Lauren Potter and Scott Smith discuss what is it to invite being seen, the agency of the performer and the development of the performing self. How do needs, desires and aesthetic choices alter over time? Topics include teaching as a process that helps to define your values, demystifying the notion of the “artistic genius” and the etiquette of being in a collective vs. hierarchical company. They suggest that perhaps “choreography can be as simple as organising.” They consider cultural changes and different models for authoring and distributing performance work and sustaining a performing career – economically, physically, and artistically.
This talk was part of the Crossing Borders series, and was presented in partnership with London Contemporary Dance School
Lauren Potter performs and teaches as an independent artist. She danced with London Contemporary Dance Theatre for eight years, and became a founding member of Siobhan Davies Dance Company; she has also worked with Lloyd Newson, Yolande Snaith, Jonathan Lunn, Ashley Page and most recently Rosemary Butcher. Lauren was artistic director for EDge at London Contemporary Dance School.
Scott Smith is from Kansas, he teaches movement, makes dance and music. He worked in NYC for several years with dance companies and eventually moved to an island near Seattle to research movement, practice music and work as a landscaper. He now lives in South East England, where he teaches movement, makes performance, composes for performance and video, and plays music in public venues.
Adapted from bios published in 2010
