The Bigger Picture

            Bill T Jones has always gone against the grain made it clear that while he appreciates and admires other choreographers, he is his own artist with his own techniques for choreography and dance.  In his life, it is probably true that the existence of Graham, Ailey, Cunningham and other great modern artists pushed Jones to be his own artist and find his own voice and individualism from the other artists of his time. 

Jones has always used experiences from his own life to create his choreography.  Topics such as death and dying, as well as survival, are topics that Jones has tackled in some of his most notable works.  And although most of his influences have been from directly from his own life experiences, some were also from world events: specifically, slavery.  Last Supper at Uncle Tom's Cabin/The Promised Land is a piece that Jones himself says “…started of talking about slavery was, at the end, the ultimate vision of freedom” (Gates, The Body Politic).  In this piece, nudity was used to show how common and similar we really all are to each other.  Because the early 90’s were still a time of social and racial segregation, still struggling to move towards equality that continues today, this piece showed that while looking at the different bodies nude, the audience was unable to tell or even care who was rich, poor, married, single, or even gay or straight.  Jones grew up in an area predominately white, so he had clear inspirations from his early childhood situation. 

            In 1985 the AIDS test became widespread available, and both Jones and his partner, Arnie Zane were tested, both to learn that they were tested positive.  This began Jones’ interest in death and disease, for which later in 1992, he hosted Survival Workshops that gathered people who had fatal illnesses to talk about their experiences in depth and detail.  This, of course, led to the creation of Still/Here, in which these experiences shared by the people from the workshops are danced on stage in a creative, dark way. 

           

An Evening with Bill T Jones

Professional Lineage

Bill T Jones is one of the most influential and controversial choreographers in the 21^st century.  He is trained in African, modern and post-modern dance, classical ballet and contact improve, all of which are clearly displayed while watching him move.  Much of his own movement as well as his choreography is a physical manifestation of diversity in action and interaction.  After first learning the beginning of his movement training at Binghamton College, he and Arnie Zane later moved to the West Coast and worked with Luis Welk at the American Dance Asylum.  Currently, he has his own dance company, T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, as well as choreographed for numerous notable artists. 

            Bill T Jones, as a black, gay, HIV positive man, is a survivor who many find influential.  In his own company, he has always included multiple races as well as multiple body types.  He is most influenced by life itself; civil rights, identity politics, counter culture movements, and avant gardism.  He has stated that some of his early-life heros include Jose Limon, Alvin Ailey, Merce Cunningham and Martha Graham.  Most of all, he has been influenced by his former partner, Arnie Zane.  He and Arnie had multiple collaborations throughout their time together. This works are basically an 11-year partnership that eventually resulted in their company. 

 More notable partnerships include, in 1995, when Jones directed and performed in a collaborative work with Toni Morrison and Max Roach, Degga, at Alice Tully Hall, commissioned by Lincoln Center's Serious Fun Festival. His collaboration with Jessye Norman, How! Do! We! Do!, premiered at New York's City Center in 1999. Jones's curiosity in digital technology and new media has resulted in collaborations with the team of Paul Kaiser, Shelley Eshkar and Marc Downie, now known as OpenEnded Group. The collaborations include After Ghostcatching - the 10th Anniversary re-imagining of Ghostcatching; 22; and Ghostcatching - A Virtual Dance Installation.