Ako pod fuzijom smatramo svaki nestandardni spoj, tu onda spadaju spajanja 2 različita plesna stila (tačnije vokabulara pokreta iz 2 različita stila), spajanje plesnog stila uz muziku drugačiju od očekivane ili čak i kostimi/rekviziti jednog stila koji se koriste za neki drugi.

Teško je striktno se oprediliti za gledište za ili protiv fuzija. Pretpostavljam da je većina plesača otvorena i za tu opciju no ne uzima je olako. Na prvi pogled, fuzija daje mogućnost beskrajnih opcija. No, iako neke ideje u plesnoj sali izgledaju zanimljivo, možda pod svetlosti reflektora se pokažu suprotno od očekivanog…

Vaša želja za kreiranjem fuzija će svakako nastati pod uticajem vašeg instruktora. Ako je osoba od koje učite isključiva prema mogućnosti spajanja stilova, biće vam znatno teže da se kao samostalni plesač odlučite na taj korak. Nasuprot tome, ako jeste uživalac kreativnih spojeva koje ste otkrili u vašoj matičnoj plesnoj školi, može se dogoditi da kao samostalni izvođač u usponu usmerite karijeru previše ka eksperimentima pri kombinovanju pokreta umesto ka usavršavanju određenog stila u celini.

Mač sa dve oštrice – najkraća i najjezgrovitija definicija fuzija. Ako ste protiv njih, onda ste staromodni i ne pratite trendove. Ako ih volite, taj iskorak iz ustaljenog vas može koštati ozbiljnih negativnih kritika…što opet ne mora da znači ni da ste vi loš koreograf ili plesač, već možda samo da vaš rad još nije prihvaćen.

Klasični/tradicionalni plesovi u fuzijama*

*Bitno je naglasiti da se definicija i razlika između tradicionalnih, folklornih i društvenih plesova razlikuje ne samo po kontinentima, već od zemlje do zemlje, no poznavaoci će uočiti pralelu koju pokušavam da napravim*

Klasični plesovi su najstarije plesno blago neke zemlje. Imaju jasno ustanovljen set pokreta, izričiti su po pitanju starosti, pola ili izgleda plesača a često nose i religioznu notu. Na primer, u Indiji su se klasični plesovi izvodili prevashodno po hramovima i pričali su priče o bogovima; sličan dodir plesa sa religijom se može naći širom Azije, i to u različitim verama. U suštini, ples je bio način da se prenese tradicija sa generacije na generaciju. Ovo je posebno važno kao upozorenje da u istraživanje ovakvih formi ulazite sa dozom poštovanja nečije kulturne baštine!

No, iako ovo upozorenje sugeriše da je tradiciju najbolje ostaviti u izvornom obliku, istorija nam govori suprotno. Bez klasičnog perioda ne bi bilo neoklasicizma, zar ne? Gledajući smene umetničkih pravaca, čak i kada je igra u pitanju, kada trendovi odlutaju predaleko od klasike, to samo označava da je njen povratak neumitno blizu. Trendovi su uglavnom ciklični a povratak tradiciji često služi kao odlazak na izvor zarad revitalizacije ideja.

Širom Evrope, mnogi plesovi koji nose tradiciju su vremenom iznedrili moderne verzije – uzmimo za primer klasični balet ili tradicionalne plesove Irske. Što ne znači da oni ne mogu da koegzistiraju sa modernim baletom ili popularnim plesnim spektaklima poput „Riverdensa“. To je samo potvrda da je neko, u nekom trenutku, morao prvi da izađe iz standardizovanih okvira i napravi fuziju, gde je uz ustaljeno dodao inovacije…pa kasnije je to učinio još neko…sve dok to nije proglašeno za nezavisni stil. Fuzije jesu popločavanje puta ka rađanju novog plesnog stila!

Pogledajmo ovo na primeru flamenka. Retko ko zna da je ovaj ples potekao od indijskog klasičnog plesa katak (koji je i sam po sebi spoj indijske tradicije i muslimanskog uticaja Sufi reda). Nomadska plemena Indije, današnji Romi, su putujući svetom, preko Balkana pa sve do Španije, prenosila narodima koje su susretala po delić svoje tradicije. Njihovima uticaji na ples Evrope svakako zaslužuju zaseban tekst, jer su oni svaki naučeni ples „puštali“ kroz prizmu sopstvene tradicije, koju su dragoceno čuvali a opet su rado usvajali od drugih naroda i na kraju – svuda neporecivo ostavili svoj pečat. No, od svih naroda koje su na putu susreli, samo su vatreni Španci prepoznali i zavoleli tu već donekle izmenjenu katak formu sa kojom su ih Romi upoznali. Dodajmo u tu jednačinu i jak uticaj arapske kulture na pirinejskom poluostrvu – i rođen je flamenko, kakvog ga danas znamo i smatramo tradicionalnim plesom Španije.

