[中][ENG] 澳洲編舞獎 Keir Choreographic Award in Australia
放眼舞林 An Eye on Dance
澳洲編舞獎 Keir Choreographic Award in Australia
Angela Conquet（最右）與KCA 2018的國際評委會成員Angela Conquet (first on the right) and International jury of KCA 2018 (左起from left) 陳頌瑛Anna CY Chan, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Christophe Slagmuylder, and Lucy Guerin; 攝Photo: Gregory Lorenzutti for Dancehouse
三月時我被邀到澳洲，與另外五位傑出的同業一同擔任本年度Keir Choreographic Award（KCA）的國際評委會成員。這五位同業包括：澳洲著名編舞家Lucy Guerin；美國編舞、作家、舞者及策展人Ishmael Houston-Jones；匈牙利編舞、舞者及表演家Eszter Salamon；布魯塞爾的國際藝術節Kunstenfestivaldesarts藝術總監Christophe Slagmuylder；以布魯塞爾為大本營的著名美國編舞及舞蹈家Meg Stuart。KCA與亞洲其他地區的編舞獎項不同，它側重支持新作品、促進作品巡演，以及鼓勵論述和對話。本期我將分享我與獎項創辦人Phillip Keir，以及獎項籌委Dancehouse藝術總監Angela Conquet的一場對談。
In March I was invited to Australia as a member of the International jury of the 2018 Keir Choreographic Award (KCA) along with five distinguished colleagues: Australian dance icon Lucy Guerin; U.S. choreographer, author, performer, and curator Ishmael Houston-Jones; Hungarian choreographer, dancer, and performer Eszter Salamon; Christophe Slagmuylder, artistic director of the international arts festival Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels; and, acclaimed Brussels-based American choreographer and dancer Meg Stuart. Unlike other competition type awards in Asia, KCA focuses on supporting new works, promoting their circulation and encouraging discourse and dialogue. For this edition of the journal, I would like to share my conversation with KCA founder Phillip Keir and the organizer, Angela Conquet, Artistic Director of Dancehouse.
陳（陳頌瑛）：Phillip，「比賽」這個字眼常引起舞蹈界眾多爭議，為何你仍有為舞蹈業界舉辦比賽的念頭？
Anna (Anna CY Chan): Phillip, why did you have this idea to have a competition, when the word 'competition' can be very controversial, why did you want to do this for dance?
Philip（Phillip Keir）：首先我們更傾向稱此項目為一個獎項，不是比賽。我認為這個獎項最重要的是能令新作品得以被委約，使更多人可以觀賞，令作品可以在墨爾本及悉尼上演，或能令更多澳洲地區的人可以看到這些作品。這個獎項亦希望能夠幫助參賽者在海外發展他們的作品，故此，本年度我們先邀請一個班底強勁的國際評委會，並在墨爾本邀請國際製作人代表團前來欣賞這些被委約的作品。
Philip (Phillip Keir): First of all, we call it an award rather than a competition. I think what is very important about the award is new works being commissioned and many people get to see it, so that's why we have Melbourne and Sydney performances, and hopefully the wider country gets to see the work. The Award would hopefully help those in a competition to develop their works outside, so as you know this time, there is a strong international jury and we also have an international delegates program in Melbourne, which invites producers to come and see the commissioned works.
Stop-Go; 編舞Choreographer: Branch Nebula; 攝Photo: Gregory Lorenzutti for Dancehouse
陳：Angela，Phillip是如何說服你籌辨這個編舞獎？
Anna: Angela, how did Phillip Keir convince you to organize this choreographic Award?
