A Chat With Martha Clarke

Note: This was an earlier interview that we are posting again.

Some of you may remember meeting an enthusiastic, high school, volunteer named Kelly Long at the Monkeyhouse fundraiser at the Cantata several years ago. Since then she has gone on to major in dance at Hofstra University. When we heard that Martha Clarke, one of the founding members of Pilobolus, would be a guest artist at Hofstra this year and that Kelly had been selected to dance for her, we begged Kelly to interview Martha for us. There is something really exciting about having a former student work with one of your idols.

KL: How and/or why did you start choreographing?

MC: Not to make money, that's for sure. I had to. I was at Juilliard, and before that, I studied with a very famous choreographer teacher named Louis Horst, who was Martha Graham's musical mentor. I started choreographing when I was 15 as a student at the American Dance Festival, and he liked me. Even though he was mean, he encouraged me. But I did not know I wanted to be a choreographer. I KNEW I wanted to be a performer.

KL: How do you record your choreography?

MC: I use videotape, in portions of rehearsals that I find interesting, or I will film 10 or 15 seconds of something so I can remember it so when I'm working I can put it in snip-its. I only record work that I like.

KL: In general, do you show your work to people while you are developing it?

MC: No.

KL: Why?

MC: Until I know what I want, I don't want input from others. From within the company, of course - of course I take input. I don't want outside opinions because if I don't know where I'm going, why should I expect them to?

KL: What do you remember about the first public performance of your work?

MC: For my graduation from Juilliard, I made a solo to Dylan Thomas, reading from a poem he wrote called "A Winter's Tale" oddly enough. And I took a white china silk dress from the costume shop with a beautiful full skirt, and I remember spinning... and I actually remember some of the movement, and I did it at Dance Theater Workshop. It was my first work of my own done outside of school. And at the time I thought it was good enough to go on a program. I don't know what I'd think today. But it probably had the seeds... working with text, language, costuming... the seeds of the elements of theater that I still have. Even the style of movement. Other than that, it was inconsequential.

KL: Who are some of your favorite choreographers?

MC: Anthony Tudor.

KL: Anyone else?

MC: Federico Fellini. Igmar Bergman

KL: How do you spell his last name Fell-?

MC: Oh! You don't know Federico Fellini?

KL: No.

MC: Put that for my favorite director. The Great Italian film director from the 50s and 60s. Federico Fellini. Go watch 8 ½..

KL: Okay I'll see if I can find it on-line for Thursday.
KL: What was the first thing you ever choreographed?

MC: The first thing I remember with affection was this study in composition class from Louis Horst, but I performed it at 1 o' clock concert at Julliard. You know, we had these student productions. It was kind of earthy, primitive. I looked like a crouching vulture.

KL: What was the transition like from being a performer to being a choreographer?

MC: I was in Anna Sokolow's company. Um, I started really being a choreographer when I joined Pilobolus as a founding member. And... so I was performing my own work. So that anything that was on stage was something I made up, so it was rather seamless actually, the transition. One feels more vulnerable doing one's own work, because if people don't like it they can say "Oh I thought you were wonderful, but I didn't like the piece," you know? It's one in the same.

KL: Have you seen any significant shifts in your work or the creation of your work?

MC: It's gone from... well, a recent transition is from super-refined and elegant, to kind of... to... much rougher, more visceral style. More spontaneity.

KL: What do you think caused that shift?

MC: It's just natural evolution. You can't keep repeating yourself. And I try with each piece to do a new vocabulary, but it always looks like my work, for better or for worse. Or Pie's work, when it's really good. (Referencing her most adorable puppy dog Pie, chewing his biscuit on the floor.)

KL: When is your birthday?

MC: June 3rd...1802.

The Tale of the Intern: Wikipedia Advice from Gaby

The tale of the intern:

Lucky as I am, I got to be the lab rat for this project. Going into it not knowing much about Wikipedia and practically anything about webpage notation, I did not know where to begin.

Searching through all of the help pages on Wikipedia proved extremely overwhelming. There were many pages with lots of information and I wanted just one that laid everything out for me. I came across one helpful page, "Starting an Article," that became my guideline for this project. This page not only provided me with steps to get used to Wikipedia, but also the steps to follow once I started an article.

Another wonderful page I found was Sandbox. On the Sandbox page, I was able to edit pages and play around with web notation without anything actually being published.

Once I felt slightly more comfortable with Wikipedia, it was time to begin actually creating an article. In order to do so, I needed to create an account (username and password) for Wikipedia. Now, this can sometimes be difficult for people because people feel tied down or feel like they are making more of a commitment than they are. However, creating an account is completely free and does not mean much.

Then, it was time to choose a choreographer. I knew that Dance Magazine has a growing list of female choreographers. I closed my eyes, scrolled down the page, and chose a random name. It was Jody Sperling. This worked out perfectly because Jody did not have a Wikipedia page and I was able to find a lot of information about her on the web. She was the perfect person to create an article about.

