚĂƐĂŚŽůĚŽŶƚŚĞ development of the hip-ŚŽƉĚĂŶĐĞƐƚǇůĞƐ͘/ŶĐŽƵŶƚůĞƐƐĚĞďĂƚĞƐŽĨƚŚĞŵŽƐƚůǇŽůĚĞƌŐĞŶĞƌĂƚŝŽŶ͛Ɛ argument is that one should preserve each style as it originated and that they should maintain those styles with strict rules. According to this argument one can (and should) be creative, but only within the restrictions of that particular dance idiom. Juste Debout judges stress this issue time and time again. Juste Debout is a popular European Urban dance contest, the categories are strict, and a contestant has to stay in that particular dance idiom. In Physical Graffiti ʹ The History of Hip-Hop ĂŶĐĞ;ϮϬϬϲͿ͕:ŽƌŐĞWĂďŽŶĞǆƉůĂŝŶƐƚŚĂƚ͚dŽƉZŽĐŬŝŶ͕͛;ŽŶĞŽĨƚŚĞĨŝƌƐƚďƌĞĂŬĚĂŶĐĞƐƚĞƉƐͿ͕ƐĞĞŵƐƚŽ have developed gradually and unintentionally, leaving space for growth and new additions, until it ĞǀŽůǀĞĚŝŶƚŽĂĐŽĚŝĨŝĞĚĨŽƌŵ͟;WĂďŽŶ͕ϮϬϬϲƉ͘ϮϬͿ͘dŚŝƐŝƐŚŽǁŵŽƐƚĚĂŶĐĞƚĞĐŚŶŝƋƵĞƐĞŵĞƌŐĞŝŶĨŽƌ example the modern dance world with the likes of, Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Merge Cunningham who reinvented a particular genre of dance through their own innovative techniques. But it seems that, the modern dance world is not suffering from purists that argue that a dancer or dance piece should be restricted to one style only or one style at the time. It looks like the hip-hop culture is much more divided concerning this matter.

Urban dance as art form

Urban dance is relatively new in the world of art and is seeking recognition. In a rapport on mapping urban art, done by Jannie Donkers and commissioned by the province of North Brabant, Netherlands, urban practitioners argued for recognition of urban art by the art world and the end of prejudices that urban art is superficial and labeled as entertainment. (Donkers, 2009, p. 2) It is out of the scope of this argument to dissect the qualifications of art, but if one sticks to one strict dance idiom and presents it as the content of the work, it would be presenting a skill and not necessarily Ăƌƚ͘^ƵƌƉƌŝƐŝŶŐůǇŝƚ͛ƐŵŽƐƚůǇƚŚĞ͚ƉƵƌŝƐƚƐ͛ĐŽŵƉůĂŝŶŝŶŐĂďŽƵƚŶŽƚďĞŝŶŐƌĞĐŽŐŶŝǌĞĚďǇƚŚĞĂƌƚǁŽƌůĚ͘

On the other hand there are many choreographers with a hip-hop dance background and another dance background like Daniel Renner who is also trained as a modern dancer who makes fusion the core of his work to a level where it becomes a new technique, which he ŝŶƚŚŝƐĐĂƐĞĐĂůůƐ͚ƌŽƵŶĚ ĐŽƌŶĞƌ͛͘KŶŚŝƐǁĞďƐŝƚĞŝt is described the following:

Round Corner - is his specialty in education, as well as the basis for all his theatre performances. Round Corner is a dance vocabulary, which uses elements of modern dance (especially Limón) and blends them with specific elements of street dance and hip hop. Different dynamics, rhythmic patterns and specific sequential co-ordinations (wave technique) are brought together in this fusion. New elements are displayed through this movement. Round Corner allows for a new language and aesthetics in dance to emerge. The power of cultural diversity within this expressive movement exploration, leads to a fusion of styles, techniques, traditions and instincts of human motion. It brings forth creative and human insights, other ways of expression, and a new experience on stage. (Renner, Daniel, 2010)

