Six Good Books: Choreographers’ inspirational recommendations
By Jenn Edwards
Six choreographers share some of their favourite books, ranging from novel to children’s story to essays. Through their vastly different recommendations, some common themes emerged, illustrating these artists’ shared interests in reconnecting with their inner child, living the values of their heroes, and reflecting on why we make art, and why it matters.
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Anne Braunesberger (Vienna) is an independent choreographer and the director of dance and music collective Tauschfühlung. She often turns to The Artist’s Way: A Course in Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self (Penguin Books) by Julia Cameron as a reminder to feed her inner child. The American author, poet, and playwright has written more than 30 books, and The Artist’s Way has sold more than four million copies.
The book is filled with writing exercises, fill-in-the-blank pages, and tasks to help people tap into their innate creativity before it gets muddled by self-doubt and external influences. One of the book’s main assignments is Morning Pages, which entails writing three stream-of-consciousness pages every morning. Another is Reading Deprivation, a full week without reading anything at all. Cameron also encourages an Artist’s Date once a week, which might entail spending two hours alone to take in art at a gallery or theatre.
The Artist’s Way is hands-on self-help for writers, but applicable to all artistic endeavours. Braunesberger says, “It’s always great to take off the shelf in times of stress or being overwhelmed by all the organizational work a freelance choreographer has to do.”
The Radical King by Martin Luther King Jr.
Joanna Haigood (San Francisco), artistic director of San Francisco’s oldest Black-run dance company Zaccho Dance Theatre, recommends The Radical King (Beacon Press), a collection of speeches, essays, and sermons by Martin Luther King Jr, compiled and edited by political activist Cornel West. “It brilliantly reflects his commitment to justice, to non-violence, to the uplifting of our poor neighbours, and to love as the most powerful strategy for social change,” says Haigood.
King is remembered as a minister and activist who played a large role in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and was tragically assassinated in 1968. West’s goal with this compilation, published in 2016, was to push past the sanitized image of King that pervades in our culture, and reveal just how radical he was as a pacifist, democratic socialist, and voice against income inequality and racism.
The Radical King was one of the inspirations for Haigood’s 2022 installation piece, Love, a state of grace. Performed over four days at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral, Love, a state of grace was made in response to the rise of violent attacks and vandalism at sacred religious spaces in the United States, and prompts audiences to reflect on notions of otherness, and the need for compassion and community.
Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut
Alysa Pires (Toronto), who completed her first commission, Standard Deviation, for New York City Ballet this spring, recommends Bluebeard (Penguin Books), a 1987 novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It takes the form of a faux-autobiography detailing the life story of fictional Abstract Expressionist painter Rabo Karebekian, as told to his neighbour.
Bluebeard is not one of his most famous books — the American writer is best known for Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) and Cat’s Cradle (1963) — but it is decidedly Pires’ favourite. “I love this book’s examination of what it means to be a creative, making art that means something, or not, and who gets to decide what makes art great.”
Pires adds that Vonnegut’s first book, 1952’s Player Piano, is a great introduction to his satirical writing style.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
MJ Lee (London, UK) is a choreographer and actor whose work ranges from music videos and short films to flash mobs and immersive theatre. She has found herself returning to The Little Prince (Penguin Books) throughout her life. The children’s story reminds her of the clarity of purpose we have in our youth before it becomes shrouded with cynicism as we age.
Originally published in French as Le Petit Prince, the 1943 novella is second only to the Bible in its number of translations worldwide, which total over 500. Its author, Antoine de Saint-Exupèry, was the descendent of French nobility, and a successful commercial air pilot before World War II. The story’s narrator is also a pilot, whose plane has crashed in the Sahara Desert, where he comes across a precocious, chatty prince. The tale is told with a childlike surrealism, and the troubled, narrow-minded adults the prince meets along the way are reminders to tap into the youthful wonder that comes so easily to children.
Lee says that the freelance hustle in London can be intense, and this story provides her with comfort and clarity when she needs it most. “Every time I pick this book up, three things happen: my ego quiets down, my heart opens up, and I read the exact message needed at that moment in my life.”
The Warrior Within: The Philosophies of Bruce Lee by John Little
Shay Kuebler (Vancouver), artistic director of the contemporary dance company Radical System Art, started studying martial arts at the age of five. So it’s no surprise that Kuebler recommends The Warrior Within (McGraw Hill) for its insight into the philosophies of one of his biggest heroes, legendary martial artist Bruce Lee.
“His writing and philosophy helped me recognize how I value learning and growing through exposure to new forms and that one of my greatest strengths is versatility,” he says. That versatility is evident in Kuebler’s choreography, which also incorporates hip hop, tap, theatre, and acrobatics. His biggest takeaway from the book is its encouragement to recognize and harness what makes us unique as individuals, adding, “The greatest thing you can do as an artist is to drive toward the truest expression of self.”
The book is an intimate glance into the workings of Lee’s mind. Author John Little was given exclusive access by the Bruce Lee estate to review all of Lee’s notes, sketches, and philosophical musings, which blend Eastern and Western perspectives.
Theatre of the Unimpressed: In Search of Vital Drama by Jordan Tannahill
Tia Kushniruk (Vancouver/Edmonton), a dancer with Radical System Art, choreographed her first large-scale work, monolith, for Edmonton’s Mile Zero in 2021. An artist whose work often plays between the realms of dance and theatre, Kushniruk recommends Theatre of the Unimpressed: In Search of Vital Drama (Coach House Books) by Canadian playwright and theatre director Jordan Tannahill. She read it shortly after graduating from the School of Toronto Dance Theatre in 2017, and wishes she had its insight during her formative years studying there.
For this book, Tannahill sources interviews with theatre critics, artists, and audience members to uncover why so many are disillusioned with theatre these days. One central problem, his book asserts, is risk aversion. Theatre artists and presenters are afraid to fail, which leads to dull work and tired “classic” productions staged again and again. He also posits that theatre-makers should not underestimate audiences’ capacity to think abstractly and to understand nuance.
Speaking about the book’s application to dance, Kushniruk says,“I really think that we discount ourselves as not being part of the ‘theatre’ or not having to abide by theatrical rules. However, dance does exist in the same formats and spaces that theatre does, and the parallels I drew from the theatrical experience to contemporary dance were uncanny.”
