ALONZO KING
By Darlene Donloe
When you talk to
Alonzo King you get the feeling he actually knows the meaning of life. His take
on life, love and happiness is like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. When you
talk to King, no matter how the conversation begins, it ends with his
declaration that life is good.
Although he
won’t reveal his age, “No never. I think age is another one of those
monikers that doesn’t give you any real information on people,” it’s more than obvious that King has
lived long enough to gain and share great insight and wisdom.
Over the years he
has put what he’s learned into the form of dance. The results have been nothing
less than awe-inspiring. Thirty years ago he founded LINES Ballet, a stellar
dance company based in San Francisco, but lauded worldwide.
King, the
company’s artistic director, has created works for companies throughout the
world including the Royal Swedish Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, Joffrey Ballet,
Dance Theater of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Hong Kong Ballet,
North Carolina Dance Theatre, and the Washington Ballet.
On June 21-23,
the company brings its magic and movement to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion as
part of the 10th anniversary season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The
Music Center. Hubbard Street Dance
Chicago + Alonzo King LINES Ballet features two of the most renowned dance
companies in America who will join together in an unprecedented collaboration
that combines classical ballet with contemporary styles, highlighting the
emotional nuances of movement. Hubbard is currently celebrating its 35th season in 2012 and 2013.
(hubbardstreetdance.com and linesballet.org)
Hubbard Street Dance
Chicago and Alonzo King LINES Ballet
will share the stage to present the Southern California premiere of “AZIMUTH”,
a new work by King.
Structured in nine sections, “AZIMUTH” is defined by King as “the distance between where you are and where you are headed, erased by absorption.”
Structured in nine sections, “AZIMUTH” is defined by King as “the distance between where you are and where you are headed, erased by absorption.”
“AZIMUTH” features 28 world-renowned dancers: all 12 members of LINES Ballet and 16 from Hubbard Street’s ensemble of 18.
King also choreographed
“Scheherazade.”
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Alonzo King LINES Ballet in
AZIMUTH by Alonzo King.
Photo by Margo Moritz.
DD:
What is the benefit of a shared program with Hubbard Street?
AK:
Glenn Edgerton, the head of Hubbard Street, said he wanted his company to
experience what my company experiences. He was interested in our ideology. My
company is unique in how we approach dance. You want this to be a living
thesis. They are looking at you as a communicative tool. It’s about
communication skills. With that emphasis, as odd as it seems, you’re trying to
get what’s behind the body. That’s a lot of work. It goes against the grain
about how most people are educating. The way we work, I’m a thesis of this
idea. You have to contemplate whether you see it and understand it. He wanted
to get together and create something unique. Managing the crazy schedule and
the ideology of both companies, is what the world can do, in terms of pulling resources
and coming together to mix chemistry, more than we’d be as separate
individuals. Getting together presented some problems, but it was about risk-taking.
Glenn Edgerton is one of the kindest and amiable people you can work with.
DD:
How did this collaboration begin?
AK:
Glenn brought it up. He flew out with his manager and we had a talk with my
manager. He and I are idea-oriented. We talked about the cost and the plan. It
took three years. We convened in Irvine at the UC Irvine campus to create the
work. We worked with students from both of our schools and worked with dance
students there. It took three
rushed, bloody weeks to complete. Glenn
wanted me to work with the company. I worked on materials for his and my company.
DD:
So, you’ve explained why Edgerton wanted the collaboration. What about you?
What does it do for you?
AK:
I love to work. I want to be frank with you. Work in terms of quid pro quo,
work is cleansing. Artists want to keep doing what they do. If I’m a cook I
want to cook all the time. I always want to work. LINES is booked all the time.
When we’re not, I’m creating a work or choreographing another company. Before I
close my eyes to this planet, I want to produce as much as I can. I can build
my character and continue to learn and also to get away from the prison of self-thought.
It’s liberating to live in a realm of ideas. It’s liberating to have challenges.
Learning
is about expansion. It’s part of our mission to increase our talents. Everyone
feels there is something great inside of them. It has nothing to do with fame.
It has to be realized. That’s part of working with the dancers, it’s about the
work and the people who execute. Awaking what’s within is something unimaginably
wonderful.
DD: The definition of an Azimuth is “The direction
of a celestial object from the observer, expressed as the angular distance from
the north or south point of the horizon to...
The horizontal angle or direction of a compass
bearing.”
Tell me about your Azimuth.
