Wendy Houstoun thinks a programmer-led contemporary dance scene is quashing choreographers’ creativity, but initiative, curiosity and collaboration might just be the answer.
A couple of weeks ago, when I was interviewing Wendy Houstoun, the conversation ended up, as so many discussions about dance currently do, on the topic of why so few female choreographers make it to the top of the profession.
Houstoun's take on the issue is slightly different from other women I've discussed this with. She's sympathetic to female choreographers (especially those with children) who say they feel marginalised by a culture that's ever more market-driven and time-pressured. But she's also wary of "a fist on the table approach" that focuses on women as victims. Houstoun argues that many artists – male and female, young and old – struggle in an art form she describes as increasingly "industrialised". She believes certain theatre programmers or dance producers have gained too much power, and use that power to pressure choreographers to create work within the same tried – and box office-trusted – formula. Those who don't conform are in danger of being sidelined... Keep reading on The Guardian
A couple of weeks ago, when I was interviewing Wendy Houstoun, the conversation ended up, as so many discussions about dance currently do, on the topic of why so few female choreographers make it to the top of the profession.
Houstoun's take on the issue is slightly different from other women I've discussed this with. She's sympathetic to female choreographers (especially those with children) who say they feel marginalised by a culture that's ever more market-driven and time-pressured. But she's also wary of "a fist on the table approach" that focuses on women as victims. Houstoun argues that many artists – male and female, young and old – struggle in an art form she describes as increasingly "industrialised". She believes certain theatre programmers or dance producers have gained too much power, and use that power to pressure choreographers to create work within the same tried – and box office-trusted – formula. Those who don't conform are in danger of being sidelined... Keep reading on The Guardian