Bill T Jones

Bill T Jones is a choreographer, dancer and author; he was born in February 1952 in Bunnel,
Florida. Jones began his dancing career at the University of New York at Binghamton, where he
choreographed many solo and duet piece with Arnie Zane (Kreemer, 97). Jones was instrumental
in creating his own dance company called Bill T Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company in
1982(Kreemer, 97). Jones has made an indelible contribution to dance in the United States and
its impact has reached Europe, parts of Asia and the Caribbean. He was received many awards
for his contribution to the development of dance in his time. He has also been the recipient of
multiple awards and honorary degrees.

Bill T Jones is considered to be a controversial dancer to many critics. Political, racism and other
social issues facing the American society and to a larger the world were explored by Jones in his
dances. Wilkinson asserted that His ability to reach inside himself, and to encourage others to
reach inside them, has resulted in some of his most famous choreographic works to date (1) She
went on that declare that he makes the personal political and strives to push the limits of what
can and will be presented on stage by reminding people of their humanity and mortality
(Wilkinson, 1).

Jones was one of the first dancers to introduce the concept of homosexuality to dance. Huxley
and Witts noted that Jones facilitated a paradigm shift in regards to gender and sexuality.
Consequently, what was seen as a taboo was now incorporated into performing art. Huxley and
Witts (247) cited Rotary Action, which was released in 1982 as a perfect example of Jones
contribution in sexuality identification. Other works that deal with major issues like racism;
slavery and religion included Last Supper at Uncle Toms Cabin and The Promise Land which
was released in 1990.
 Jones choreograph is one that is characterized by the use of text, photographs, and postmodern
music (Jones, Bill T). In addition, his performances are often intense. Another key aspect of his
choreograph is his interaction with the audience in many of his pieces he talks to the audience.
Wilkinson (2) mentioned that even when he doesnt open his mouth, his shows speak loudly of
the politics and passions of their subject matter, whether they be sex, race, art or death.
Wilkinson indicated that the essential element of his choreograph is his human diversity,
personal revelation and social commentary combined with artistic values (2).

The goal of his dance company remains one that nurtures the art of dance, educates the public,
and promotes collaboration among members of the allied arts of music, theater, new media,
visual arts, etc. and the communities in which they work (Bill T Jones Biography). His work
raises the challenging question of what it means for an artist to be "American," a label that has
occasionally been applied to him (Bill T Jones Biography). The controversy comes from his
daring and often referenced work Last Supper at Uncle Toms Cabin/The Promised Land (1990),
which has caused much investigation and evaluation as a dance work that could define certain
issues that plagued a generation of Americans (Bill T Jones Biography).

Jones is renowned for his multiplicity of quality works. He has arranged over a hundred pieces of
work. A large proportion of them he gained as commission for other companies around the
world. Examples of works done are included in the article entitled Jones, Bill T. They include
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, the Lyon Opera Ballet, the Berlin Opera Ballet, and the
Boston Ballet. Both Fever Swamp (1983) and Still/Here (1994) were featured in PBSs Great
Performances Series. His work D-Man in the Waters (1989) was included in Free to Dance
(2001), an Emmy Award-winning documentary about the roots of African American modern
dance (Jones, Bill T).

In 2015, Jones performed at the TED theatre in Vancouver, he collaborated with Ted performer,
Joshua Roman and Somi, and they called the piece Red Circle and Blue Curtain9Bill T
Jones). The piece was comprised of Jones (dancer), Roman (cellist) and Somi (vocalist). The
piece had two stark contradictions, one representing an early twentieth century woman and the
other depicting present day personalities. The piece was about a 1908 woman named Isadora
Duncan who wanted to leave the country, however all she did was to put up a blue curtain in
from of her house and danced.
The artist was telling the story of persons who are unable to escape their environment due to
extreme circumstances. In addition, the choreographer commented that the aim of the piece
would spark the audience to think about the ways in which structured improvisation and cross-
disciplinary collaboration could advance their own work (Salaam, 1).The transition of the piece
was spot on, timing perfect and it was obvious. About midway the presentation, the theme started
to become obvious. Jones is an experienced choreographer and his movements were coordinated
to represent the theme being presented.

The musical element was integral to the piece because they were tied to the changing theme.
There was a dichotomy in the presentation, Red Circle and Blue Curtain. The change in the
tempo of the music changes as the artist moved from the Red Circle to the Blue Curtain. The
piece was intense and highly energetic. Jones indicated the reason he chose to tell the story from
a third person perspective I chose Isadora Duncan for this TED intervention because she is for
me a sort of ur-presence espousing the creed of spontaneity the notion that creativity comes
from a deep interior region, (Salaam, 1).

For the most part, Jones performance was within the realm of the North American culture, and
this is quite understandable because the story was based on the experience of an American
woman. Evidence of cultural piracy was not seen, and there were no cultural symbols used in the
presentation. There were no new concepts that were introduced in the presentation, however, one
image stuck with me from the entire presentation. That is, how Jones positioned his body in
relation to the cellist and vocalist. He was in the center of both of them and when he them to give
him more energy he would approach them and demand more of them. Consequently,
improvisation was at its best during this presentation.

The dance can be applied to everyday life in a number of ways. However, the main lesson I got
from it is perseverance. In order for you to change your circumstances, your environment needs
to be changed. However, if this cannot be done immediately, then one must not give up, a person
must have enough resolve in tem to help them to achieve their goal that is move from the Blue
Curtain to the Red Circle. This piece was well choreographed, the messages intended were
communicated and there was interaction with the audience, it deserved a 10 out of 10.
 Works Cited

"Bill T. Jones Biography." New York Arts Live. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2016.

Bill T. Jones: The Dancer, the Singer, the Cellist ... and a Moment of Creative Magi. Perf. Bill T
Jones. YouTube. TED TALKS, 6 May 2015. Web. 3 Dec. 2016.

Huxley, Michael, and Noel Witts. The Twentieth Century Performance Reader. London:
Routledge, 1996

Kreemer, Connie. Further Steps 2: Fourteen Choreographers on What's the RAGE in Dance?
London: Routledge, 2008.

Peters, Paula J. "Jones, Bill T. (1952- )." Black Past. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2016.

Salaam, Kalamu. "BILL T. JONES: The Dancer, The Singer, The Cellist." Blog post. TED Blog.
N.p., 5 May 2015. Web. 3 Dec. 2016
Wilkinson, Kristen. Bill T. Jones (1952- ). Cincinnati, OH: Dance Heritage Coalition, 2012.