ZĞŶŶĞƌĐůĞĂƌůǇŚĂƐĂŶŽƉƉŽƐŝƚĞƉŚŝůŽƐŽƉŚǇĨƌŽŵƚŚĞƉƵƌŝƐƚƐŽŶƚŚĞ͚ŬĞĞƉŝŶŐŝƚƌĞĂů͛ŝƐƐƵĞ͘ Practitioners of Urban dance have not come to an understanding in this matter yet. As it looks now, the same ones that present the codified technique as the content of their work (mainly the ones complaining that they are not being taken seriously in the art world) are the ones dismissing works of choreographers like Daniel Renner as hip-hop.

Conclusion

In search of a more accurate definition of what is happening in the world of art today, there is a re- examination of post-ŵŽĚĞƌŶŝƐŵŚĂƉƉĞŶŝŶŐ͕ĂůůǁŚŝůĞƵƌďĂŶĐƵůƚƵƌĞĐŽŶƚŝŶƵĞƐŝƚ͛ƐƐĞĂƌĐŚĨŽƌŝƚƐŽǁŶ iĚĞŶƚŝƚǇ͘ŚĂŶŐŝůůƵƐƚƌĂƚĞƐƚŚŝƐǁĞůůŝŶƚŚĞŝŶƚƌŽĚƵĐƚŝŽŶŽĨĂŶ͛ƚ^ƚŽƉtŽŶ͛ƚ^ƚŽƉ;ϮϬϬϱͿ͖ hƉƵŶƚŝůƌĞĐĞŶƚůǇ͕ŽƵƌŐĞŶĞƌĂƚŝŽŶŚĂƐŵĂŝŶůǇďĞĞŶĚĞĨŝŶĞĚďǇƚŚĞƉƌĞĨŝǆ͞ƉŽƐƚ-͘͟tĞŚĂǀĞďĞĞŶƉŽƐƚ- civil rights, postmodern, poststructural, postfeminist, post-Black, post-ƐŽŽƵů͘tĞ͛ƌĞƚŚĞƉŽƐƚĞƌ ĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶŽĨ͞ƉŽƐƚ-͕͟ƚŚĞůĞĨƚŽǀĞƌƐŝŶƚŚĞĚŝƌƚǇŬŝƚĐŚĞŶŽĨǇĞƐƚĞƌĚĂǇ͛ƐĨĞĂƐƚ͘tĞŚĂǀĞďĞĞŶƚŚĞďĂďǇ Boom Echo. We have been Generation X. Now they even talk about Generation Y. And why? Probably because Y comes after X. (Chang, 2007, p. 2) dŚĞĂŶƐǁĞƌƚŽƚŚĞ͚ƉŽƐƚ-ǁŚĂƚ͍'ĞŶĞƌĂƚŝŽŶƋƵĞƐƚŝŽŶ͛ǁŝƚŚǁŚŝĐŚŚĂŶŐĐŚĂƌĂĐƚĞƌŝǌĞƐƚŚĞĐƵƌƌĞŶƚŚŝƉ- ŚŽƉŐĞŶĞƌĂƚŝŽŶĐĂŶďĞĨŽƵŶĚŝŶƐĂŶƚŝ͛Ɛ/ƚ͛ƐŝŐŐĞƌdŚĂŶ,ŝƉ-Hop ʹ The rize of a post-hip-hop generation (2008); dŚĞƚĞƌŵ͚ƉŽƐƚ-hip-hop describes a period of time ʹright now- of great transition for a new generation in search of a deeper, more encompassing understanding of themselves in a context outside of the corporate hip-hop monopoly. While hip-hop may be a part of this new understanding, it ǁŝůůŶĞŝƚŚĞƌĚŽŵŝŶĂƚĞŶŽƌĚŝĐƚĂƚĞŝƚ͕ũƵƐƚĂƐŽŶĞĐĂŶŽďƐĞƌǀĞƚŚĞĐŝǀŝůƌŝŐŚƚƐŐĞŶĞƌĂƚŝŽŶ͛ƐĞƚŚŽƐ within the hip-hop generation, yet the two remain autonomously connected. Post-hip-hop is an ĂƐƐĞƌƚŝŽŶŽĨĂŐĞŶĐǇƚŚĂƚĞŶĐĂƉƐƵůĂƚĞƐƚŚŝƐŐĞŶĞƌĂƚŝŽŶ͛ƐďƌŽĂĚƌĂŶge of abilities, ideals and ideas, as well as incorporates recent social advances and movements. (Asante, 2008, p. 7)

