The form and content of Jane Comforts work is focused around a combination of theatre and dance. Her work intertwines the collaboration and use of dance, vocals, acting, and even puppetry in order to display her intent. The content of her pieces deal with current issues or ideas throughout the world from homosexuality, to politics, to reality television (as seen in her piece, An American Rendition). She explores controversial topics and is able to challenge beliefs within her pieces. She uses satire and wit to poke fun at current society; pushing the envelope each time she creates a piece.
Her work has and is still continuously impacting concert dance. The way in which her creative and fertile mind tests the norm by using abstract beautiful movements opens an entirely new dimension to what dance is. The Village Voice has said, “Comfort faces brutal issues, uses words that are hard and offensive to hear, and doesn't try to heal any wounds. The acting/dancing performances are spectacular and right on the money.” She unlike many artists is not attempting to ignite hope and fearlessness to a brutal world in her dances; instead she is satirizing issues and allowing the audience to see what is happening in our world in an extreme way. She has impacted concert dance by sharing the truth, her dances express raw honesty and help to test our thoughts of present time. It is beyond dance with Jane, she brings everything to an entirely new spectrum. The New York Times said, “The guiding spirits behind the theater of mixed forms are often choreographers…Jane Comfort is one of the most fertile minds in this genre.” She is constantly creating pieces to challenge and create conversation and questioning, she has a brilliant mind that is constantly impacting the world of concert dance.
One of the things that I find to be most inspiring about Jane Comfort from reading these posts is that she is not afraid of what anyone will say about her works; it's almost as if she could care less about pleasing anyone with her dances. She is instead, just trying to please herself and her dancers, which I find to be extremely moving. I truly enjoy the fact that Jane Comfort allows herself to be completely available to her creativity and innovation- nothing seems to stand in her way, or it might just be that she wouldn't allow anything to keep her from creating such wonderful dances.
ReplyDeleteI also find it interesting that Comfort incorporates all aspects of theater into her work, including song/voice and puppetry. Who ever said that dance must only showcase dance? Obviously, Comfort broke these expectations and has been very successful because of it.
I found Jane Comfort to be a refreshing artist to discover. Her background as a painter has greatly influenced the way she deals with the human mind and body. Her work is relatable in a different way; she is able to get to the root of the experience and translate that to the audience.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the types of work she produces because they are based on real-life events, with just a bit of a twist. When watching "The Underground River," I was able to feel a part of both the girl in the coma as well as the desperate parents waiting for their daughter to come back to them. Comfort's use of other tools such as voice, puppetry, and props allows her pieces to become dimensional and rich in texture, while allowing the audience to fully appreciate the experience. Comfort's work will continue to draw audiences because of her clever incorporation of elements and relational themes.
The choreography and dancers of Jane Comfort demonstrate such amazing physicality against such powerful topics that I found myself watching that video clip of An American Rendition with a dropped jaw. She incorporates such a wide range of features that enhance her intents and works to fully portray the messages to the audience without fear of boundaries. I find her to be highly commendable for this and her work absolutely amazing to watch as original, innovative, and astounding.
ReplyDeleteI feel Jane Comfort is very inspiring to many because of her work. She really pushed boudaries and addressed topics that many may be afraid to deal with. This is very inspiring to me because of her not always following the standard and trying to do her own things and unique ways.
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