Photo credit: Roz Newmark
Hometown: Ridgewood, NJ
Current city: Salt Lake City, UT
Age: 62
College and degree: BA in Architecture, University of
Minnesota
How you pay the bills: University professor
and dance department Chair
All of the dance hats you wear: Dancer, choreographer, teacher, mentor,
administrator
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I was a late beginner, taking my first dance class in
college at the University of Minnesota.
Dance was not intended as my career; I was studying psychology and
architecture. After a year or so
of dabbling in dance, I quit to study abroad and to focus more on
architecture. It was rather a fluke
that I came back to dance, though the interest and passion was there. A summer internship in architecture fell through so with
nothing else to do during that summer, I took a workshop with Nancy Hauser in
Minneapolis, where I was living at the time. During the next few years, I realized I was never going to
be a great architect and that dance was an inescapable path to follow and
explore. I continued with Nancy
Hauser who had a exceptional studio and school which strived to develop the
whole artist, dancer, choreographer, improviser and teacher. I danced and toured with the Nancy
Hauser Dance Company for several years before moving to New York City at about
age 30. In NYC I danced with
the Jamie Cunningham Dance Company, which is where I met my long term artistic
partner Terry Creach. Together we
formed Creach/Koester in about 1980, first as a duet company and later
expanding into a company of 4-8 men.
At that time, a company of men was fairly unique and not necessarily one
that audiences were fully willing to embrace; homophobia was still (and is)
about. With Creach/Koester I felt
we found a niche, with our focus on men dancing and partnering. I feel much of the partnering you see
in dance today came from these times and I am proud to say that Terry and I may
have had a role in all of this. Creach/Koester
also allowed me to work with some amazing choreographers. Terry and I often commissioned works
for the two of us, which gave us an opportunity to intimately work and create
with great choreographers such as Bill T. Jones and Bebe Miller. After about 15 years with
Creach/Koester, I felt I had come to the end of a road. I felt the work that we were generating
was a rehash of prior work and that our hearts and drive were not fully
committed to the company and the work.
I respected dance too much to be involved half-heartedly. So I quit dance for good. With my partner Bill Wagner, we
traveled the world for about a year and started a B&B in Montana. Needing cash, I took some guest artist
teaching gigs at universities, and through this realized that I wasn’t done
with dance. I took a faculty
position at the University of Utah where I still teach. But I came back to dance with a new
found spirit; the hiatus was actually a good thing. I was back in dance for myself, my own interests and with
less care about success or failure.
My relationship with dance has grown from puppy love (gee isn’t this
fun), to hard work to support a company and career, and now to a deeper and
hopefully more mature connection.
As I said, I don’t necessarily care as much about creating the “bad”
dance, of failing. Unless you are
flirting with failure, than perhaps you aren’t challenging yourself.
I imagine that you would say that the landscape in the US
for choreographers is very different than when you and Terry started your
company. What are some words of wisdom to
choreographers today about staying focused and passionate despite the costs of
putting up performances, scarce funds, and fewer touring possibilities?
You are right, times are very different, however we may all
start from a place of naivety as to how to survive and work. I feel too out of touch with the dance
field outside of academia now to really know what it is like for young
dancers. The field itself is so
diffuse that even defining dance now is near impossible. I’ve pretty much given up on trying to
produce my own shows; the costs are just too high and I am not willing to pay
for this out of my own pocket. I
think as a young dancer, one may focus too much on what one needs to do to make
it, to be successful. I would
encourage dancers to just do and make work, regardless of having a company or
venues. Without the work, there
cannot be success. Good work will
get noticed. If one is truly
driven to be a part of the field, he/she will find a way to make it happen. Somehow
I did. I see people all the time figuring
out how to get their work seen, but it will be in a different way then when I
was a young dancer.
What are ways that choreographers can be resourceful in 2013?
Fall back on all the skills that you have as a dancer –
motivation, determination, creativity, good communication skills, to name but a
few. There are assets that can get
you jobs outside of dance in order to support yourself in dance. Network. These connections can lead to things. Work at first indiscriminately. Be willing to do or try anything in
dance. One thing will lead to
another. The dancer I am today is
one that I would never have imagined in my youth. Careers in dance are surprises to unwarp.
As a choreographer, what do you look for in a dancer?
Certainly more than technical ability though I honor
this. I want someone who will
allow me to see my ideas in new ways.
I want a team-player, someone who is committed to process and willing to
give of themselves in rehearsal. Someone who will be an integral part in the
development of the movement. I
want someone who is interesting both in the way they move and also in the life
experiences they have had and their outlook on life. I want someone who isn’t afraid of dance and has fun. I look for abandon and risk in one’s
dancing. I look for someone who is
able to transcend in dance, who can fully live in the moment by losing
themselves in the moment.
Now in Salt Lake, do you still have opportunities to present
your artistic work (on and off campus)? In general, how would you describe the
dance community in SLC?
As Chair of a dance department, there isn’t much time to
choreograph. Primarily it is
on-campus with our department dance company, and when outside opportunities
come my way which I have not necessarily been the main motivator for. For a city its size, Salt Lake City has
a vibrant dance scene with well established and internationally known dance
companies and a growing independent dance scene.
On training and care of the body…..
I’ve never been great in caring for the body. Personally I don’t really warm-up or
cool-off, though I would not necessarily recommend this as a practice. Other than being active, e.g. biking,
hiking, etc,, I believe the daily act of dancing is enough and that dancing is
training. We learn how to dance by
dancing and in figuring out how to physically accomplish what we want to do.
Non-dance practices important to you include…..
Being in nature, cooking, movies, reading (fiction and
non-fiction) with the occasional book on art/dance. But again, reading about dance and art ideas/theories and
dancing and exploring ideas are two very different things.
Books, websites, blogs, shows that serve as inspiration
Life itself.
Without a life outside of dance, there isn’t much to bring to
dance. It’s like a marriage. Unless you have a sense of yourself and
a life for yourself, then there isn’t much to share in a relationship.
Financial wisdom you would like to pass on
No matter how hard up you are, start saving for
retirement. If you start young,
you will be surprised at how the funds can accumulate.
What are the key skills a “modern dancer” needs in 2013?
To be impassioned, articulate spokespersons and advocates for dance. The general public doesn’t understand art – its value, its attributes, its importance to a well-functioning society. Speak up for yourself and educate others. Other skills include patience and perseverance.
Life as a Modern Dancer 
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