I am still careful to place urban dance under the umbrella of altermodernism, but I cannot escape seeing singularities in the philosophies that underpin the search for both identities. Concerning dance in general it seems incorrect to draw conclusions as far as calling it the end of postmodernism. All theory on altermodernism is based on publications on all art except dance. History has shown that dance has been following other arts in a distance. Besides, I have only focused on urban dance. It would take another study to draw any conclusions for dance in general. Urban dance until recently never placed itself in an art-category, which is due ƚŽƚŚĞ͚ŬĞĞƉŝŶŐŝƚƌĞĂů͛ŝƐƐƵĞ͘tŝƚŚĂŐƌŽǁŝŶŐ ƐĞŶƐĞŽĨĂǁĂƌĞŶĞƐƐŽĨďĞŝŶŐůĂďĞůĞĚĂ͚ƉŽƐƚ-hip-ŚŽƉ͚ŐĞŶĞƌĂƚŝŽŶ͕hƌďĂŶĚĂŶĐĞŝƐƐĞĂƌĐŚŝŶŐĨŽƌŝƚƐ identity and began claiming its place in the arts. Hip-hop practitioners do not share the same beliefs. The purists in hip-hop will become the brand of their own culture by maintaining that hip-hop dance should adhere to strict and traditional values. The urbanization of cultures has caused an exchange to the point where they cannot be distinguished any longer. ͚ŚĂŶŐŝŶŐďǇĞǆĐŚĂŶŐŝŶŐ͛ŝƐǁŚĞƌĞ multiculturalism changed into altermodernism. If (urban) dance is to be judged as art in the same ƚŚĞŽƌĞƚŝĐĂůƐƉĂĐĞĂƐŽƚŚĞƌĂƌƚĨŽƌŵƐ͕ƚŚĞŶũƵĚŐŝŶŐĂǁŽƌŬ͚ĂĐĐŽƌĚŝŶŐƚŽ͛ǁŝůůĂƵƚŽŵĂƚŝĐĂůůǇĞǆĐůƵĚĞŝƚ from the same artistic space. The dance will then have to move beyond the simple coexistence of dance styles whose autonomy has to be preserved. Original dance styles like popping, locking etc need to be learned in their pure form just as any other dance technique is learned, but to perform and present it in an artistic setting, one needs to move beyond its pure form to be able to express

17 oneself and become a personalized movement language. This, in my opinion is the freedom, if not the task, of an artist.

ůƵďŽŶ͛ƚŚŝƚDĂŵĂ demonstrates how close one can stay true to the original form, but when a theme needs to be expressed, the choreographer will play with the original form and alter it, creating a new personalized movement language.

