What is a performance? To perform is to perform is to perform, is to exhibit or illumine, is To Do or To Be, A performance is a performance is a performance A performance can be an exhibition of self, A performance can be a technical display, A performance can be a revelation [1]
In this quote, Koner states that a performance can be an exhibition of the performer's self, a show of the performer's technical abilities or a revelation that come about through the performance itself. This quote describes ideally the opening dance number by Nikolai Rodchenko, [played by Mikhail Baryshnikov] in the 1985 movie "White Nights" by director Taylor Hackford. The dance number embodies all the elements of theatre and modern dance choreography, creating a captivating performance that slowly introduces the viewer to the plot of the movie.
"White Nights" is a story about a chance friendship between two dancers whom defected their country for another, possessing the desire to dance for themselves, without any political or social agendas. Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov] is a talented Russian ballet dancer who defected his country eight years earlier for America and with a twist of fate finds himself back in the Soviet Union when the plane he's in crashes at a military base in Siberia, where he is introduced to Harlem-born tap dancer Raymond Greenwood [played by Gregory Hines]. Raymond Greenwood [Hines] was psychologically and emotionally scared by racial discrimination and his Vietnam War experiences, that led to him to defect the United States for Russia and was later on banished to Siberia by the Secret Soviet Police. The movie displays a unique collaboration by two world famous dancers, Gregory Hines a world famous tap dancer [2] and Mikhail Baryshnikov a world famous Russian ballet dancer, [3] set in the backdrop of post World War II- Soviet Union in the midst of political conflicts and military tension due to the Cold War. [4]
In the movie "White Nights" there are five main dance acts that are monumental, and distinctly displays the different dance elements. The first dance act is the Opening scene of the movie where Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov] performs a contemporary ballet piece with French ballerina, Florence Faure. The second is a tap dance performance by Raymond Greenwood [Hines] in small theatre setting in Siberia, the third a tap dance by Raymond Greenwood [Hines] during a dance rehearsal. The fourth is a modern dance by Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov] and Raymond Greenwood [Hines], and lastly the final dance is a powerful expressionistic interpretation of Vladimir Vysotsky's song "Horses" by Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov].
Avant- garde choreographer Twyla Tharp, who is well known for her experimentations with various movements, structure and music to originate her very own signature style, choreographed the dance acts in the movie. Her early dances, such as Tank Dive (1965), were based on mathematical style of the 1960s and had no music. And in Tharp's choreographic approach, the dancers make the movement discoveries; Tharp layers movement phrases and ask the dancers to figure out how to make them work. Her unison dancing sequences rely on relationships within the group, not counts. [5] Thus her approach towards the chorography in the movie clearly showcases her signature dance style and the mark it left on the dance styles of today.
The opening dance act takes place in the United States on a proscenium stage in a grand theatre. The performance setting, dance style and theatrical elements of the dance encompassed an expressionistic feel, which was heavily influenced by the German movement - Expressionism. The dance entitled "Le jeune homme et la mort" was written by Jean Cocteau and choreographed by Roland Petit [6] . Jean Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, playwright and artist well know for his unconventional and surrealistic approach to his work, which brought him international acclaim. [7] In the ballet piece "Le jeune homme et la mort", the story is about a young depressed man in a Paris Flat who ultimately sees no way out but death, and death visits in a form of a beautiful girl who draws him to the after world. [8]
Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov] danced the part of the young depressed man, his interpretation of Jean Cocteau's "Le jeune homme et la mort" was more modern ballet then classical. His jumps were high which showcases his Russian Ballet background and his acrobatic movements were precise and went hand in glove with the music. Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov], together with French ballerina Florence Faure who danced the role of "Death", delivered this dance in a very contemporary and theatrical manner in which the use of props and expressive facial and body expressions made the dance more appealing.
The second dance act is a Tap dance, which takes place in a small town in Siberia where it is literally unknown. The dance takes place in a small theater setting and is performed by Raymond Greenwood [Hines], who Tap-dances and sings in a musical. Tap dance has a number of ancestors. It is a mixture of the English clog dance; Irish step dancing and African drum rhythms and dance movements. African dances that are directly linked to the nature of the tap dance are "juba" and "ring shouts," rollicking dances with a rhythmic beat. Tap also contains the wild movements made popular in Swing and Lindy Hop, and the rolling glide so common to the Waltz and Foxtrot. So basically, it is a mixture of many elements and also in the early 1980s, mock slave dances were added to early vaudeville shows in a degrading way. [9] That is how tap became known and accepted as a form of comedy.
