MSP 163: Liz Lerman

The Independent Thinker, Liz Lerman

Liz is a choreographer, performer, writer, teacher, and speaker. For the past forty years, she has infused her artistic exploration with a personal touch, humor, intellectual vibrancy, and a contemporary edge. Her choreography has delved into a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from her experiences as a go-go dancer to an exploration of the intricacies of choreography and connections with community. Today, she shares with us insights into what ignited her love for dancing and reflects on the abundant influences that have affected both her life and artistic career. She talks about the importance and complexities of our feelings and how she rode the wild waves of her 20s to discover, for herself, what dance could mean for her. We hear about the impact of her mother’s life and death on her stubbornness to figure life out for herself, why rehearsals should always matter, and the unfolding of events that surround the founding of The Dance Exchange. She expresses and reflects on how she views herself as more of an interdisciplinary artist and her eagerness to be generous about spreading her wealth of knowledge. She then details her passion for the Critical Response Process (CRP) and how that was formed over the years. Join in as we delve into the chronicles of her life and her pursuit of understanding. Tune in now!

“One of my deep interests is the way we tell stories and what stories, and whose stories, and how they come across, and who’s listening, and all those kinds of questions.” – Liz Lerman

Key Points From This Episode:

·       Liz offers insight into where she comes from and what ignited her love for dancing.

·       A wild ride in her 20s: riding the waves of figuring out what dance could be for her. 

·       The impact of her mother’s life and death on her stubbornness to figure life out for herself.

·       How working intergenerationally moved and shifted her mindset.

·       The response she experienced when she started making work/performances.

·       Making rehearsals matter. 

·       More about the founding of The Dance Exchange. 

·       She goes into detail about how her different works unfolded uniquely.

·       Her thoughts on the nomadic life and being an ethical visitor. 

·       How she began to extract herself from The Dance Exchange: composting Liz. 

·       Reflections on how she views herself as more of an interdisciplinary artist. 

·       She talks about the Critical Response Process (CRP).

·       Liz delves further into her current projects and pursuits.

“There is so much pain and rudeness in the world of critique and what I have come to believe is that a lot of critique is just power. And if you actually want to – change the way power is absorbed and reignited in a different way in a circle then you should use CRP” — Liz Lerman

Liz Lerman uses dance to understand and change the world. Her relentless curiosity has transformed the field of contemporary dance with subject matter including aging, genetics, history, the ethics of justice, and the origins of the universe.

More on this episode: Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast

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