Urban dance movement language has proved itself to be communicative from its earliest source and, would be suitable to communicate with a larger audience. One does not need to study dance in order for it to speak to you, because the movement language was born in our collective urban streets. We all share that space together. dŚĞŶĞǁĂƚŵŽƐƉŚĞƌĞŝŶƚŚĞǁŽƌůĚŽĨƚŚĞĂƌƚƐƚŚĂƚŽƵƌƌŝĂƵĚĐĂůůƐ͚ĂůƚĞƌŵŽĚĞƌŶ͕͛ĂŶĚǁŚĂƚďďŝŶŐ ĐĂůůƐ͚ŶĞǁĂƌƚ͕͛ŝƐǁŚĂƚŐĂǀĞƚŚĞƐƉĂĐĞƚŽƵƌďĂŶĂƌƚŝŶƚŚĞĂƌƚǁŽƌůĚ͘,ŝƉ-hop dance practitioners still have a long way to go in mutual understanding but with the positive vibe that drives it from the beginning, the potential is huge.

John Wooter - The dance body is curious John Wooter works for the SKVR in Rotterdam (provides courses in culture and the arts to the wider public and schools) as a project employee and teaches jazz fusion at the Fontys Dance Academy in Tilburg.

If we can create that new dance body, we will also change dance to some degree. The dance body is tŚĞĚĞĐŝƐŝǀĞĨĂĐƚŽƌŝŶƚŚŝƐ͘/͛ĚůŝŬĞƚŽƐĂǇĂĨĞǁǁŽƌĚƐĂbout this subject.

Urban dance results from a mindset that is a world away from the mentality seen in academy- trained dance. As an urban dancer, you need to prove yourself on the street. You must be competitive to enhance your street cred. That requires spending hours in front of a mirror, in a small gym or a cramped dance studio honing your skills until these become second nature. As if all that were not enough, you must come up with new moves every day to stay one step ahead of the competition.

The great thing about this type of dancer and his culture is that he can think outside the box and will try out anything dance-related he finds on his way to build up his repertoire. Each day, he is eager to treat his fans, crew and friends to fresh moves and corresponding outfits. His entrepreneurial spirit drives him on to ever greater heights.

If he is talented enough, the dancer can quickly reach the top in his own neighbourhood and, hopefully, far beyond. The walk-the- talk attitude in urban dance requires dancers to go through their paces and show their best moves to the audience. But even making mistakes does not result in loss of face in the urban scene. It is all about falling on your face, dusting yourself off and trying again.

The biggest difference between the urban dance scene and the world of classically trained contemporary dancers is that, and this is to their credit, most urban dancers need to be self- supporting. At best, they have a friend who speaks words of encourages and has a tip or two. But then it is up to them to make it all work. On the plus side, there are no endless mind-numbing required exercises to go through.

It will be the urban dancer his dance talents and mentality, which determine his success and staying power as a top-level dancer. No famous dance companies or dance makers con tribute to his development or give him a leg-up. This is all about his creativity, passion, discipline and ability to dance well. Only these qualities will earn him credibility and renown on the street.

The experience and mindset of dancers in the regular dance world are entirely different. Of course, classically trained modern dancers also go all out to improve their abilities and put in a fantastic performance, but it is not as if their whole credibility is at stake. They are not driven by the need to strengthen their street credibility in the eyes of friends and foes. None of the dancers with the EĞƚŚĞƌůĂŶĚƐ͛ůĞĂĚŝŶŐĚĂŶĐĞĐŽŵƉanies are engaged in an existential battle. How different things are for the crews.

That an urban dancer seeks recognition on the street is easy to understand. After all, urban dance is folk dance, which has been around forever. Whether the dance moves are magnificent or simple, pleasure takes centre stage. I t is dance for and by the people. Urban dance receives its full meaning

19 in fronƚŽĨƚŚĞĚĂŶĐĞƌ͛ƐĂƵĚŝĞŶĐĞĂŶĚĐƌĞǁ͘EŽƉƵďůŝĐ͕ŶŽĚĂŶĐĞ͘dŚŝƐƐƚƌŽŶŐƵƌŐĞƚŽŵŝǆŝƚƵƉǁŝƚŚ the audience and go that extra mile for them is par t and parcel of urban dance.

