Christopher Bruce (CB) online Q&A 14 May 2009 - as part of Unmasked: Hush
Q. JFS School A/S Dance students:
When you begin to choreograph, do you have a specific style of movement in mind or do you let the style develop throughout the choreographic process?
A. CB:
I try to find a style and movement vocabulary which is particular to the individual work and this will be in my mind when I begin working with the dancers. However, I never make the movement until I am in the studio, it evolves as the structure comes together. Nothing is predetermined but relies on the collaboration with the artists I am working with.
Q. JFS School A/S Dance students:
Hush premiered in America; do you think the impact upon UK audiences will be different as they will view it from a different background and culture?
A. CB: The reactions to Hush in the US and the UK (also in Spain where Houston Ballet have been touring) have been pretty similar. The subject matter of the work is a fairly universal theme so I think it strikes a chord wherever it is performed.
Q. Mulberry_School_Yr_7_Pupils:
Where did you get your inspiration from for ghost dances?
A. CB:
The inspiration for Ghost Dances started in South America particularly in Chile, a Chilean folk artist, Victor Jara, his wife was an ex-dancer with the Ballet Joos. Victor had been tortured and murdered in 1973 in Santiago. My piece was in a sense people caught up in a dictatorship.
Q. Mulberry_School_Yr_7_Pupils:
What is your favourite dance work which you have choreographed?
A. CB:
I don't have a favourite but the one I am usually working on at any one given moment could be my favourite.
Q. Alicia Clovis:
Do you miss performing on the stage yourself?
A. CB:
Occasionally my mind goes back to the days long ago when I was a dancer. But I also remember the long hours of work that went into those brief moments on stage. So, I have a balanced view about that time in my life. It is a wonderful privilege to be a performer and I loved being on stage. For a while I did miss it but now I am quite happy to leave it to others. I can now just get on with the business of dance making.
Q. Abby:
What influenced you with your dancework 'Hush'?
A. CB:
Hush was inspired by the music, and the images it evoked. There was a wonderful quality about the songs.
Q. Red_Heads_twin:
Is there any reason why you used clowns? I came last night and thought it was amazing!!!
A. CB:
The use of clowns derives from Commedia Dell Arte, a theatrical device. Clowns allow one to tell stories and in particular creates an ambiguous quality to them which allows the work to be of interest on a individual basis. The use of clowns basically comes back to a theatrical device.
Q. Sent by Kevin Richmond:
Hi Christopher, You have been one of the major influences in the British dance scene for as long as I can remember, and continue to be so. Your ballets continue to be shown, revived and demanded world wide, and in my opinion deservedly so. Having danced in a few of your ballets over the years, I can honestly say that I was privileged to be in on the creative process, and the journey was something that I treasure deeply. What is it that you, Christopher Bruce, treasure deeply? (apart from cricket).!!!
A. CB:
I treasure those moments in the studio with artists like yourself. For me, the process of collaboration with the dancers is the most magical part of choreography. I never quite know what it is going to produce and so it is always something of an adventure. This is really what keeps me interested in creating dance. (If I could be plugged into Test Match Special at the same time, I would be in Heaven!)
Q. Mulberry_School_Yr_7_Pupils:
How long does it take to choreograph a dance work?
A. CB:
A single act takes around 3 to 4 weeks plus 3-4 days to put in on stage and light it. It's around one month from start to finish.
Q. cthomps1:
Hi just wanted to ask what would you say has been your biggest inspiration?
A. CB:
The biggest inspiration was when I came into contact with the Martha Graham classes in the 60's and working with American Modern Dance.
Q. Emily Starling:
Have you got any tips for people wanting to get in to a ballet and contemporary dance based career? If so what are they?
A. CB:
Start training seriously as soon as possible and be prepared to work incredibly hard. Don't even think about becoming a dancer unless you are absolutely nuts about the art form. It is one of the toughest professions you can go in to and you have to be fully aware of this fact. You also have to realise that, however hard you work, you still might not make it. If you can take this on board and still want to do it, good luck.
Comment - Chand: it was well brill last nite
Comment - Abby: We love you Christopher!!!!!
Comment - Kai: we loved it sooooooooooooo much :D
Comment - Red_Heads_twin: A fantastic piece! GENIUS!
Q. JFS School A/S Dance students:
Has the finished version of Hush lived up to your expectations and original thoughts or has it changed?
A. CB:
My works always surprise me. My original thoughts only go so far and I allow them to develop as the piece is made. I never quite know what I am going to produce and whether it will engage with an audience. With Hush I have been pleased to see that my ideas seem to connect with the audience and this is always what I hope will happen. It is always a bit of a magical mystery tour.
Q. Liz:
Contemporary dance and your work in particular is extremely popular with young people in the UK. When you work with companies abroad do you get the sense that there is a similar level of interest from young people as back in the UK?
A. CB:
I think the large numbers of young people who follow contemporary dance in the UK is a fairly unique phenomenon. I would imagine it is partly down to the excellent work done by people working in dance education as well as sheer enjoyment of the art form. But I also believe that we are very lucky to have so much wonderful dance going on throughout the country. I have noticed that audiences abroad tend to be more broadly based in terms of age. This is particularly true of the European and US opera houses where the theatres tend to rely on subscription audiences. This usually means that audiences tend to be older but it also depends on the nature of the work. Each choreographer will attract different audiences.
Q. Mulberry_School_Yr_7_Pupils:
Do you have any ideas about what your next dance will be based on?
