It began as a series of simple instructions or exercises for dancers. Since then, the dance has evolved into a full-length performance. In fact, one could say it is two performances in one. In collaboration with creative partner Jared Sharon, Winter has created an unconventional performance space. A wall divides the stage into two distinct sides, and audience members will generally see only one or the other.
New Times spoke with Winter about his newest choreographic discoveries ahead of his opening night.
New Times: What was your creative process like for this piece?
Pioneer Winter: I’ve always improvised. When rehearsing with dancers or performers, I’ll think about it leading up to the studio space. But I won’t actually have anything written down. I kind of just play it by ear. I have found that mimicry (or having the performer copy something I might already have in my head) isn’t always the answer. It is better to get them into a state of awareness, whether that’s an emotional state or a physical state that would reveal the same conclusions I wanted them to draw from the beginning.
Because of that, Host is the first piece I’ve done where absolutely every performer is indispensable. Every person in the piece has brought their own inspiration and their own response systems.
What kind of characters have you created in Host?
There are five men, four of whom are Cuban and gay — I’m just gay — and we all come from similar backgrounds,
Each person uses their own experiences and their own reactions... in order to create something infinitely more unique than if I had just imposed my own feelings on them. And yet nobody is actually a full human because every human has some kind of balance of all those different things. The characters that you’ll see in the work are very much imbalanced, to the point where their relationships with each other suffer. They are extremes.
You are using a wall to divide the stage into two separate spaces. What is the effect of the wall?
This is kind of tough for me as a choreographer — I hold both sides so precious. I spent a lot of time making both of them. But an audience member might only be completely aware of
How would you describe the two sides?
The choreography is completely different; there’s nothing repeated. One side is very Apollonian — there’s a tenseness or a rigor to it that is so extreme, so overpowering, that it’s dangerous. And then the other side of the wall is more Dionysian. It’s almost hedonistic. And within that out-of-control approach to movement is a different kind of danger.
The tricky part was trying to create the fullest experience
— Catherine Hollingsworth, artburstmiami.com
Thursday and Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Miami-Dade County Auditorium's On.Stage Black Box, 2901 W. Flagler St., Miami; Tickets cost $23. Call 305-547-5414 or visit miamidadecountyauditorium.org.