Angela（Angela Conquet） ：我必須承認我對比賽模式是非常抗拒的，因為來自歐洲的我，明白很多不同比賽的模式衍生於歐洲舞蹈生態下的機制內。然而，我留意到墨爾本的舞蹈界，特別是獨立的界別，有一項特徵，就是舞蹈同業之間的互助和友愛。亦因這種同業互助令他們互相參與大家的作品，給予對方建議亦比較客氣和自滿。這情況明顯是由於墨爾本舞蹈界的規模小，當你由一個舞團轉到另一個舞團、參與一個又一個項目，所有人都會透過互相的工作而認識。我猜也許因為業界的這種緊密關係，局限了靈感和想法的深度交流，令他們「安全」地原地踏步。而Dancehouse是一個靈活的組織，我們希望能帶領業界一同冒險、思考及同行，因此我覺得不防嘗試舉辦這個獎項。
Angela (Angela Conquet): I must say I was very reluctant to go into a competition mode because coming from a European context, there's a lot of competitions embedded in the very mechanism of the landscape. However, I did notice that there is one thing characterizing the Melbourne dance landscape, and particularly in the independent sector, a huge collegiality and camaraderie that exist between the dance makers. I also realized that kind of collegiality came with a slight complacency in the way they were giving feedback to each other, how they were all involved in everyone’s work; obviously it’s due to the size of the dance landscape, but when you circulate from one company to another one; one project to another, and then everyone meets at somebody else’s project, then I guess it’s a little to do with how the inspiration and influence circulate, and keep you in the safety zone. So then because Dancehouse likes to think that we are a nimble organization and we want to risk, think, and move with the arts so I thought why not give the idea a go.
唯一條件是我必須能藉此處理兩項非常重要的事情：第一是由於澳洲舞蹈界缺乏國內巡演的基礎設施，此計劃必須想辦法促使作品可巡演到澳洲其他州份；第二則是引起更多舞蹈相關的對話和論述。如果這個比賽是為了提高媒體對舞蹈的關注，從而吸引更多觀眾，我們不能忽略與觀眾和業界對話和論述這一層。論述是針對專業的群體，而對話則是用一種容易理解的方式表述作品，使觀眾能更投入參與。今年第三屆，我認為在策劃這些公眾活動時，已從豐富、多元、及迎合不同需要的層面達到我們一直期望的成果。
The only condition for me was to address two other things that are enormously important: one is the circulation of dance to other Australian states as the industry here has no infrastructure for dance to circulate; and, second is to bring dialogue and discourse around the art form. If the competition as such was about raising the profile of the art form for the media in order to attract more audiences, then it had to come with another layer, which was dialogue and discourse. Discourse for the professional community, and dialogue as a way of framing the works in an accessible way for audiences to engage with. Hence the rich, diverse, and with different access levels for the public program in this third edition, which is I think what we have always wanted it to be.
Keir 編舞獎的頒獎禮Keir Choreographic Award Ceremony; 攝Photo: Yaya Stempler
陳：你會如何比較這編舞獎和你在歐洲或其他地方遇過的比賽？
Anna: In your opinion how do you compare this competition with other competitions that you’ve encountered in Europe or other parts of the world?
Angela：首先，對藝術家來說，這是一個獲得全額資助機會，以及與資助伙伴建立一個有願景的合夥關係。我們為藝術家提供一切創作所需，包括時間、金錢、空間和製作支援，令他們不用籌款或申請其他資助去創作。另外，獎項亦會帶一些被選中的作品到悉尼演出，令作品被更多人觀賞及更廣泛分享。第二，這個編舞獎是針對新創作，因此KCA可算是為澳洲激發新作和新編舞意念最重要的一個獎項。我認為這個獎項很重要，因為它說出了澳洲藝術家在這當下正全神貫注、投入參與的是甚麼。這個獎項也是捕捉澳洲編舞脈搏的最好指標，甚至是唯一指標。比如每兩年一度的Dance Massive其實是經過策展和篩選的藝術節。我想世上無一個比賽可以做到這樣，可能除了由Boris Charmat在巴黎發起的Danse Elargie獎吧，但贏得這個獎的藝術家沒有酬勞，亦只能表演五分鐘。
Angela: First, this is a fully funded opportunity for the artists and a visionary partnership with the funding partners. We offer to the artists everything artists need to make a new work: time, money, space, and production support, so artists don't have to raise more money or apply for another grant to make the work. Also embedded in the process of the Award, some of the works will be selected and go to Sydney to perform, which increases visibility and circulation of the works. Secondly, the choreographic award is about new work, and as such the Keir Award, is probably the most important generator of new works and new choreographic ideas in Australia. I think it’s important because it says something about what are Australian artists in this precise moment in time preoccupied with. And I think it’s the best indicator of taking the pulse of what these choreographic concerns might be, and there's no other opportunity in Australia to see this. For example, the bi-annual Dance Massive is a festival but it is a curated festival, there was a choice that was made there. And I think no other competition in the world does this, except, perhaps, Danse Elargie initiated by Boris Charmatz in Paris, but the artists are not remunerated and they present five minutes of work.
