An issue arising from another discussion in 'Modern Dance' Forum: http://forum.criticaldance.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=5&t=000170

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Marie,Member posted July 06, 2000

"On the edge with a masculine feel" http://www.vancouversun.com/newsite/entertainment/4398767.html
Michael Scott states in this preview that dance is "an art form that is dominated by female choreographers and performers."

I don't think female choreographers are dominating this field by any means. Also, I think dividing a dance festival up on the basis of gender is silly (and an easy way out for writing a preview).

Can anyone tell by watching a dance performance whether the choreographer is male or female? Does anyone care?

<font size = -2><center>(Edited by salzberg to fix link)</center></font>

<small>[ 08-11-2002, 15:48: Message edited by: salzberg ]</small>

i'm not going to presume to tell anyone what they 'should' care about!<P>(well, truth to tell, i certainly DO when it comes to animal welfare,and other moral issues, but outside of THAT territory i do TRY to let adults be adults...)<P>certainly we should care that the majority of choreographers are MEN, just like we should care that the majority of politicians are MEN! (this is the 'moral issue' bit!)<P>52% of the world is female - being represented in the political process of opinion-forming and decision-making, and in the artistic and cultural-expression of choreography, by a tiny minority, of women.<P>it stands to reason that our world might be better balanced if a more represenative sample of 'beings' were in positions of power, influence, and expression. (by 'beings', i include animals and trees! is THAT 'zany' enough for you, azlan? lol)<P>however, re gender, "how does one tell?" <P>well, how DOES one tell how one tells!....<P>...it's SO complex, rather like identifying (or misidentifying) someone's gender or age or appearance on the internet - there are a myriad of signals, some conscious, some unconscious, that we process and assess, according to our experience...<P>-no easy answer here. sorry! <p>[This message has been edited by grace (edited July 07, 2000).]

I don't know there's anything I can add right now about what I've SEEN, but this conversation you're having will certainly impact what I SEE next.<P>Maybe one thing - that I mostly see choreography in fairly individual terms. That what my friend He does and what my friend She does is representative, in some way, of their own experiences. Um - like Azlan said --<BR>"I think choreographers have distinct styles, influenced by many factors, including personal experiences; so, perhaps gender is a factor but only a minor one."<P>Also - when I'm reading, a lot of the time I'm wrong about whether the author is a man or woman.

Prisanh, one of the reasons i was able to make an immediate response on this topic is that, as a reviewer, very occasionally i see one or two danceworks in a program, without having read the cast list or the programme before the lights go down (for example, if i arrived late, or the queue was too long at the programme stand so i decided to pick it up in the interval....)<P>i love it when that happens - because i am seeing things without any preconceived ideas, ......only rarely - in fact only ONCE can i ever remember being surprised by whose work was whose - and in that case it was a matter of quality rather than gender (someone's choreography had got a LOT better over time!).<P><BR>