Podvlačim da transfer klasičnih ili tradicionalnih stilova u neke druge forme traje višedecenijski, u najmanju ruku. No neko je morao ceo proces da inicira. Ne kažem da svaka vaša koreografija u kojoj spajate klasiku sa modernim može da bude inicijalna kapisla epohalnih razmera u plesnom svetu, no svakako ćete biti karika u lancu koja dovodi do promena. Što opet sa sobom nosi odgovornost…

Folkorni stilovi u fuzijama

Folklor je ples naroda. On retko nosi u sebi religioznu crtu, ali je neraskidivo povezan sa mnogim segmentima kulture određenog naroda. Daleko od toga da se tradicija nije takođe prenosila i kroz folklorne forme – jeste, ali na drugačiji način. Za razliku od klasičnih plesova, gde su izvođači trenirani za nastup, folklor je daleko spontaniji, manje rigidniji i prihvaćeniji od strane šire populacije samim tim što im je pristupačniji. Folklorni stilovi se izvode na proslavama ili bitnim društvenim momentima a plesači su upravo ljudi iz naroda. I to mu daje život; zbog toga se on menja, oblikuje i traje. Najbolje paralela bi mogla da bude sa igračkama – klasični stil poput porcelanske lutke, prelepe ali previše dragocene da bi se svakodnevno koristila, te on obično biva čuvan u staklenoj vitrini, kako bismo mu se divili vekovima; nasuprot njemu, folklorni stil je ona igračka koja vam je omiljena, koju svuda nosite sa sobom, koja će neumitno da se isprlja, promeni i dobija različite uloge kako se njen vlasnik s godinama menja.

Samim tim što je folklor „živ“, on se pleše i spontano, neprimetno čak, menja – ali, ne menjaju ga profesionalni koreografi, već sam narod. Pravac njegovih promena se ne može lako predvideti, jer na njega mogu uticati geografski položaj, istorijski trenuci, političke ili društvene promene… Mnogi folklorni stilovi će u sebe utkati i ta dešavanja, te će, na primer, uticaj neke druge kulture biti više ili manje vidljiv, ili će uz sve veću nezavisnost žena dotadašnji isključivo muški plesovi „popustiti“ i preoblikovati se kako bi uključili i dame. Ali – to mora da se desi spontano.

Ako želite da plešete autentični folklor, ne smete biti vi ti koji će inicirati novine u plesnom stilu. Obratite pažnju na detalje – od položaj risa ili ruke, do detalja na kostimu. Poznavaocima te kulture ti detalji neće promaći, jer će prvi ukazati na to koliko dobro poznajete sam stil a drugi njihovu tradiciju. Mogu vas „odati“ čak i boja kostima (u Indiji je belo boja žalosti dok zelena asocira na muslimansko stanovništvo) ili raspored šara (svako škotsko pleme je imalo svoj diskintkivni raspored boja na kiltu).

A zašto vas ovde čak više upozoravam nego u delu o klasičnim plesovima? Jednostavno – veći deo stanovništva neke zemlje poznaje folklor nego klasične plesove, koji su možda vremenom postali zaboravljeni. Samim tim, izvodeći folklor nekog naroda, možete dobiti više kritika jer ga pripadnici tog naroda bolje poznaju. Štaviše, možete ih i uvrediti.

Zato budite pažljivi sa fuzijama folkora. Što ne znači da je bolje da odmah odustanete od takvih ideja… Samo se podrobno upoznajte sa trenutnom situacijom. Ilustrovaću – folklorni plesovi nomadskih plemena Radžastana (sever Indije) se smatraju nacionalnim blagom i velika pažnja se pridaje njihovom očuvanju u izvornom obliku, što je postalo još važnije otkako se broj pripadnika tih plemena smanjuje usled modernizacije. Zato cela nacija gleda blagonaklono na izvođače širom sveta koji neguju ove stilove u originalnoj formi. Nasuprot tome, bangra, ples iz susedne regije, je postala globalno poznata i zahvaljujući svojim brzim ritmovima čak je i alternativa zumbi. Taj ples je već doživeo toliko transformacija i fuzija, da je sada već pravi izazov smisliti nešto što još nije urađeno.

