Process in practice: Aszure Barton reflects on her upcoming collaboration with 92NY 

This May, Aszure Barton is participating in the 92^nd Street Y (92NY)’s Women Move the World Harkness Mainstage Series. “It is an honor,” she says, to be able to share a mix of both new and previously performed works that will conclude the season at 92NY. When Alison Manning, co-director of the Harkness Dance Center, asked Barton to present a piece in this production, it was an immediate yes. Barton brings together world-class dancers drawn from collaborations with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Hamburg Ballet, Limón Dance Company and others – artists with whom she’s found undeniable creative kinship. 

Barton describes her collective, Aszure Barton and Artists (AB&A), as more of a lab rather than a company, which is evident in the way she organizes her rehearsal process. Barton’s creation process is one based in community and collaboration. “It is always an evolution,” Barton states when describing her method. At the center of her rehearsals is a deep openness and attunement to the present moment. “I am obsessed with the process; if I could live in the studio, I would.” Her goal is to respond to the human beings that are in the space, creating a conversation with the dancers. At the core of her dance making is the art of allowing new movement to emerge, through being in continuous dialogue with the dancers. She arrives with choreography prepared but leaves space to see what is already there, how the dancers respond, how shifts and edits emerge. This collective response is what Barton finds so interesting, moving away from hierarchy and into a place of thoughtful dialogue. 

Dancers from around the world will join her upcoming performance; some have been dancing with her for over 20 years, while others have joined the collective just recently. Barton looks for artists who are open, curious and kind. “If you can shine, and also be invisible,” says Barton “now that is an amazing skill.” Barton is interested in a sense of gentleness, dancers showing up to the rehearsal process as a human being rather than trying to prove skill or talent. She is drawn toward those who are “not precious about being right” and have a “work hard, play hard” mentality. Barton is eager to collaborate with dancers who share a similar interest to her in both mystery and mathematics. There is a remarkable duality that Barton gravitates toward when choosing artists, carefully molding a work environment where new ideas flow freely with ease. Among each artist performing in her upcoming show, a sense of trust is at the core. A feeling that when entering the studio, Barton will be supported both as a human and within her creative endeavor. 

For Barton, making positive change in the world as a choreographer and a human being are the same. With care at the center of all that one does, she believes dance can be one path forward to making meaningful shifts in the world. “People underestimate its power. And that can move everything,” Barton says. As audience members experience the performance in May, Barton hopes that they walk away with something they can’t quite put into words. Maybe there is a new feeling that begins to arise and they leave wanting more. Rather than telling the audience exactly how she wants them to feel, Barton places great importance on leaving space for interpretation.

Barton finds inspiration to create work through feelings of loss and loneliness. A feeling that there is a sense of impermanence in all that we do, in and outside of the studio. Loss is something that she has come to terms with, and the practice of being in process is one that helps to digest those feelings. Live music also plays an important role in Barton’s inspiration. There is a sense of mystery that is apparent in both dance and music: “a reality is created without telling you how to feel,” Barton states. Dance allows the viewer to decide how they want to feel, creating an experience that holds no limitations. Barton spent years trying to understand her work as she was creating it. Now, rather than searching for meaning, she simply allows emotions and thoughts to arise on their own time. She is amazed at the finished products, often unsure of how she arrived there. A finished product that is anchored toward asking questions rather than giving away answers. 

In order to create something new, Barton has spent years giving herself permission to let things fall apart. “If I try to be too heady about it, it ruins the magic,” Barton comments. Her creative practice has been a life-long journey in letting go, finding a balance between organized creation, and allowing movement to create its own shape. It is within this space of lessening the grip and giving way to the process, that she is able to produce work that feels most fulfilling. Barton comments on the fact that she “creates all these different lives, and then leaves them somewhere.”

There is a kind of fleeting energy that will be challenging to leave at the conclusion of her performance at the 92NY, but she knows that is part of the process, one that she has come to terms with. As Barton begins this new rehearsal process, she feels a sense of admiration for the dancers, and hopes the audience can hold space for their beauty. 

An Evening with Aszure Barton will be presented at the 92^nd Street Y on May 21. For tickets and more information, visit www.92ny.org/event/an-evening-with-aszure-barton.

By Rachel Marchica of Dance Informa.

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