Contrary to the academically trained dancer, the hip-hop/urban dance body spontaneously develops itself by improvising or absorbing what it sees on video clips, in dance hall or dance competitions. Urban dance has no conventions of the type taught at the academies. I t is dance liberated from pretentiousness and stifling quality requirements. The dynamism thus generated is tremendous. That goes for all these dance styles, which are alternated, mixed together or fused: old-school and new-school vogue, break-dance, street dance, pop & lock, electric boogie, house dance and krumping. Moreover, these dancers are open to adopting elements from academically trained contemporary dance. Anything to strengthen their street cred!.

Top-level breakers and hip-hoppers put in as many training hours as professional ballet dancers. Both types of bodies are trained to the highest level and are extremely focused on their profession. If you want to be up there with the best, you need to look after your body and be fully commit ted to dance. The street school of hard knocks is as tough and demanding as the academy. The required level of discipline is very high in both set tings. The biggest difference between the various dance styles lies in the repertoire and its performance. Classically trained contemporary dance focuses much more on the artistic process than theatre dance does. And break-dance and the most recent street dance shows go all out to create a brief, but explosive performance.

Breakers and hip-hoppers do no t naturally look to ballet for inspiration. The switch from the street to theatre (Scapino Rotterdam) made by Besim Hoti failed to make much of an impression on the crews. Not so in the dance world, this did sit up and take notice. The street thinking is: Strut your stuff on the streets, where it belongs!

But both classically trained con temporary dancers and urban dancers can see the exciting signs on t he wall. The divisions of old are slowly disappearing. The big flirt between the different dance culture and codes has begun. Indeed, contemporary dance makers are increasingly drawing from not only break-dance and suchlike, but also free running, capoeira and martial arts. These disciplines are now enriching the Dutch dance world, both in the theatres and on the streets. The new dance body must come up with an effective response to these developments. Pushing the envelope on an ongoing basis is of pivotal importance to the development of dance art. The body is and will always remain the platform for dance. No body, no movement. No dancer, no dance.

ŶĚďǇďŽĚǇ͕/ŵĞĂŶŶŽƚŽŶůǇƚŚĞƉŚǇƐŝĐĂůďŽĚǇĂŶĚŝƚƐƉŚǇƐŝĐĂůƐŬŝůůƐ͕ďƵƚĂůƐŽƚŚĞĚĂŶĐĞƌ͛Ɛ attitude and mentality. So when we talk about the new body, we refer to both the physical aspects and the mental ones. The mentality that drives dancers to be curious about the world around, puts t hem directly in a practical learning situation. But also the mentality that gets the dancers to connect with his audience and to find out what appeals to the spectators.

My personal research shows that the new dance body is in full development and that dance makers, dance academies and the street dance scene all very much applaud and support t his trend. Cases in point are dance makers such as Lloyd Marengo, Monique Duurvoort, Erik Kaiel, André Gingras and Nanine Linning and dance companies like Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, which are all very keen to make full use of the opportunities offered by the new dance body. The fact that the two dance scenes are

20 now showing respect for each other and have begun to influence each other is a tremendous bonus for the whole dance sector and the arts in the Netherlands.

Despite this recently begun rapprochement, a huge effort will be required to really bring the two worlds together. The street is black and filled with male machismo. By contrast, the established dance sector is predominantly white and very feminine in character. Moreover, street dance partly came about as a reaction against the dominant , white culture. As so often within black culture, the response is to do the very opposite of what t he establishment does in a greatly exaggerated form. For example, have you noticed that a breaker moves very close to the ground, while ballerinas seem to be almost floating? The head spin and the pirouette are another example of two opposites. Then there are the baggy trousers versus ballet tights. You get the picture.

But let me be optimistic for a moment and ignore the still yawning gap between the two scenes. Within 5 years, we will talk about an intuitive and animal dance body that, biologically, will be without parallel. Its versatility, social engagement and sensitivity to its environment and various cultures in society will be very strong. The dancer will be an independent entrepreneur, with his own VAT number. He will have both commercial and artistic aspirations. The dancer will need to fully realize that he lives in a world with great differences. In an ever-tougher environment, the dancer must work very hard to increase his market value.