Fuzije modernih plesova

Posle svih upozorenja o poštovanju tradicija i kultura, opcija spajanja dva moderna stila možda izgleda najsigurnija. A da li je?

Moderni plesovi prate popularne trendove pod ruku. Mnogi su stilovi nastali veštački, namenski, poručeni „iz laboratorije“ to jest plesne sale nekog profesionalnog koreografa. Jedan muzički spot može da pokrene sasvim novi pravac ili dovede neki plesni stil u prvi plan. Samim tim ne čudi da umetnika potakne da iskoristi trenutak popularnosti nekog stila i posluži mu kao inspiracija.

Na prvi pogled čini se da savremeni ples ni nema pravila i granice. Ali one ipak postoje. Na stranu što stvaranje koreografije i dalje ima svoju bazu zasnovanu na teoriji, zadržimo se samo na ideji i svrsishodnosti.

Svaka koreografija bi trebalo da ima neku ideju vodilju. To može biti priča koju će pokret ispričati, pokret koji će oslikati reči pesme uz koju se pleše, šablon pokreta koji želi da dočara nešto određeno ili upotreba rekvizita kao dodatna vizuelna sredstva… Ako se pokreti iz dva ili više stilova nasumično prepliću, posebno pri improvizaciji, to može više da izgleda kao prezentacija svega što taj izvođač zna. Tada su veće šanse da publika ostane zbunjena a ne impresionirana.

Što nas dovodi do svrsishodnosti. Ako je svrha koreografije ovo prethodno napisano – vratite se na neophodnost ideje te uskladite nastup u skladu sa tim. Pretpostavljam da je mnogima svrha istraživanje sopstvenih mogućnosti ( i kao koreografa i kao plesača) ili pomeranje granica igre. No to ne opravdava nedostatak ideje, jer vi to isto možete raditi i unutar jedne plesne forme. Svrha može biti i izazivanje reakcije publike (posebno u krajnje neočekivanim spojevima), naručena koreografija (za film, spot…ili možda kao susret kultura zemalja za koje se zna da će njihovi pripadnici biti u publici) ili prikaz dva stila kao antipoda pri postavci koreografije.

I krucijalno pitanje – da li znati ili je dovoljno poznavati stil?

Ne postoji trenutak ili vremenski period kada zvanično znate neki stil. Učenje je putovanje a ne destinacija, a bez učenja vi ne ostajete u istom mestu već se vraćate natrag putem kojim ste došli! Zato pod „znati“ smatram ozbiljnu posvećenost, uz stalnu vežbu i napredovanje. Suprotno od toga je „poznavati“ – to je susret iz koga ste izašli bogatiji za ograničeni plesni vokabular ili koji vas je inspirisao.

Svaki izvođač je sam sebi, pa zatim i publici (a svakako i svojim učenicima, ako ih ima), dužan da spisak plesnih stilova podeli na ove dve kolone. I budite iskreni! Ako ih veći broj znate nego poznajete ili niste objektivno ocenili ili ste isključivi prema učenju nečeg novog – a nijedna opcija nije pohvalna.

Zlatna formula fuzije je znati dobro jedan stil a sa drugim(a) se dobro upoznati. To znači da će onaj koji vam je primaran biti baza, dok će ostali poslužiti kao ukrasi. Ti ukrasi (u vidu pokreta, postura, rekvizita, kostima) i dalje zaslužuju da provedete neko vreme istražujući na netu ili u razgovoru sa poznavaocem. No, ako odabrete nekoliko pokreta i izvedete ih tehnički ispravno, vredeće duplo više!

Svaka površnost pri pristupu fuzijama može da rezultira negativnim kritikama i smanjenu ugleda u plesnom svetu, zato posvetite dosta vremena u prikupljanju informacija i nacrtu koncepta pre nego što olako istupite na scenu sa neuvežbanim pokretima i neosmišljenim perfrormansom.

Ali to ne znači da je moj savet da odustanete od cele ideje jer je zahtevna i rizična. Štaviše, samo hrabro napred! I nemojte se obeshrabriti ako vaša fuzija ne bude primljena dobro od strane publike, već analizirajte razloge neuspeha…i onda nastavite da radite na sebi i budite svaki put sve bolji pri narednom izlasku na scenu!

