Toni Jodar-Modern Dance Speaks!
Toni Jodar- Dance Speaks!
I chat with Toni Jodar who has his UK Premiere at Sadlers in November, he explains the history of dance through the medium of dance itself using a combination of performance and video clips. Audiences will be shown the evolution of the art form from classical through to contemporary as Jodar explains the different genres and forms that the body uses to express itself in movement. He will also reveal the influence and legacy of each generation on the artists that have followed, from Isadora Duncan through to the likes of Pina Bausch.
BETH WOOD: The premise of Modern Dance Speaks! Is to provide the audience with an evolution of the art form from classical through to contemporary. Could you explain a little more about why and how you started the piece?
TONI JODAR: During my tours as a dancer, I realised that the audience, once they had left the theatre, remained outside commenting on the show. I loved listening to them and if I could, I would contribute to the dialogue.
I noticed that there was a lack of knowledge in the contemporary and modern dance audiences; people had a lot of questions. When I was telling them that every movement we were doing had a meaning, that it was not something isolated from the social and artistic context, everything started to make sense and the interest increased.
When the preoccupancy for the creation of new audiences increased, a contemporary art diffusion program asked me to prepare a workshop to work on that idea. It was then that I started to explain the dance in a historical context. That’s how I could find a good way to explain dance history and at the same time keep on being a senior dancer on stage.
BW: The show is both light-hearted and informative with the aim of making dance more accessible to all, what improvements do you think there are still to make in order for dance to reach wider audiences?
TJ: In Catalunya, as well as in the rest of Spain, there is still a lot of work to do in creating new works and programmes that reach new audiences. However, in the last fifteen years, we have made good progress and there have been some very interesting projects at Mercat de les Flors (Dance Theatre in Barcelon), which is an example to follow in how to approach the dance to the audience.
BW: You belong to a group of artists who developed Catalonia as a region famous for leading the way in contemporary dance during the 1980s, how did the group begin and how do you continue to support each other?
TJ: Indeed, between the 70’s and the 80’s, Catalunya developed a great creativity in contemporary dance and produced many diverse dancers & choreographers and plenty of projects and dancing companies.
The 80’s were a creativity explosion. Based on many different languages, very unlike to each others but at the same time, the works were full of Mediterranean energy and different textures. Nowadays, we are involved in a generation change, I am very conscious that it is necessary to transmit our knowledge and experience to the youth.
My mission is to transmit the dance history from my own experience.
BW: Which dance artists are on your radar right now?
TJ: Barcelona will be holding an exhibition about the movement arts highlighting the history of the dance in Catalunya (Centre d’Arts Santa Mònica 30 oct ’12 - 22 gen ’13). I am collaborating with the exhibition and will be performing a guided tour in which I will combine words and movement. At the moment I am more influenced by the arts which I have a closer link too. To name some of them: Gelabert Azzopardi, Mudances, Malpelo, Sol Picó, Nats Nus and also young artists such as Pere Faura, Roser López Espinosa and Marcos Borao. I should not leave out companies like DVD & Hofesh Shechter.
BW: Where and to whom do you turn to for inspiration?
TJ: I find inspiration from Albert Vidal (influenced by Jacques Lecoq and Darío Fo), Cesc Gelabert (pioneer of contemporary dance in Catalunya). I also find the strength and imagination of the veteran vanguardist musician Carles Santos and the rhymic sensuality of Alvin Ailey very inspiring.
Toni Jodar- Modern Dance
Sadler's Wells
7 Nov 2012 – 8 Nov 2012
Performance times
Wed & Thu at 7.15pm
Running time
1 hr 15 mins