I’m very fond of dance, and last night we went to the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford to see the new version of Romeo and Juliet, by the celebrated choreographer Matthew Bourne. You probably know that he is known for his often startling reinterpretations of classic ballet stories …. Swan Lake being the first and perhaps most notorious of these. It lived up to its promise, with respect to both the novelty of the way in which it told the story, and also the astonishing creative ability of the company. I am constantly astonished on these occasions by the things which it is possible to do with the human body as an instrument for artistic expression.
During the interval I fell into conversation with another member of the audience, and remarked that the experience made me wish that I was half my age …. and then realised that even at half my age I would have been too old to attempt that kind of thing! Since that moment I have been mourning my lost youth. I do have some imaginative grasp on what is involved in dance as a creative medium. While employed at the University I was a member of the staff of a department called “Interdisciplinary Human Studies”, which offered a very radical course combining inputs from the disciplines of philosophy, psychology, literature and sociology, structuring teaching around significant themes such as “Liberty and Equality” and “Moral Excellence”. I offered an option in the final year on the use of the metaphor of the theatre in social science. We had the opportunity on one occasion to work with the neighbouring teacher-training college, in Ilkley, and I took part in a one-year course on modern dance. It was a remarkable experience which has enabled me to appreciate dance as a discipline in a way that I had not previously done. I’m certain that I would never have been able to approximate to the achievements of the Bourne ensemble, but at least I have a lively appreciation of what they are doing.
As I remarked to my wife on the way home, a noteworthy feature of modern dancer is the way in which gender differences in performance have pretty well disappeared. Women no longer teeter about on block toes while men prop them up in statuesque poses. Dancers of both sexes are required to be equally sensitive and athletic in their expression. Incidentally, I don’t know where or when this developed, but Bradford always has an enthusiastic audience for dance. The Alhambra is a big theatre and was well-filled. What a pity we don’t have the opportunity to see painting at an equivalent high level!