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If a fusion implies any non-standard merge, that includes combining 2 different dance styles (more precisely, moves vocabulary from 2 different styles), combining a certain dance style with music different than expected or even costumes/props from one style used for another.

It is difficult to decide which stand to take – pro or against fusions. I am guessing that most of the dancers are open for that option, although they do not take it lightly. At first glance, a fusion provides infinite options. But even though some ideas might look interesting during the rehearsal, they can prove themselves quite opposite under the spotlight. 

Your wish to create fusions is certainly going to be influenced by your dance teacher. If the person teaching you is reluctant towards style merging, it will be reasonably harder for you, as an independent artist, to take that path. On the contrary, if you have been given a chance to enjoy those blends in your dance school, it might result in experimenting too much in your solo career instead of perfecting a certain style. 

One might think of it as a two-edged sword – which is probably the shortest and the most accurate definition of fusions. If you are against them, you are not being mainstream and “in”. If you do love them, that stepping out from the box might cost you serious negative reviews…which does not necessarily mean that you are a bad choreographer or dancer, but your work just has not been accepted yet.   

Classical/ traditional dances in fusions*

* it is important to underline that definition and difference between traditional folklore and social dances varies not only between continents, but also from one country to another. Nevertheless, those who have been researching on the subject of dance will notice the parallel I am aiming at. 

Classical dances are the oldest dance wealth of a country. With a distinctive movement set, they are usually specific when it comes to the question of age, gender and the appearance of a dancer, while often portray religious topics. For example, Indian classical dances were performed mostly inside temples, depicting stories about gods; similar correlation of dance and religion can be found across Asia, within various belief systems. Essentially, dance was used to carry on the tradition from one generation to the next. This is especially important as a warning to enter a research of those dances with a dose of respect towards someone’s cultural heritage! 

But even though this warning might suggest that is better to leave the tradition be, history disputes it. Without classical era there would not be a neoclassical one, would it? Observing the shift of artistic movements, even when it comes to dance, it is consistent rule than whenever trends drift too far away from the classical, its return is certain. 

Across Europe, many tradition-bearing dances have delivered modern versions – let us take classical ballet or Irish traditional dances. It does not mean that those cannot coexist with contemporary ballet or popular dance show such as “Riverdance”. It only confirms that at some point, someone left the standardized mold, making a fusion, adding innovations to the established rules… Then, later on, someone else did it… until it was proclaimed an independent style. Fusions are paving the road towards new dance style’s creation! 

Let us observe this by using Flamenco as an example. It is rarely known that this dance originates from Indian classical dance called Kathak (which itself is a merge of Indian tradition and Muslim Sufi influence). While travelling across Balkans and ultimately to Spain, nomadic Indian tribes, today known as Gypsies, delivered the pieces of their tradition to the people they met along the way. Their influence on European dances certainly deserves a separate text, because they sifted each dance they adopted throughout their own tradition, which they cultivated lovingly but gladly adding elements from other cultures at the same time – which led them to leave their mark wherever they went. But, from all the people they met, only fiery Spaniards recognized and fell in love with that already alternated Kathak form that Gypsies had introduced them to. Adding strong influence of the Arabic culture over the Iberian Peninsula into that equation – thus Flamenco, as we know it today, was born. And we regard it as a Spanish traditional dance.     

I strongly underline that to transfer classical or traditional forms into some other styles might take decades, at least. But somebody had to initiate the whole process. Not to say that every choreography you make by blending classical with contemporary might be the initial spark of gigantic proportions in the dance world, but it would definitely be a link in chain, leading to changes. Which alone carries responsibility… 

Folklore styles in fusions

Folklore is a common people’s type of dance. Rarely with religious connotation, it is tightly bonded with various aspects of a certain culture. And mind you, not only did the classical dances convey the culture, it was also done through folklore, though in a different manner. Despite classical counterparts, where dancers are trained for performance, folklore is more spontaneous, less rigid and more accepted by a wider population on account of being more available. Folklore is danced at celebrations and important social events, and dancers are usually common folk. And that gives it life; that changes it, reshapes it and makes it long-lasting. The best comparison would be with toys – classical being a porcelain doll, beautiful but highly precious to be used daily, so it is better kept in a glass menagerie, so we could admire it for centuries; on the other hand, folklore is your favorite toy, which you carry with you everywhere you go, and which will undoubtedly get dirty, battered and receive various roles as its owner grows over years.   