That includes training in free space but also networking and working together with other dancers and representatives from the dance world.

I foresee a situation in which dancers will break with traditions, codes and existing dance structures will enter the labour market. Because of its eagerness for renewal, the new dance bodies will continually wrong-foot us and offer us forms of dance we cannot really envisage because they do no t ye t exist. Which dance lexicon will be used by used in a decade? A lo t of it will be gravity- defying stunts as can now only be seen in films such as the Matrix. It will be a dance body splashed on huge billboards.

At present, the street is a breeding ground for dance talent. Let us embrace this launching pad and give it our full backing. It may be appropriate to provide funding to the street pioneers since they are making a strong contribution to the dance and its development. We also need to build bridges between the street and official dance training to encourage dialogue and the development of both. As a dance teacher, I know full well that I need these street pioneers to be much more productive. dŽĚĂǇ͛ƐĚĂŶĐĞƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐĂůƐŽĞǆƉĞĐƚƚŚĞĂĐĂĚĞŵŝĞƐƚŽƉƌŽǀŝĚĞǁĞůů-rounded training enabling them remain competitive and interesting for choreographers in the official dance world, but also far beyond. On top of that, dance training ought to stimulate young dancers to get out of their comfort zones and go beyond their self-imposed limitations. I t is also crucial that dancers no longer regard what they learn in classical dance training as the be-all and end-all of professional dance.

The new dance body is one that, with much ado, find its way in a playful and unpredictable dance landscape. The new dance body will ignore and challenge the existing dance hierarchy.

Dear members of the audience, if we can change the dance body, then we can change dance. That is the route I will be taking and that is the dance body I am looking for.

I thank you for your attention.

Addtional content

Pablo Cabenda on Blaze Published as part of the Urban dance meeting of the Nederlandse Dansdagen Maastricht ʹ October 2, 2010. ƐĂĨƌĞĞůĂŶĐĞũŽƵƌŶĂůŝƐƚĂŶĚĐŽŵŵĞŶƚĂƚŽƌ͕WĂďůŽĂďĞŶĚĂǁŽƌŬƐĨŽƌ͞ĚĞsŽůŬƐŬƌĂŶƚ͟ newspaper, focusing primarily on pop music. In addition, he writes about culture and society for various print media and government organizations.

In March of this year, the street dance show Blaze premièred at the Amsterdam Carré theater. It was a spectacular event brimming with music, break-dance, electric boogie and vogue. This was followed by a tour of the Netherlands, which included prestigious theatres ʹ temples of refinement that are an unlikely environment for something literally picked up from the street. By doing so, Blaze had stoked the fire of a highly topical debate: Is it appropriate to stage street dance in a posh theatre?

For one party in the dispute, it must have felt as if t he Parthenon temple had been turned into a pitch for a game of street football. By contrast, the other side in the argument will have welcomed ůĂǌĞ͛ƐĂƌƌŝǀĂůŝŶ theatres as a sign that the well-defended city gates had at long lost been broken open. We saw both dismay and delight over this foray of street dance in to the world of theatre. The same contrast in opinion could be found in the newspapers. The reviewer from the Volkskrant newspaper called it a 4-star performance. But the NRC newspaper was less fulsome in its praise, ĚĞƐĐƌŝďŝŶŐůĂǌĞĂƐ͞ĂŚŝŐŚůǇĚǇŶĂŵŝĐǇĞƚĂůƐŽŽŶĞ-ĚŝŵĞŶƐŝŽŶĂůƐŚŽǁ͘͟

What to make of this? Was the problem that Blaze failed to comply with the sacred check-off list used in the arts: 1) craftsmanship, 2) expressiveness and 3) authenticity. Or are there other factors preventing dance critics and us from recognizing all those forms of urban dance in Blaze as bona fide art.

