Why I Love Lar Lubovitch and His Company

          This past summer I had the opportunity to attend the first ever Lar Lubovtich Summer Program, which took place at the North Loyola Campus in Chicago, IL.  The 2 week intensive included a compilation of  both technique and repertoire classes each day.  For me,  it was a deeply inspiring and motivating experience.  The company members were actively involved in teaching, assisting, taking classes with us, and consistently giving feedback on ways in which to improve.  It was obvious that these dancers truly personified the Lubovitch aesthetic and were chosen for their overt style, technicality, and individuality.  I was grateful for the hospitality and the kindness of the company members and meticulously observed the collective artistry within this group.  From the beginning of the first week, I felt a deep connection to Lubovitch's movement and message.  I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the fact we hail from the same region but I felt very at home within his style.  It is difficult to place a solid definition on the Lubovitch movement because it is clearly not just modern, or ballet, or jazz, but instead this fusion of dance that when impressed on the body epitomizes the expressiveness of art.  Another reason I found this work so enlightening was the honest relationship between dancer and music. In a quote Lubovitch states, "The dances I compose are a way of seeing the music on the body...It's about dancing and dancing in response to music."  Although I respect the work and processes of artists such as Merce Cunningham and John Cage, just like Lubovitch it is the music that inspires me to move.  The aspect of Lar's choreography that stood out most to me was the continuity and fluidity.  The form of this blog represents this idea, that every movement is followed by the movement that was destined to follow it.  It is less about choices and more about the pure unadulterated flow of motion, transitioning naturally in relation to the music.  I left this intensive greatly inspired and enlightened.  I hope to attend next summer's intensive to continue to grow and learn with a company that I have an unmatched admiration for.