The Gimp Project

"GIMP is without doubt a gleaming milestone in the progress of contemporary dance and
theater, proving that the term "disabled dancer" is an oxymoron."  Dance Magazine

So, in my last post, I said I would have more information about Heidi's work The Gimp Project and here it is!

As I had said before, Gimp was the first work I had ever seen from Heidi Latsky. The piece came to Milwaukee this past year and it was truly a privilege to get to see it. Now, the title may be raising some questions in your mind which brings me to the entire premise of the piece...

When you think of a dancer, you don't normally think of someone without an arm or leg or someone with cerebral palsy who cannot walk upright, but Heidi does. In this piece, there are four trained, able-bodied dancers as well as four people with physical disabilities together on stage. Though it seems slightly backwards for a dance show, the combination of the different bodies is an engaging and moving thing. Eventually, while watching this piece, you forget the disabilities of the four dancers and simply notice the beauty of bodies moving in space. Though I don't think it is Heidi's goal to make the audience forget the disability, I think it is her goal to make you see the beauty in every body type and in her own words "[that] all bodies are recognized as viable, fascinating and expressive instruments."

 At the performance in Milwaukee, the piece featured to two aerialists, one without legs; a young girl without a whole arm; a man with cerebral palsy and a woman with a paralyzed foot. Though the cast of disabled dancers does change from performance to performance, the meaning behind the piece never does. In hearing Heidi talk about the piece, she mentioned how open the dancers with the disabilities were. They had no trouble laying it all out on the line for an audience because it was basically what they did every day.

After the show, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions of Heidi and her dancers. Heidi talked about the process of making the piece and why she chose to do such a delicate topic. She spoke a lot about the idea of judgment and how, even without a disability, people still face judgment everyday. How do you get past that judgment? How do you get past judging yourself for whatever reason? These are striking questions and most definitely worth asking yourself.

The Gimp Project is an amazing work and something everyone should try to see! Even if you're not a huge dance lover or feel like you know nothing about it, it is still worth checking out. I can assure you that you will find something worthwhile.

An Intro to Heidi Latsky

 

 "Heidi Latsky is a potent substance in a small, sleek package...she all but sets fires wherever she treads....this woman is so powerful you can't doubt she'll win whatever battle she's fighting."
-- Deborah Jowitt,
The Village Voice

Recently, I have become slightly obsessed with the dancer and choreographer Heidi Latsky. 

Who??

I know, modern dancers aren't exactly today's major celebrities. However, in the world of dance, Heidi truly is one. 

Heidi Latsky is known best for her time with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. She was a principal dancer for the company from 1987 to 1993, amazing audiences and earning critical praise for years. She formed her own company in 2001, Heidi Latsky Dance, and has toured extensively around the United States and the world. 

But let's get to the real reason I am slightly obsessed...

I was introduced to Heidi this past year when she came to my university to teach as a guest artist. I hadn't heard of her before, but I instantly fell in love. Her class was challenging, engaging and fun throughout. But what really sold me was simply the way she moved.

She is a petite woman, no any taller than 5 feet, 2 inches, but when Heidi moves, she looks 6 feet tall. She has a certain fluidity and strength that is unlike anyone I have ever seen. I've also had the privilege of seeing her perform in a work that she choreographed called The Gimp Project (more on that piece later). In the class she taught, we actually got to learn material from that piece. It was amazing to later see her do the same movement...to see it the way it was supposed to be done. 

Soon, I will be able to audition for Heidi in a piece she is reconstructing at my school. The piece is called The Gift/No God Logic and I recently had the chance to watch a video of it in which Heidi is dancing. It's a beautiful piece, choreographed by Arnie Zane when he was dying of AIDS. With a small cast of only 4 people - 3 boys and 1 girl - it is considered to be Zane's masterpiece. Heidi was in the original cast and earned much critical praise for her performance. 

The work deals with the ideas of fate and destiny. Often, we ask ourselves questions like "why do bad things have to happen to good people?" or even questions of whether it was our fate for things to happen the way they did. I believe Zane had a lot of those same questions himself when choreographing the work but still wanted a hopeful message to come out of it; a message about community.

Heidi's performance in the piece was captivating. Though the piece is simple, it took a true artist to convey the message, something Heidi did perfectly. After seeing The Gift/No God Logic, it made me even more excited to have the chance to work with her again and made me truly realize how virtuosic she is a both a dancer and choreographer. 

 

Now, I know this small introduction may not make you quite as obsessed with Ms. Latsky as I am, but I hope it gives you at least a small idea of how influential and inspiring she is. Heidi is most definitely an artist worth getting to know.