Le t me give you my two cents: To a large ex ten t, this ambivalence toward Blaze and other urban- dance production flows from the fact that they emphatically operate outside the boundaries of tradition. After all, tradition ʹ perhaps even more so than art itself ʹ has been declared sacred in the arts. And it is tradition ʹ Western tradition, that is ʹ which dictates that art is taught at music conservatories, dance academies, schools of the performing arts and art academies. It is tradition that assumes as a matter of course that all art graduates ʹ as if by a miracle ʹ will transform in to artists and that anything created by them therefore will be real art! Clearly, arts does no t exist, unless it has been given birth by an academy ʹ with tradition serving as a midwife.

In saying so, I do not want t o disparage in any shape of form all the magnificent achievements made after years of hard study at the official academies. However, before we discuss the quality of the new performing arts, it would not go amiss to take a hard look at the consolidated position of traditional Western art. A status that dictates that institutionalizing is both a necessity and a guarantee for real art.

I would not have a huge problem with that situation, if it were not for the downside of that attitude, namely that the unspoken and the crept-in belief that what comes from the streets cannot be ƉŽƐƐŝďůǇĐĂůůĞĚĂƌƚ͘/ƚŝƐĂůŵŽƐƚďĞǇŽŶĚƚŚĞĂƌƚĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚŵĞŶƚ͛ƐĐŽŵƉƌĞŚĞŶƐŝŽŶƚŚĂƚĂŶǇĂƌƚĐŽƵůĚ come from a primordial soup with ingredients such as ethnic tradition, youth rituals, a physical

22 culture and t he latest street slang without a stamp of approval given by an admission committee or examination board.

But like it or not, art is produced by the streets. Indeed, this has been so for more than 60 years. We call it pop music. Over that period, pop music has emancipated itself. I t has also been elevated from folk culture to folk art. Pop music does not take itself too seriously and does no t feel a compelling need to describe everything made within its confines, as art. I t receives both critical acclaim from reviewers (who have grown up with t his phenomenon) and recognition from a mainstream audience averse to both lowbrow and highbrow offerings.

But before we dared to call it art, the powers that be denigrated it as awful amorphous horrible noise devoid of careful thought, cerebral intentions, as well as melodic and harmonic complexity. Well, these just happen to be t he criteria used to measure the quality of the traditional music, classical music. So was pop music devoid of artistic value? Of course not. I t was just that, understandably, pop music was being judged by classical- music standards. After all, how could a music critic raised in the tradition of Mozart and Beethoven do justice to the one-chord excitement ĐƌĞĂƚĞĚďǇ:ĂŵĞƐƌŽǁŶ͛Ɛ^ĞǆDĂĐŚŝŶĞ͍

And now we have reached another juncture, at which new art forms have presented themselves, namely in theatre and dance. And history repeats itself! As was the case with pop music, the cultural newcomers have sprung up outside of the walls of the official art temple and use an idiom that is completely alien to dance experts steeped in tradition. Indeed, is it even possible for a dance reviewer very familiar with Petipa and Kylián to pass judgment on a piece featuring head spins?

Well perhaps not. Perhaps, this new art form requires a new type of critic. One who does no t brush aside everything that does not build on tradition. A critic who does no t reject new dance forms as banal and unbalanced. A critic who ʹ as has happened in pop music ʹ has developed his own criteria and idiom.

Still not convinced? Let me try another tack. In his collection of essays en titled The Barbarians, the Italian writer-philosopher Alessandro Baricco described a phenomenon that affects all layers of culture and seems to sacrifice refinement for spectacle. Not only haute culture, but also winemaking has fallen prey to t his. External factors transform a cultural phenomenon. A levelling down of culture that also opens it up to a wider audience. Put differently, thanks to the proliferation of vineyards, wine is no longer the exclusive domain of the elite, but is now available to the general public shopping in supermarkets.

