BEings: Sitting with Dance Legend Jennifer Muller

Emily Bufferd | Jun 04, 2009 | 0

Bench - Dancer Pascal Rekoert

What is that saying about the proof being in the pudding?  The proof of Jennifer Mullers artistic and choreographic greatness is made clear by the fact that her company, The Works, will be presenting their 35th Anniversary Season at The Joyce this coming week.  She has created over 100 works, and has been presented in 44 countries.  Jennifer Muller/The Works is also dedicated to growth in the arts and her studio is home to the HATCH Presenting Series (at which BEings recently performed)

I was fortunate enough to visit Jennifer at her studio here in New York and see a preview of a few of the pieces being presented.  Luckily enough for myself, not only did I get the preview of the work, I arrived a bit early and got to hear the company going over rehearsal notes.

Lots more after the jump!

Tangle - Dancers Rosie Lani Fiedelman, Tracy Ray Kofford

BEings performing at Jennifer Muller's HATCH

The work is smart; I know this is a quality everyone hopes for their work to be, but there is something more to it than just that it is smart.  I knew exactly what the dancers were trying to say to me with each piece.  The intention is clear and relatable (both qualities that I love and aspire to have in my own work).  I loved all three pieces I saw on Monday, but my favorite was definitely Bench a Joyce 25th Anniversary Commission.  I think you all need to go see it so let me just give you that the elements of this piece are incredibly insightful and while watching it, I found myself constantly going back to my definition of SMART work.  The piece makes sense choreographically, and the dancers perform it beautifully; it is a must see.

The second piece I saw an excerpt of was Tangle, a duet set to the music of Joni Mitchell: really here, what is not to like?!  Lastly, I saw an excerpt from Walk it Off, a more upbeat piece which is always fun and shows the diversity of Jennifers work and the dancers versatility (again, things we all are striving for).

And while seeing all these pieces was great in its own right, the highlight of it was sitting there with Jennifer Muller and hearing her explanation of the pieces.  There is nothing quite like hearing an artists explanation of their work; their creative choices, their vision, what they hoped for a viewer to take away.  There is a reason her company has been in existence to see a 35th Anniversary and I highly recommend going to see them at the Joyce June 9-14; it is going to be a wonderful show!

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