October Issue 1999
Davidson Painter Herb Jackson Sets the Stage for a Dance Premiere
A unique collaboration of visual artists will fill Charlotte, NC's Blumenthal Center's Belk Theatre with color and motion on the weekend of Oct. 1 and 2, and give art lovers a revealing look at the creative process.
Herb Jackson, a renowned abstract painter and professor of art at Davidson College, has produced the canvas upon which North Carolina Dance Theatre artistic director Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux will create a performance by his troupe on those two evenings. Photos of Jackson's painting in succeeding phases of its creation will be projected onto the floor and back wall of the stage and onto the dancers themselves, covering them with changing colors as if they were inside the painting.
The final projection will reveal Jackson's finished work. When the dancers leave the stage, Jackson will speak to the audience, and then the artwork itself will be put up for auction, with proceeds benefitting NCDT.
This is a brand new form of dance presentation, according to Bonnefoux, and he has chosen to produce and premiere it to help kick off the NCDT's 30th Anniversary Season. "I have always thought Herb's work is so theatrical," said Bonnefoux, "It's a different world and you want to enter into that world."
Likewise, Jackson is a long-time supporter and subscriber to NCDT performances, and has served on its regional board of advisors. "I love dancers, their intensity and their grace." Jackson said. "And they work so hard for their art and the community for such little financial reward."
After the two men met at an NCDT event, Bonnefoux asked to visit Jackson in his studio. During that visit he became intrigued by Jackson's creative process, layering coats and coats of paint on canvas at the same time he scratches and scrapes the canvas to reveal previous coats and bring complexity and depth to the final work. "It was so inspiring to see his paintings," said Bonnefoux. "I told him right there I wanted to work with him some day."
As they talked further, Bonnefoux developed his ideas for a production designed to give audiences insight into the artistic process. "I don't think people have any idea what Herb goes through to come to the final result, and I think that will be interesting for people to see,'' said Bonnefoux.
For his part in the collaboration. Jackson allowed a photographer to record the 20" x 40" painting at 16 stages of its creation. During the premiere it will be projected on the Belk Theatre's back wall and floor through light cannons at 12 times life size, 40 feet by 20 feet.
Bonnefoux said he will mirror that glimpse at Jackson's artistic process through the choreography of his dance. "I will have groups of dancers on stage who perform separately, then have them moving together to show how individual movements blend in the final composition," he said.
Jackson said he never dreamed of being part of a dance creation, and is especially pleased to have been asked by Bonnefoux. "It's an immense honor to be on the stage with NCDT,'' said Jackson. "It's incredible that Charlotte has this level of dance company. A lot of folks haven't seen them and don't know how world class they are."
The creation will also reinforce Bonnefoux's reputation as an innovative artist who is putting Charlotte on the national map of dance. Since he began directing the troupe in 1996, the NCDT budget has doubled to $2.7 million, and he has staged several world premiers. Last year he engineered another successful collaboration with a visual artist, projecting huge images of dancers in performance on big screens on the stage, giving the audience an entirely different perspective on the dance as it occurred.
He emphasized that working with Jackson will not only present a new collaboration to the audience, but should also contribute to his own personal artistic growth. He said, "I work frequently with musicians, but it takes a little courage to try something new. However, the new technology is very exciting to explore. I believe this work will help me become more than what I am now."
Jackson is donating the painting, which has a retail value of more than $5,000, to the NCDT, and photographer David Ramsey donated his service as well. Charlotte gallery owner Jerald Melberg is also donating 1,000 posters of the painting to NCDT so that all patrons at the premiere can take home at least some rendition of the work they will see on stage. NCDT officials say the auction and poster sales will go a long way toward helping meet the organization's fundraising goal of $632,000 this year.
Born in France, Bonnefoux joined the Paris Opera Ballet at
age 14 and was named "Danseur Étoile" at 21.
He has danced also with the Bolshoi, Kirov and New York City ballet
companies. Since his final performance in 1980, he has dedicated
himself to work as an artistic director, choreographer and teacher.
For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings
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