Due to pesky Covid-19, I have been quiet for a little bit. In addition to transitioning to teaching online, I have had to rewrite and carry out adjustments within the methodology section of my PhD study. This meant my writing time was focussed on that. I like to write but there is only so much time I can sit at a desk. Anyway, today I want to share with you three podcasts that physical performers might benefit from listening.
London Real interview with Ido Portal
The reason why I recommend this podcast is that Ido’s work is grounded in movement, not dance. This movement / not dance shift in perspective pushes the listener to consider the raw essence of movement, as opposed to stylised dance that is usually explored in formations and other restrictive dance composition tasks. I have pondered my use of dance composition for a few years now and as I grow, I reject the rules of dance more and more, and instead find interest in raw improvisations to guide not only my patterns in the space, but also how I ‘perform’ the movement.
Tim Ferriss interview with Dita Von Teese
I originally became a fan of Tim Ferriss because his book “The Four Hour Workweek” had such an impact on my entrepreneurial pursuits with Pole Purpose. However, I now listen to his podcasts religiously because of the vast amount of world class performers he interviews. His podcast with Dita Von Teese stood out to me because she tells listeners about her pre performance rituals and the amount of commitment she has to adhere to in order to be recognised as an expert in provocative and teasing performance. The most interesting factor, however, is when she confirms the sex of her audiences are mainly female. This, of course, is a big fuck you to a traditional perception that assumes she strips for only men (which is not necessarily a bad thing – see previous blog post on Hustlers). Although I am measuring statistics from a much smaller audience, I can confirm the majority of my Pole Purpose followers and customers are women. Researchers need to look at statistics like this for their studies more often and shout about how amazing it is that women appreciate women.
Desert Island Discs with Wayne McGregor
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b088jj5y
McGregor is a phenomenal choreographer who encourages others to see the body as an advanced and technical form of communication. Throughout this podcast, clear articulation is given regarding the collaborative process in dance and how the choreographer’s role is not always to imprint themselves on to dancers. Instead, the dancer is required to give something of themselves. As part of the structure of the podcast, the guest is asked to pick music to share with the audience and I really enjoyed the eclectic taste of McGregor.
I hope you have enjoyed this short and sweet post. I will be back with more thoughts soon. One being that I posted a suggestive video online this other day, a clip from one of my online classes, and automatically it got more attention than the usual experimental style movement I post. I wonder why that might be. Why is this type of content more appealing and more likeable than experimental material?
Rowena x