Bill T. Jones: from an idea to a dance
Bill T. Jones
Discuss this story now
So many people dismiss modern art as something their children could do, which is a pity because modern dance choreographed by one of this country's treasures, Bill T. Jones, is nothing short of glorious, and quite mature.
PBS' "American Masters Bill T. Jones: A Good Man," airing Friday, Nov. 11 (check local listings), follows him creating the ambitious "Fondly Do We Hope ... Fervently Do We Pray."
The searing piece, which was done in honor of President Abraham Lincoln's bicentennial, combines dance with spoken word. And this 90-minute documentary chronicles Jones developing it.
"Sometimes I wake up and I think, 'You are not big enough to deal with Lincoln,' " Jones says on-screen, referring to the more than 15,000 books about the 16th president.
"It's obviously a very complicated thing to talk about for me," Jones says in an interview. "The thing I maybe regret is maybe the title. It's their work, and I am the subject, and artists have a right to name the subject. The focus gets put on me as the personality. It does a wonderful job of showing the creative process."
Trying to reveal the creative process is not easy, though with a choreographer the process is more visible than it would be with, say, a writer.
At 59, and with two Tony Awards, a MacArthur Foundation genius grant and a Kennedy Center Honors award, Jones is rightfully celebrated.
His chiseled body remains able to demonstrate movements to younger dancers, and his exacting mind commands homage to history. The piece is deeply affecting as a whip is heard cracking, and the slave auctioneer lists the attributes of a man for sale.
"From the very first day I was trembling in my boots about this revealing and very personal documentary," Jones says. "But I am very proud to be part of it. That film really shines a light on what it takes to get an idea to come into the world -- a collaboration."
PBS' "American Masters Bill T. Jones: A Good Man," airing Friday, Nov. 11 (check local listings), follows him creating the ambitious "Fondly Do We Hope ... Fervently Do We Pray."
The searing piece, which was done in honor of President Abraham Lincoln's bicentennial, combines dance with spoken word. And this 90-minute documentary chronicles Jones developing it.
"Sometimes I wake up and I think, 'You are not big enough to deal with Lincoln,' " Jones says on-screen, referring to the more than 15,000 books about the 16th president.
"It's obviously a very complicated thing to talk about for me," Jones says in an interview. "The thing I maybe regret is maybe the title. It's their work, and I am the subject, and artists have a right to name the subject. The focus gets put on me as the personality. It does a wonderful job of showing the creative process."
Trying to reveal the creative process is not easy, though with a choreographer the process is more visible than it would be with, say, a writer.
At 59, and with two Tony Awards, a MacArthur Foundation genius grant and a Kennedy Center Honors award, Jones is rightfully celebrated.
His chiseled body remains able to demonstrate movements to younger dancers, and his exacting mind commands homage to history. The piece is deeply affecting as a whip is heard cracking, and the slave auctioneer lists the attributes of a man for sale.
"From the very first day I was trembling in my boots about this revealing and very personal documentary," Jones says. "But I am very proud to be part of it. That film really shines a light on what it takes to get an idea to come into the world -- a collaboration."
Advertisement
Advertisement