Then I began researching. I thought I was on summer vacation and was done with researching, but I guess I was wrong. It was okay, though, because her company, Time Lapse Dance, which creates illusions with light and costumes, proved very interesting to read about. Then Karen told me that she knew Jody and gave me her email address. I emailed her asking her for any information that I could not find and any extra information she wanted included on her page. She responded in a very positive, friendly, and helpful way and we have now emailed back-and-forth a few times. I realized that this is definitely an unexpected bonus to the Wikipedia project. Contacting the choreographer is great. If you let us know who you are researching, we may be able to notify the choreographer for you and see if she would be willing to talk directly to you. Again, it helps with the research process but this is now a very wonderful way to connect to choreographers and get people talking to each other.

I am still in the process of actually creating the page and I will defnitely update you all on how the rest of the project goes, and when the article is up for your viewing.

Getting used to Wikipedia might take a little while, but once you get it down, the process of creating articles will become quick and easy. Why not start now? Please help us with our campaign for you, Monkeyhouse, and the dance world!

Wicked Awesme Wikipedia Choreographers' Campaign

What is this campaign?

There is definitely a dearth of information about choreographers on the web.

When one searches the word "choreographer" in Wikipedia, it is appalling to find a measly list of 132 names. Many of the entries, including George Ballanchine's and Ulysses Dove's were flagged because they lacked supporting references.

Comparing this to the highly organized list of composers is even more troubling.

All of us at Monkeyhouse (including you) can rectify this problem. That's why we are launching the Wicked Awesome Wikipedia Choreographers' Campaign!

People always giggle when we say "Without you we'd be Monkeyhose," but it is true. You make this organization so vivacious and engaging. We know how brilliant you are and we would like to ask you to share your minds with the rest of the world.

Don't worry, you can change history without ever leaving the air conditioned comfort of your cozy couch. If you can type and click your mouse, then you've got what it takes to help Monkeyhouse.

Let's start creating Wikipedia pages for more worthy choreographers and improve the ones that already exist. Just think if we could add 10 pages a month, we could double the amount of information on Wikipedia about choreographers by August 2009!

Getting used to Wikipedia might take a little while, but once you get it down, the process of creating articles will become quick and easy. Why not start now? Please help us with our campaign for you, Monkeyhouse, and the dance world!

Meet our new intern!

Monkeyhouse is delighted to have our first ever summer intern, Gaby Mervis! Be on the lookout for this talented young dancer if you swing by the Monkeyhouse office for any reason. To help you get to know her better, Artistic Director, Karen Krolak, interviewed Gaby on her first day in the office.

KK: Gaby, why don’t you tell us why you wanted to intern for Monkeyhouse this summer?

GM: As a previous student of yours at Impulse Dance Center, daughter of former board president, and consistent audience member, Monkeyhouse has presented itself throughout my life from many different angles. Being a constant supporter of Monkeyhouse, I have always volunteered to assist the company in any way from publicizing to fundraising to even theater ushering. After discussing with Karen the possibility of interning for the company, I realized how connected I felt to it, both with its members personally, and to its intriguing choreography. I admire the company’s many community outreach projects and after about two seconds of thought, I recognized much I wanted to continue to help. I also feel very privileged that I have been selected to intern with the company. I currently attend Goucher College in Baltimore and am studying both business and dance. Being around a dance company for the summer seemed like a clear fit for those two educational endeavors. I hope to learn a lot about non-profit organizations in general, as well as how a dance company, specifically, works, including all of its components like performance spaces and costuming.

KK: How long have you been studying dance?

GM: Dance has always been my passion. It is what gets me through a difficult day, and it is what energizes a wonderful day. As a young child galloping through my hallway fashioning a skirt that I envisioned was a stiff pink tutu, my parents knew that they had to put me into dance classes. From the moment I walked into the studio on my first day at age three, I knew that that was where I belonged. Ever since, I have studied a large variety of dance styles with many different teachers. Probably most naturally talented in the freer movements of modern, I love the structure and discipline of ballet. I have yet to decide where my dancing will take me, however, I know that it is makes me incredibly happy so it is what I continue to study.

KK: Who are some of your favorite choreographers?

GM: I tend to go through phases and fall in love with a choreographer for a short period of time and I do not really know who my all-time favorite is. However, the Alonzo King Lines Ballet Company performed at my school this March and I was in shock. The use of the stage space and the formations that he used were truly intricate. They performed one piece where every dancer represented a bird. What was so amazing was that not only could you tell that they were birds, but you could tell which type of bird they were, simply based on the way that they moved. I also love watching pieces from the founding women of modern dance, especially Martha Graham. I love to think about how modern dance choreography has evolved and what I still see being used today. I enjoy the stiffness and tension of early modern dance because when watching the classical pieces, I really feel the pain through the movement.

KK: Who do you want to create a Wikipedia page for?

GM: I love when I see a performance and I also attend a lecture or commentary either before or after the show. I feel that when I know the choreographer’s history, viewpoint on dance, and goal for the show, I feel a greater connection with the performance and my experience is significantly enhanced. Therefore, ideally, I would love to be able to make a Wikipedia page for someone’s choreography I am going to see in the near future because then, I will be able to use my knowledge to understand and enjoy the performance on a higher level.