AK:
You will see a lot of what we call geometrical design. You will see a
figure of a compass and its symbology. The point is – everyone has a desire,
whether it’s an object or a state of consciousness. The subject is looking at an object and wanting it. What you
seek to be or have. How can you diminish the distance between that thing and
you? It’s by obsession accelerated evolution, by becoming that thing.
It’s a devotion or obsession that brings that
thing to you. It’s about a heat of concentration to arrive at the location. It
means every human being on the planet wants to avoid pain and suffering and joy
that doesn’t go stale. Some think it’s gold, fame, sex, career, boyfriend,
girlfriend. In your chase there is
a sense of pride and accomplishment and then after that there is a bit of
disappointment because you realized this ain’t it either. Every desire that
you’re really seeking is ultimate fulfillment, and that can only be found in
spirit. In that quest we build muscles.
DD: You also
choreographed “Scheherazade”. Tell me about it.
AK: That was a commission
by the Monaco Dance Forum to inaugurate the Centenary of the Ballets Russes de
Monte Carlo. The
director asked me if I would create something. I chose ‘Scheherazade’, which is a re-envisioning of the ancient
collection of Persian, Sanskrit, and Arabic stories of 1,001 Nights. Scheherazade, you never hear about who
she is. Is she
just a set up for telling these stories. That became the hook for me trying to
figure out who she was.
King
previously described his work on Scheherazade: “My intention was to
grapple with the metaphysical meaning behind Scheherazade and present that
meaning in its essence. Scheherazade is the symbol of the savior. She weaves
tales not to save her own life, but to save humanity from its unending
retributive response to injury.”
DD: For someone
who has never seen Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, describe what they will see.
AK: You’re
asking me something difficult. If you and I were together in a room and you had
never eaten an orange and you asked me to describe the orange, I could talk
about how it taste and how it peels. It means absolutely nothing. It has to be
from absolute experience. Describing you I could talk about your hair. It means
nothing until someone meets you. They will see brilliant dancers at the top of
their game. It’s many races. They will find people who are experts at what they
do. They will see costuming and music from some of the best at the Music Center.
They will see the uniqueness of LINES. I am interested in originals, not carbon
copies or knockoffs. It’s about going
against the grain and having a strong point of view.
DD: Your dance
company is celebrating 30 years (founded 1982). To what do you attribute your success?
AK: I think I
have an incredible team of supporters and production staff. I’ve been
incredibly fortunate to have people who are steadfast at persevering. When my
knees wobble, they step right in.
(l-r) LINES Ballet Dancers Ricardo Zayas, Michael Montgomery and Keelan Whitmore in AZIMUTH By Alonzo King. Photo by Margo Moritz.
DD: There is any number of dance companies, what sets yours apart?
AK: We’re ourselves.
There are so many knockoffs everywhere. So many are variations of a model.
There’s a uniqueness about us. What’s interesting about you is you. . When you
have 14 originals, not copying people, they are unique. People are cloning
today.
DD: When you
look back on your 30 years, what has been the most memorable?
AK: The
continuum of love. That’s how it began. That was its purpose and goal. Remove
petty irritations of life’s struggle, that’s what keeps it alive.
DD: Describe
what dance does for you?
AK: It goes
through stages. It gets better. Lets say you’re in a long-term relationship.
How do you keep it alive? The one key is gratitude. I’ve got my legs. I’m
breathing. I made a choice of marrying and never to cheat. To serve the world.
To make works that move people and make them in awe. I’m in this relationship
with dance. There are times when it’s not sweet, it’s demanding and relentless.
What is that? It’s teaching me unconditional love. What if this isn’t happening
for you, Alonzo. Did you marry me only to get sweets? You can’t grow. You can’t
build muscles and acquire perseverance. Looking for the perpetual honeymoon is
a lie. When it’s hard – learn. It’s a relationship that is going to train you.
DD: What’s next
for the company?
AK: The tour is going
to Israel and begins in December. We’ll
also do six shows in France.
DD: What are you
most proud of in your career?
AK: I’ve been
surrounded by love and support. I want to do more and better. More and better -
That’s our task until the end of our lives.
Hubbard Street Dance
Chicago + Alonzo King LINES Ballet, The Music Center’s Dorothy
Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles; 7:30 p.m., Fri., June 21 and
Sat., June 22, 2 p.m. Sun., June 23; $28-$110; www.musiccenter.org, (213) 972-8555 or
email MCgroupsales@musiccenter.org