A. CB:
Having just worked in Germany with the poems of Dylan Thomas, I am still recovering from that creative period. I really don't know what I will do next. I do know an idea will occur.
Q. ?:
Hush truly inspired me personally, it reminded me of my childhood, was this the case for you?
A. CB:
My experience of the parents and grandparents personally influenced me. There were probably some childhood memories but I think the themes in Hush are universal. I think this is why it seems to engage so well with an audience.
Q. Ben:
You use a range of different dance styles in your work, apart from contemporary dance which are the dance styles that you most enjoy working with? Are there any dance styles that interest you but you haven't had the opportunity to learn/work with?
A. CB:
I really have no particular preference though I would say I lean towards contemporary dance technique as a basis for my dance vocabulary. I enjoy dipping into other styles and even inventing my own genre when I feel it is appropriate. I would like to have spent more time learning Spanish classical dance and there are various popular dance styles I would have enjoyed practising but I guess I have left it a little late now.
Q. Mulberry_School_Yr_7_Pupils:
Do you do anything else apart from choreography?
A. CB:
I live life, I garden, I build things, I read, I write and I like to enjoy my expanding family.
Comment - Charlotte: thank you for answering my question good luck in the future xx
Comment - Charlotte: We came last night and it was amazing, you inspire me.
Q. Sarah Blake:
What part of the choreographic process do you most enjoy?
A. CB:
The intimate time in the studio with the dancers is what it is all about for me. Whether it is a new work or a re-staging, it is always a creative process and full of surprises. It can, of course, be difficult at times if things don't go well but when the flow comes, it really is a most magical time.
Q. Sarah Blake:
How big an influence was Martha Graham to you? Who else inspired you during your early days as a choreographer?
A. CB:
Apart from the ballets she created, Graham technique was and still is a terrific influence on me. It was the first modern dance technique I practiced and it has remained the basis of the way I move. It is such an important language and I believe it is a pity that it is not employed more in the training of dancers today. It produces a strength, technique and quality of movement that is quite invaluable. I was inspired by many dancers and choreographers but the main people who spring to mind in terms of early influences are: Anthony Tudor, Glen Tetley, Jose Limon and Jerome Robbins. (There are probably many others but these people were very influential)
Q. Mulberry_School_Yr_7_Pupils:
What was your first job before you became a choreographer?
A. CB:
The first real employment I had at the age of 17 was with Walter Gore's London Ballet. It was shortly before I joined Rambert. I have been a dancer, choreographer and artistic director and I also produced. It has all been within the theatre.
Q. Anna:
When choreographing, do you have a specific audience reaction in mind? Or do you prefer to leave each audience member to individually interpret your dance-work?
A. CB:
I think it is the latter. My work is purely instinctive, you never quite know how an audience is going to react.
Q. Mulberry_School_Yr_7_Pupils:
I am a 12 year old student and I study dance. What did you want to be when you were 12?
A. CB: A footballer.
Comment - Abby: Can't wait to see your next dance work!
Q. Alley:
Are there any personal journeys that you have been through that are reflected in any of your pieces?
A. CB:
Many of them. My work is about my life experiences. At first hand and the experiences reached via literature and the news media, it all feeds my work. I studied History deeply and I think what I have learnt about the world feeds into my work.
Q. Melanie:
What's your best/most interesting memory of Marie Rambert?
A. CB:
While I was on my way to the studio in my early weeks with, this little grey haired lady came round the corner and she was pointed out to me by a fellow pupil and that was my first memory of her. We were then to meet often, although in my early days I didn't see her that much.
Q. Cecchetti:
What was your vision for Rambert Dance company during your time as Artistic director?
A. CB:
Basically it was a repertory company that could take on a wide variety of works and perform them at the highest level. It was very important that my dancers were as versatile as possible. Another part of this ambition was to develop and begin developing choreographers from within the company.
Comment - Mulberry_School_Yr_7_Pupils: we watched your Ghost Dances and it was really good and scary!!!!
Q. livenotdead:
Dear Christopher: I am a student from Goldsmiths College, I saw hush last night and I loved it a lot. It seems that you play a lot of tricks between the dance movements and music, and your choreography is always trying to visualize the music and rhythm. Could you please talk more about how you deal with the relationship of the movement and music, thanks.
A. CB:
This is very difficult to put into words. I think first of all it is always important to consider imagery in the music. Then its just a question of being incredibly sensitive with the music. It is always very important that my choreography is very respectful towards the music. The rest is instinct and that is something you cannot teach.
Q. Louise:
What is you ultimate dream now that you have achieved such success?
A. CB:
My dream is to continue a life of professional and personal fulfillment. I regret that it is too late for me to be either a footballer or a cricketer! I wish to go on creating new choreographies for a little while.
Q. Mulberry_School_Yr_7_Pupils:
Which dance work was hardest for you to choreograph?
A. CB:
I find most of my works hard to choreograph. It is a very difficult profession, very demanding. But perhaps one of my most difficult works to choreograph was Cruel Garden as it was a collaboration with Lindsay Kemp and it was hard to please both of us at the same time as well as creating a whole evening of work in only four weeks.
Q. Cecchetti:
I particularly enjoy the ballet Rooster. What were your decisions for creating a ballet set in the 1960's during the early 90's?
A. I grew up with this music, it was part of me. I just had a crazy idea one day to put some of these songs together, I might be able to turn them into a ballet. It was then just a question of defining the themes and construct into a form that would make the sum greater than the parts.
Comment - CB: Thank you for all your questions. I've just been told the live chat is coming to an end. Thanks for your time and interest. Yours, Christopher.