The steep mountain reserved for the happy few has become a rolling landscape accessible to all comers.

As for urban dance, you could argue that the huge popularity of hip-hop culture, plus the influx of immigrants have been the external factors t hat have focused public attention on what was new to the public at large: dance as an art form. What has provided guidance to young people have been the video-clip culture and the Internet, instead of choreographers and dance makers.

ƵƚƚŚŝƐŝƐŽŶůǇƚŚĞĂƉƉůŝĐĂƚŝŽŶŽĨĂƌŝĐĐŽ͛Ɛ theory in a specific case. That still does not undo the demise of refined, multi-layered art, often seen as real art, now does it? We are still troubled by the

23 supposed one-dimensionality mentioned by the NRC newspaper. Not so fast. Baricco only mentions what is most noticeable for those on the receiving end, the establishment.

But there is more to t his. The traditional artists who dig so deep in their quest for the essence of art are being replaced by young artists who are skimming the surface of the art form. These Young Turks forage for all things edible and feed them to t heir small bastard child, even if these have no relationship to the history of their art form. This horizontal movement made by young artists is quite often overlooked by critics. As cultural deep-sea divers, they are unaware of the hyperlinks floating on the surface of the sea. The old- school reviewer notices the omission of carefully built-up suspense, but fails to pick up allusions to for instance kung fu films.

Moreover, the view that, by definition, true art consists of multiple layers through which you must dig your way to reach the essence, is a tradition ʹ an opinion prevalent in a particular era. It is a viewpoint originating in 19th-century Romanticism, but has become so intertwined with our current notions of art that we regard it as eternally and universally applicable.

So yes, maybe Blaze and other urban dance productions all have the dramaturgy of music videos: fast-paced, often one-directional; short-lived in many ways and perhaps even superficial. But they are definitely not cobbled-together commercial monstrosities without artistic merit.

Finally, now that we are talking about the quintessence of art, there is one strong and important similarity between traditional and this type of modern, hybrid sample art. It originates in and evolves because of the need for an artist to express himself. New needs. Perhaps we ought to take those needs more seriously and judge it from a different, more contemporary perspective.

Participants

Organisation Dirk Dumon Tilburg Dansstad Bregje Delrue Tilburg Dansstad

Niels van der Steen Fontys Dansacademy Nishant Bhola Fontys Dansacademy Joshua Trebi Fontys Dansacademy Johnny Lloyd Fontys Dansacademy John Wooter Fontys Dansacademy

Evelien Wouters Kunstbalie Warner Werkhoven Kunstbalie

Choreographers ŝƐůŝŶŐϬ͛ŽŝŶĞĞŶ Itamar Serussi Pia Meuthen André Grekhov Jesus De Vega Rita Vilhena Arno Schuitemaker Joost Vrouenraets Sam de Waele Billy Sadia Onyango Katja Graessli Sarah Bostoen Brenda Adoyo Kim Leeuw Shawn Matebesi Mothupi Chavi Bansal Lucie Petrusova Sofia Fedorova Edwin Odhiambo Ooro Milla Virtanen Thabo Kobeli Esta Matkovic Nana van Moergestel Timen Jan Veenstra Goran Bogdanovski Neel Brans Ineke Wolters Nishant Bhola

Guests name organisation 1 Christel Vandevelde Danspunt België 2 Dirk D'Hoe Danspunt België 3 Roxanne Brys Danspunt België 4 Anick Van Dam Danspunt België 5 Janny Donker Losstheater 6 Rozemarijn Schouwenaar Kunstfactor 7 Dick Swanborn Codarts 8 Ben Bergmans Codarts 9 Mia Kokhuis Codarts 10 Marja Kemps Kunstbalie 11 Maudie der Kinderen 12 Bernadet Schouten Kumulus 13 Irene Poell Crosstown Limburg 14 Yvonne den Dekker Mik / Muzerije 15