Since folklore is fluid, it is being reshaped spontaneously – although not by professional choreographers, but the common folk. Direction of its change is not easy to predict, because it can be influenced by geography, historical events, political and social turmoil… Many folklore styles will incorporate significant occurrences. For example, it might increase or decrease the influence of another culture or decide on a level of gender equality, in a way that some styles reshape themselves from being exclusively masculine to those who involve women. But it has to happen spontaneously.   

If you wish to perform authentic folklore, you should not be the one who initiate the changes in the style. Mind the details, from the placement of arms or feet, to costume characteristics. Those who are familiar with that culture will not miss those details, since they reveal how well you know the dance or even the tradition. A telltale sign could even be a costume color (in India white is a color that represents grieving, while green is widely associated with Muslim population) or a pattern (each Scottish tribe had its own distinctive kilt tartan). 

So why am I giving even more warnings here than in the part about classical dances? Simply – more members of population are familiar with folklore than classical dances, since the latter might have been forgotten over time. Therefore, when performing folklore, you might receive more comments from natives. Moreover, you might offend them. 

This is the reason to be careful. Which does not mean to immediately give up on any ideas of that sort… Just familiarize yourself thoroughly with the current situation. Let me illustrate – folklore dances of Rajasthani nomadic tribes, Northern India, are considered national treasure and great attention is devoted to their preservation in the original form, even more since the number of tribesmen is lessening as modern times step in. This is why the whole nation looks kindly upon those who cherish that dance in its original form. As oppose to that, Bhangra, a dance from a neighboring region, has become globally famous, and because of its catchy tunes and fast rhythm, it has almost reached a status of alternative to Zumba. The dance itself has survived so many transformations and fusions, that now it presents a real challenge to come up with something completely new.  

Contemporary fusions

After all those warnings about respecting tradition and culture, option of merging two contemporary styles must look as the safest. Is it, though?

Contemporary goes hand by hand with modern trends. Many of them are made artificially, intentionally, or “pre-ordered” from a famous professional choreographer. A music video can start a whole new style or make some other widely popular. It is not surprising then that an artist could use the momentum as an inspiration.

At short glance, seem that contemporary works without any rules or boundaries. But they are there, nevertheless. Beside theory, which is the root of all choreography creation, the focus should be on idea and utility.

Each choreography should have a guiding idea. It could be a story told through movements, movements depicting the lyrics, a specific movement pattern or a prop, to enhance the visual level. If one intertwines movements from two or more styles randomly, especially while improvising, it might be perceived only as a display of a dancer’s knowledge. And increases the chances of getting audience confused rather than impressed.   

Which leads us to utility. If the utility of a choreography is everything that is written above – revise the idea’s utility and adjust your performance accordingly. Perhaps many find the utility in exploration of their own abilities (as a dancer as well as a choreographer) or pushing the boundaries of dance itself. But that does not justify the lack of the basic idea, because you can achieve all that while keeping inside a certain style vocabulary. Utility can also be provoking the audience to react (especially with unexpected fusions), creating a choreography upon request (for a movie, music video… or as a cultural merge, acknowledging the natives in the audience) or presenting two styles as antipodes in the choreography setting. 

And the crucial question – knowing a style or just being familiar with it?

There is no exact moment or a time period when you officially know a certain style. Learning is a journey, not a destination, and without it you are not only staying put but rather going backwards! This is why I consider “knowing a style” a serious commitment, with a constant practice and growth. Opposite to it is “being familiar with” – that is an encounter that has enriched your dance vocabulary or has inspired you.     

Each performer has a responsibility towards themselves and then the audience (and, of course, students, if any) to divide a list of dance styles into these two columns. And be honest! If you know a larger number of styles than those you are familiar with, then it is either the case that you weren’t quite objective or you are reluctant towards learning something new – and none is very commendable.   

The golden rule of fusion is knowing one style and being familiar with other(s). That will make the former your base, while others will be used as decorations. Those decorations (such as: movement, body posture, prop, costume…) still require spending some time doing an online research or talking to an expert. Sometimes, if you select only a couple of moves and perform them correctly, they will double their worth!

Approaching fusions superficially might result in negative reviews and diminishing your dance reputation; therefore, invest a lot of time gathering the information and creating a concept before you carelessly step on the stage with untrained moves and ill-conceived performance. 

But that does not mean that I advise you to give up on the whole idea because it is demanding and risky. All the more, just boldly go ahead! And do not get discouraged if your fusion is not received well with the audience, but analyze the reasons behind the failure…and then continue working on yourself, getting better and better each time you step on that stage!