In this dance Raymond Greenwood [Hines], uses many different movements of tap dancing such as the step-heal, stamp, ball-change, brush and straight tap. [10] His shift from one movement to the next is flawless and also the use of space in his performance was innovative. As a performance space has strong and weak areas, e.g. centre stage is a powerful position. The upstage corners of the space are weak areas. The strong and weak areas will be altered by the direction, shape and focus of the dancer. [11] Thus, to utilize the centre stage and the floor where the audience sat showed great versatility of the choreography and are aesthetically pleasing.
The third dance act takes place in a dance studio in St. Petersburg. While waiting for Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov] to take his shower, Raymond Greenwood [Hines] starts listening to a song on the radio which was introduced to him by Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov] from America and dances to it. As Raymond Greenwood [Hines] has been away from the United States for a while, he is not acquainted to the new forms and styles of music of the West as Russia at that point was in the midst of the Cold War and had zero tolerance of the West especially United. States. Therefore there were no trades or exchange of culture between these two nations. [12] So when Raymond Greenwood [Hines] engages in the music he is enraptured and tap dances along to the beat of the music.
The fourth dance act also takes place in the same dance studio in St. Petersburg. This dance is the only dance act in the movie, where the two lead actors Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov] and Raymond Greenwood [Hines] perform together. The dance performance is an 'act' to show "Colonel Chaiko" of the Secret Soviet police that he, Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov] was serious about staying in Russia to become a cultural hero in ballet and to generate fame for the Russian ballet dancers. The song that they performed to was titled " Prove me Wrong" a rock song by David Pack. The dance choreography was a fusion of tap dance moves, martial arts techniques that merged well together to create an appealing and entertaining performance.
The final dance performance takes place on the proscenium stage in a theatre in St. Petersburg. The performance was sparked by a heated conversation between Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov] and Galina Ivanova [Helen Mirren] about the restrictions of dancing ballet in Russia. Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov] talks about being free and his experience dancing "Balanchine" [13] and other ballets that would never be performed in Russia.
Locked in a feudal system headed by powerful nobility with vast land holdings, ballet in Russia was in the same way dominated by classical ballet. [14] Another important cause to the restrictions on ballet in Russia was the fierce competition between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War in the arts, mainly ballet. The Americans and the Soviets would send previews of their country's ballets to prove their superiority. In America, this caused a dramatic increase in government funding. In both countries, ballet was turned into powerful political propaganda, and they used dance to reflect life style in the "battle for the hearts and minds of men." [15] Thus this reason caused the character Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov] to defect Russia as he loathed the restrictions made by the government towards ballet, as he wanted to be free and dance for himself not for political propagandas.
In this dance he is frustrated with Galina Ivanova [Helen Mirren] for not understanding his need to be free and dance without restrictions and decides to show her by dancing freestyle to Vladimir Vysotsky's powerful and expressive song "Horses". Vladimir Vysotsky is an iconic Russian singer, songwriter, poet, and actor whose career had an immense and enduring effect on Russian culture. Though his work was largely ignored by the official Soviet cultural establishment, he achieved remarkable fame during his lifetime, and to this day exerts significant influence on many of Russia's popular musicians and actors who wish to emulate his iconic status. [16] In this dance Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov] expresses his anger and frustration through his movements, acrobatic high jumps and spins, kicks and knee slides. He uses techniques from modern ballet, modern dance and traditional Russian folk dance "Troika" [17] to reinterprets them to illustrate his feelings. In the words of the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, "Music is the shorthand of emotion" [18] this quote interprets exactly what Vladimir Vysotsky's song was to Nikolai Rodchenko [Baryshnikov].
In conclusion, the main elements that contributed to the various dance acts in this movie are, firstly music, which I feel is essential for the self-expression of ones innate emotions to the accompanying music. Secondly the ongoing social situation in the Soviet Union such as the Cold War, which created restrictions on dance especially in ballet, which that drove the final dance act of the movie. And lastly the merging of multiple dance styles such as ballet, tap dance and modern dance, that create a new and contemporary approach to choreography in the 1980s.
