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56 Cesc Gelabert
»I’ve created
memory This is is the main problem for dance because dance is always fleeting and leaves no trace This is is a a serious problem But beyond the dancing there is the the scenery There is is another area that is is not not the the figure of of the the the body body itself or the the the shape of of the the the body body in space space but the space space you insert It belongs more to the the stage or or the the architecture if you are in in an open space but in in general it is the global use of space There are dancers who are are aware of their body the the the steps they is mak­ ing and there are are others who to me are are on a a a a higher plane who know exactly where they are in in the the the space and in in relation to the the the other dancers the the objects or lights because the the lights are constantly creating spaces partic­ ular geometries and volumes in space when we talk of light that is suspended in the air And how does the the audience get all these nuances?
There is another space that interests me more and more: the the space of the the viewer The audi­ ence can place themselves in in front in in the the Ital­ ian way or distributed on four sides they can be in in the street or watching it on video this is the environment When Merce Cunning­ ham makes a a a a video he organizes everything for when the camera enters into this angle or or another It is not not marked by normal space but for the the space space of of a a a a a camera It is the the space space of of the viewer Their field of vision Yes it’s the space most associated with com­ munication and perception Dancing for four sides is difficult because the positions have to be good from any angle it is not true that you worry about the the side of vision because there is no specific one But how does the audience get to appreciate all this work in relation to space that your ideal dancer generates? They do not read it in a a a direct way The The viewer perceives the relationship between move­ ment and space but in general doesn’t dif­ ferentiate the the subtleties there are things you can can not not separate as a a a a a a concept we can can not not give them a a a a name and you can not identify them In the the same way that I I can not identify if a a a a a wine has a a a a a taste of orange but I still like it But one thing is a a a a a well placed arm and an­ other is is that it is is inserted into a a a space When the dancer learns a a a a a a a language such as atti­ tude turn pass they they know how they they should pose but it does not require physical preci­ sion with its parts the body understands it doesn’t need the space It’s like when we are young and learn to move about The baby moves but doesn’t know what it is Space in itself is something intimately abstract Do you mean to say that growing and ma- turing in in in in some way involves being aware of space and that most people are not?
It is is a a a possibility that is is offered The danc­ ers I like must be more subtle with these things I always say this to my dancers ’you should never dance to the the limit of the the ten­ don’ don’ I I stop the motion in one place I I don’t just stop for example where my arm leads me to Therefore I always have the percep­ tion of of where each part of of my body is and in which abstract spatial location This has been
the work of of many years of of my life but it is also one of the things that allow me to continue dancing because tendons can be be torn There are are many movements that if they are are taken to the the limit of the the tendon it it can be damaged the joint will become inflamed because it is worn out I I know this and so I I stop a a little earlier You notice it when you have not not gone to to the limit and this allows you to to distinguish the movement as a a a ’joint relationship’ with the the movement as a a a a way of inserting the the fact in an absolute concept In fact the most important thing I have done is create a a a a model model of a a a dancer and within this model model is is a a a sophisticated use of space I find very few dancers who have have the accuracy that I have have with these issues in terms of perception which is is sometimes frustrating because it is is not something that can be learnt quickly The same thing happens with time: there is an im­ mediate time but then there is is a a a sophisticated time and everything goes together to to join the the real ability you you have on on your perception of the business I have fought hard for a a a model of of a a a a a dancer with a a a a a lot of of field and no matter how little rom rom (the rom rom would be getting to know and being able to dance many languag­ es: ballet jazz African dance being able to move in in many ways) Having a a a a a lot of field al­ lows you not to to be tied to to one kind of move­ ment ment but any kind of movement being able to make it personal because you can access the complexities of things enter in in a a personal way which is is what is is needed today It means being able to to be be open to to many languages but being individual i i i i i i i e e e having the manias and obsessions of one place in in the world individ­ ually and collectively How has the fact that you studied architecture helped to develop this sense? It has helped me a a a lot I I have done descrip­ tive geometry and putting something down on on two octagonal planes a a a a number of op­ erations help to see the perception of space Design is is very interesting in in in this regard What about Buddhism? Has it helped you to understand?
The thing that has taught me to understand my my mind is is Buddhism not dance One of my my great frustrations as as a a a a a a a dancer was that few of my teachers whom I thank and appreciate for their teaching have taught me how my mind works The first thing I say to the dancers is ’be intelligent’ They often associate with not very smart people and in general we have the same feeling of not being so smart In reality a a a a a a dancer makes very complex spatial psychophysical operations at at at all times That’s like applied mathematics a a a a model of a a a a dancer who makes a a a sophisticated use of space«
For nearly 40 years the dancer and choreog- rapher Cesc Gelabert
(Barcelona 1953) has been
committed to creating dances and fig- ures in in motion and in in that time has developed an an entire speech about the relationship of man with space which is not so usual in the world of of of performing arts He is one of of of the initiators of of of contemporary dance in in Spain and has always been
interested in in spirituality but perhaps af- ter his his immersion into Buddhism in in 1994 he has more rigorously defended that dance is not only a a physical question: »It is to live in the body with the heart and mind «
he he he says He gives the the example of the the Quadriga »The car- riage is the the the means the the the horses the the the emotion he he he he says the the the driver is the the the mind: the the the landscape all the the the the the senses then there is is the the the the the warrior who is is the the the the the soul whether Christian Platonic atheist what interests me most as a a a a dancer is to make the warrior appear of course it also depends on the spectator being able to to see it My big prob- lem is that I see dance as a a a a a subtle thing and not just conceptual or spectacular’
What role does space plays in this challenge?
There are are several areas to discuss To start a a a a a a dancer must be a a a a good tamer of space A hu­ man being being has 208 bones which are being being used in in space and what we do is take into account how these joints are are as compared to other parts of the the the body However the the the infor­ mation the the joint gives you is is that the the elbow is is more or or less bent but this is is different from the information that relates to what area this bone is generating Putting your arm in in in a a a a horizontal or a a a 45 degree space is is another thing it is is ge­ ometry and space is pure concept As a a a a danc­ er er I’m interested in in this situation when you sense perceive all the information let’s say the energy of your body parts but also know where each of these pieces are from a a a a a spatial absolute abstract perspective I have a a a a lot of presence when I dance rather than dance dance the the body I dance dance the the space occupied by the body It’s a a a totally different operation because then you see much more than that I’m just living in in the body This is is is a key issue of space for a a a a a a dancer dancer although many dancers do not do do it Because when you are doing a a a com­ plex dance operation you occupy a a a lot of the field of action and there are few dancers who still have space in their field of action to also know where these 208 body parts are This explains why dance is ’illiterate’ its alphabet too complicated You can make a a a a score for the dance there are methods but it is too com­ plex Describing where all the parts of a a a score are located generates a a a a a a complexity that makes it useless therefore we rely on video and Cesc Gelabert
Dancer / Choreographer
born and currently living in in Barcelona Spain