Choreographer Bill T. Jones on 鈥淎fterwardsness," his pandemic masterpiece
When pandemic ended his ambitious plans, dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones felt all was lost. But then: he created a masterpiece.
When faced with a crisis, how do you move forward? Sometimes, you look backward first. It鈥檚 March 2020, and legendary choreographer Bill T. Jones is weeks away from an ambitious world premiere when his company is forced into lockdown. All seems lost. But what comes next paves the way for a transcendent performance at the Park Avenue Armory called 鈥淎fterwardsness鈥� 鈥� one of the only large-scale performances held anywhere during the pandemic. On Spark & Fire, the larger-than-life Bill T. Jones tells this powerful story of creative grit, love of art and reckoning with legacy 鈥� in his own fierce, fiery, funny words. He鈥檚 joined at times by his Associate Artistic Director, Janet Wong, and together they offer inspiration and ideas to fuel your own creative journey.
In 1982, Bill T. Jones co-founded the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company with his partner Arnie Zane. Jones is the company鈥檚 artistic director and choreographer; he鈥檚 also won two Tony awards for work on Broadway. He is a 1994 MacArthur Fellow and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2013. Follow on Instagram at @billtjonesarniezaneco
Get the transcript and amazing photos at sparkandfire.com/billtjones
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This episode was shortlisted for a 2021 Webby for Best Individual Episode. Of any podcast. Do you know how many individual podcast episodes were made in the past 12 months? Conservatively, one zillion. Yes it's that good.
