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<small>[ 18 March 2003, 03:35 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

I think I'd ****************** [edited by the Moderators] to get away from this brand of maudlin performance art.

<small>[ 07 February 2003, 08:16 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

To each his own.

maudlin \MAWD-lin\, adjective: Tearfully or excessively sentimental.

This word was new to me and I had to look it up. Whats wrong with being sentimental? Golly.

"In the spirit of being, stop the sentimental crap."

The situation in Iraq has and will continue to generate a range of passionate opinions and thus much sensitivity for the views of others is needed when discussing articles like the one cited in this subject. Put simply, CriticalDance is not the place to debate the pros and cons of political or military action, despite the acknowledged importance of this issue for all of us. The Moderators have decided to edit this topic to bring it in back in line with this policy statement and we will take action quickly if we believe that the discussions move again into areas that are not appropriate for CriticalDance.

I am afraid to post into this thread... but here's something interesting:

I think the phrase "recycled '60s aura" (from the Chronicle article) says a lot about this. I hate to admit it, but in this case I agree with I-H.

<small>[ 11 March 2003, 11:12 PM: Message edited by: Liscarkat ]</small>

A UK Theatre and Film Director goes to the ballet and thinks about art and war

Forget the battle, I'm off to the ballet
In the run-up to war, art matters more than ever, argues Richard Eyre in The Guardian

.....Nevertheless I still stubbornly retain a prejudice against classical ballet, whose vocabulary is often so limited and inexpressive - neither sufficiently abstract nor sufficiently humane, remote from the contemporary world, engrossed in archaic conventions, danced by painfully angular women in organza tutus and wooden-toed point-shoes lifted effortfully by men who strut their stuff in padded cod pieces to music treated as a necessary but irksome accompaniment to the movement.....

Then came the adagio. A female soloist crossed the stage ghosted by a male one. He lifted her seamlessly and, as the two dancers merged with the grace and weightlessness of leaves in an autumn breeze, my eyes pricked with tears, moved by the virtuosity of the two dancers and their unaffected beauty.

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I have deleted a post by Scott and two responses. This topic is about the reaction of dancers and other artists to the probable War through dance and not a direct discussion of the issues etc. To clarify this I have changed the title to "Dance Art and War".

We are not denying that the probable War against Iraq is is a very important issue. I hazard a guess that virtually every poster here has a strongly held view on this issue and I know that several have taken action on one side or another of the debate. However, this is a dance board and we feel that there are ample opportunities to discuss this matter elsewhere.

I am reopening this topic and hope that we can stay on track with the theme.

<small>[ 18 March 2003, 03:47 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

Actually, I think it is interesting how politcally hot topics can then lead to a plethora of works about said topic. I wonder, if we as artists, are better off having a means of expressing extreme emotion - an outlet - or worse for it, because we search so much?

I've mentioned before that the most powerful dance work I've ever seen was about the US Army Corps of Engineers and their plans to pave the banks of a bayou in Houston.

As far as "Dance Art and War" goes, in addition to Kurt Jooss' The Green Table, Paul Taylor's Company B springs to mind.

Yes, I agree Salzberg. "The Green Table" surely must be a masterpiece of this genre. From the grim, ugly masked "war mongers" negotiating the future of the world around a green table (hence the title), the pathetic mother and sweetheart grieveing over the death of their loved one, the heroic, macho soldiers marching off to war, and most chillingly the ominous, terrifying figure of Death claiming his victims one at a time, all combine to create a universal, and yet timely comment on the pursuit of war.

As our nation, the United States, and its ally, Great Britain, go to war against Iraq, I will close this thread for at least 24 hours or until such time in which tensions are less acute.

<small>[ 20 March 2003, 01:55 AM: Message edited by: Azlan ]</small>

We've decided to reopen this topic, but we are asking people to note that this is a place to record the responses of artists from dance and closely related art forms to War. It is not the place for a discussion of the underlying political issues - they are important, but there are 100s of other forums available to discuss these matters.

<small>[ 02 April 2003, 02:56 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

Birju Maharajs dance says it all
Artistes on Monday joined thousands of countrymen to protest against the U.S.-led attack on Iraq. From Navakal.com (India)

In Varanasi, renowned classical dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj and his pupils performed classical Kathak dance to show solidarity with the Iraqi people. It emphasised world peace, attainable through soothing music and the language of love.

Maharaj said music could herald peace by reducing aggression. "I feel music still holds a lot of power, provided that people listen to music as much as they can and enjoy it. Because music can reduce aggression and revolt," he added.

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