The Wetness; 編舞Choreographer: Bhenji Ra; Photo: Gregory Lorenzutti for Dancehouse
陳：我亦留意到這編舞獎沒有區分新晉藝術家或有經驗的藝術家，這是基於甚麼原因？澳洲藝術家又如何看待這個比賽的意念？
Anna: I also notice that in this competition you don't categorize emerging artists or established artists, what is the rationale behind this? How do the Australian artists take on this idea of competition?
Angela：這個獎項並不只屬於某一類型的舞蹈藝術家，其實澳洲已有專門表揚相關新晉作品的活動或藝術節。這個獎項是有關新的編舞意念，我們希望鼓勵不同世代的藝術家參與。因此，這不是專屬某一界別的機會，就算是營運主要舞團的藝術家，或是屬其他範疇的藝術家、但有意與編舞合作的皆可參與。這算是擴闊對現今編舞想象的手法，始終編舞並不只是把身體置於空間之中。
Angela: The Award is never for a particular category of dance makers because for that we have specific initiatives or festivals, which are dedicated to present emerging work here and then. The Award is about new choreographic ideas and we like to encourage multi-generations of artists to apply. So it is not a specific opportunity for a specific sector, even artists who run major companies can apply because it’s a choreographic work, or artists who are from a different art form, but would like to work with the choreographer. It is a sort of an expanded approach to what choreography is today, because choreography is not only about placing bodies in space.
Post Reality Vision; 編舞Choreographer: Nana Bilus Abaffy; 攝Photo: Zan Wimberley
陳：舉辦過三屆編舞獎後，你認為這個獎項對澳洲的舞蹈發展有什麼改變或影響？
Anna: After running this competition for the third time, do you see any change of landscape or impact on the dance development in Australia?
Angela：我留意到有兩方面的影響。首先，藝術家相當期待這些創作的機會，更會思考往後如何將作品繼續發展及將其提升。在我看來，藝術家能就他們的創作有一個長遠的策略和路向，而非視作單次的演出是一件好事。另一個重大的影響則與公眾活動有關。我們邀請了其他教育者及思想家參與，花時間與本地社群相處和工作、舉辦講座和對談，希望鼓勵意見交流、建立論述，以及在網上分享成果供大眾參考。我們正建立一套工具和資源，包括批判性的論述和供大眾收聽的廣播節目，也許這是KCA最大的貢獻。
Angela: I have seen two areas: I have seen artists really looking forward to these opportunities as a way to make new work, and most of them are really thinking beyond the work and how they can grow the work, how can they re-work it and how can they present it further. I think it's great that the artists have a long-term approach to their works, not a single one-off season somewhere. The other important area comes from the public program. We invite other pedagogues and thinkers to come and spend time with the community here, work with them, do lectures, conversations, something that encourages circulation of ideas and generates discourse, and online content that people go back and refer to, and as such, we are building a whole set of tools and resources, and critical discourse, and also podcasts, which are much more for the general public, and I think as such... I would say it’s probably the biggest contribution of the Keir Award.
陳：最後，Phillip你認為這個獎項可如何更上一層樓？你有甚麼計劃，或打算讓它自然發展嗎？
Anna: Lastly, Phillip how would you see taking this Keir Award to the next level, or do you have any plan or you just let it evolve accordingly?
Philip：歷屆的編舞獎已隨情況逐漸發展，我想評委會定必更邁向國際，而且我們亦已就甚麼是舞蹈和動作表演建立了一定的討論。我們在首屆只頒發獎項，第二屆舉辦了一些小型的公眾活動，而今屆則為較大型的公眾活動。我們有討論活動，部分評委參與演出，我們亦舉辦了工作坊。我們希望能從中提取或梳理清楚舞蹈或動作的本質，以及構成表演，令廣大的公眾和藝術界能對當代世界舞蹈發展有更深刻的洞見。
Philip: It has been evolving in the sense that gradually I think the juries become more international and also what we have developed over time is a pool of discussions about what dance is or what movement performance is about, so initially the first time we did this, it was just the award, and then the next time, we had some small public programs and this time, we have a much larger public program, we have discussions, we have performances with some of the jury members, we have also workshops, so what we want to do is to extract or to tease out what is dance or what is movement and how does performance work. So that the broader public or the broader arts will and get more of the insight into what was happening around the world.
=== 陳頌瑛 Anna CY Chan
西九管理局表演藝術主管（舞蹈）
Head of Dance, Performing Arts, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA)
