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On the cutting edge

Dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones explores the impact of terminal illness on the human condition in 'Still/Here.'

By Jeanene Harlick

Hailed as "the most versatile and inventive of America's black dancer/choreographers," modern dancer Bill T. Jones has enjoyed accolades across the country for his pioneering efforts in dance.

Bringing his company to the Wiltern tonight to perform his multimedia dance/theater production "Still/Here," Jones finds himself at the forefront of a movement that brings dance into the realm of social commentary while exploring the human condition.

But Jones' desire to express himself in dance began at a far more basic, and physical, level.

While attending the State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton, Jones, a member of the track team, joined an African dance class recommended by a friend.

When his "muscles responded" to the music and the dancing, Jones realized that dance combined demanded an athlete's physical performance and an artist's poetic expression.

"I don't want to get into any debates, but the use of the muscles is more refined (than in sports). Dancers use both large and small muscles. It requires more discipline.

"Your legs and your arms may be doing different things at the same time ... a larger range of things is required. Sports (movements) are more general and natural."

But Jones did employ a few sports motifs in "Still/Here." One scene focuses on people tackling each other, while another scene acts out a sports nightmare in which there is no ball and the performer is running out of time.

However, Jones's work is best known for tackling serious issues as well as new forms of choreography. "Still/Here" explores the emotional, psychological and social challenges faced by people struggling with terminal diseases.

It is an issue close to Jones's heart, who was forced to confront his own mortality when his lover and dance partner, Arnie Zane, died of AIDS in 1988.

Zane's death and Jones' HIV-positive diagnosis were the catalysts for Jones' "Still/Here" as he refused to be beaten and strived to create meaning from loss and tragedy.

To do so, Jones conducted "Survival Workshops" across the country, asking the participants to discuss their experiences in combating various diseases and convey their emotions through movement. Jones then used these movements to form the basis of the choreography and design of "Still/Here."

Although critics, notably Arlene Croce of the New Yorker, have derided "Still/Here" as "victim art" and a "messianic traveling medicine show," Jones maintains that the performance is not intended to be a cry for pity.

On the contrary, he describes piece as life-affirming. "I didn't want (the piece) to be a dirge ... I did want people to leave the performance feeling as I did when I left the survival workshops: a mixture of soberness and a kind of elation.

"A sense of having seen some of the hardest questions of life, but being give a jolt of energy, a sense that 'I can face this.' This is what I learned from the people (in the workshop)."

The affirming nature of "Still/Here" reflects the heart of Jones' mission as an artist.

"Artists should be affirmative visionaries. They should show us how to be more sensitive, creative ... they say 'look what life can be, look what seeing can be, look what hearing can be, etc.' They work for the greater good of all people."

Because artists offer a different perspective on the world, Jones believes that art should be "taught as being as important as science and politics."

"I would like dance to be embraced more by the general public, so that there is a lively and deep dialogue between the public and artists."

With this increasing interaction, Jones believes that artists can be important voices in "the great human discourse" and offer possible explanations for why we exist.

As for himself, although Jones explores the issue of existence, he has no definitive answer as to why we are here. He does not believe in God, but he does believe there is an "intelligence" in the universe.

"I am part of that intelligence. I am learning that there is nothing to worry about ... I see an order to the universe when I look at the changing of the seasons and the movements of the stars."

Jones denies the existence of a heaven or hell, believing that they are "models of our earthly existence" which we have created to help us understand something that is not understandable.

As far as heaven is concerned, Jones asserts that "we're there already ... we are not just our body, we are consciousness."

DANCE: Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Co. "Still/Here." April 27-28 at 8 p.m. TIX: $30, $27, $11 for students with valid ID. For more info call (310) 825-2101. Jones will give a pre-performance "Center Stage" lecture at 7 p.m. He will also discuss the creative process with fellow African-American choreographer David Rousseve in "Black & Blue" on Sunday, April 29, at 10:30 a.m. The discussion will accompany excerpts from both artists' works. Tickets are $10.