Trevor Copp and Jeff Fox: Ballroom dance that breaks gender roles
Trevor Copp, Jeff Fox: Balli da sala che rompono i ruoli di genere
Trevor Copp is known for innovative social justice theater that blends physicality, image and narrative. Full bioJeff Fox - Dancer
Jeff Fox is a professional dancer, competitor, choreographer who has won professional titles in American Smooth, Rhythm, Theatre Arts and Showdance. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
è andato in onda "Ballando con le stelle"
first hit the airwaves,
ballroom dance instructors
di ballo a tempo pieno
il revival del ballo di coppia,
"Volpi che trottano?!"
geeking out that we had always done
sapere tutto sui balli di coppia
than the competitive rumba
in modo diverso della rumba competitiva
sia più conosciuto del valzer,
la consapevolezza del pubblico,
the public consciousness,
non si sa come, dei fighi...
somehow, we were cool --
per i seminari di formazione
would get together for training seminars
cambiavamo i ruoli
dal dover condurre tutto le volte.
to lead all the time.
modo per cambiare i ruoli
for switching lead and follow
questo sistema per uno spettacolo
as part of a performance
si è accorto di noi.
on the shoulder.
and director of a playwright center,
e direttore di un Centro di Drammaturgia,
dopo lo show e ha detto:
che questa è politica?"
how political that was?"
di 8 anni per uno spettacolo
collaboration to create a play
our system for switching
il nostro metodo di scambio,
of being locked into a single role,
di essere intrappolati in un solo ruolo,
da sala non sono solo tecniche di ballo;
isn't just a system of dancing;
dei valori di un'epoca.
consistent, though:
o una gara di tango è la stessa cosa:
it's all the same --
una formazione di genere.
e a fare la donna.
non le buttate via,
you don't throw it out,
that this is the past.
che quello è il passato.
respect it, revive it -- great!
rispettalo, riprendilo -- grandioso!
il nostro modo di pensare.
del ballo con partner?
of partner dancing
del ballo in coppia
the other one follows.
e un'altra segue.
a prescindere dal ruolo di ciascuno.
regardless of who's playing which role.
gliene frega niente del vostro genere.
give a crap about your gender.
le forme esistenti,
more representative
qui, oggi, nel 2015.
non guardate solo cosa c'è.
don't just watch what's there.
da un uomo e una donna.
only a man or a woman.
couples just disappear.
o di genere non conforme scompaiono.
ballroom competitions,
delle competizioni internazionali,
coppie dello stesso sesso,
recognized on the floor,
ne proibisce l'ammissione.
"professional Latin dancer,"
professionisti in balli sudamericani",
of white, straight Russian couples
coppie bianche, russe e etero
color mogano.
there are no Asians,
niente asiatici,
just disappeared.
non-bianche semplicemente spariscono.
couple-only paradigm --
solo-coppia-bianca-etero --
would never stand for this.
riusciremmo mai a sopportarlo.
straight or anything --
etero o qualunque altra --
or functional looks like that,
sana o funzionale può essere così,
you slap some makeup on it,
ci si mette un po' di trucco,
as movement, not as text,
come movimento e non come testo,
la nostra stessa assenza.
scomparse dal ballo in coppia.
from partner dancing.
due uomini danzare insieme.
two men dancing together.
dello stesso sesso dicono
ballroom circuit can attest
con partner dello stesso sesso
can be dynamic and strong and exciting,
closed ballroom hold ...
classica chiusa del ballo in coppia ...
must be larger and masculine
deve essere più grande e maschile
from a totally different angle.
un'angolazione totalmente diversa.
the idea of lead and follow
l'idea di chi conduce e chi segue
was connected to gender?
sia connesso al genere?
could lead and follow each other
condurre e seguire
come una conversazione,
proprio come facciamo nella vita?
just like we do in life?
"Danza a guida liquida".
called the cross-body lead.
chiamato 'cross-body lead'.
per finire l'improvvisazione.
to break up the improvisation.
se non siete abituati a cercarlo,
if you're not used to looking for it,
to this transitional step,
per questo passo di transizione,
si possono scambiare.
to take over the lead,
scegliere di condurre,
to surrender it,
può scegliere di cederla,
a counter-cross-body lead.
con un contro cross-body lead.
when we danced it in the opening dance.
lo abbiamo ballato in apertura.
the dance moves from being a dictation
il ballo cambia da una dettatura
Chiunque può seguire.
you can change your mind.
si può cambiare idea.
of how this applies,
un esempio di come si applica,
anything can happen.
può succedere di tutto.
could apply to a classic waltz.
si può applicare al valzer classico.
per cambiare la conduzione,
the dance itself more efficient.
la danza stessa più efficiente.
traveling backwards,
where they're going.
vedere dove si sta andando.
che viene diritto verso di voi.
of accidents out there
of this blind spot.
di questo punto cieco.
were to just allow for
se il partner permettesse
but allowed this switch to happen,
per tutto il ballo, con questo scambio,
offering new aesthetics into the waltz.
offrirebbe una nuova estetica al valzer.
about your gender.
del vostro genere.
nei club, nei centri congressi
in clubs, convention centers
the play we created with Lisa,
"First Dance" ideato con Lisa,
di due uomini che ballano insieme,
of seeing two men dancing together,
nella nostra dimostrazione iniziale
Lisa see our initial demonstration
nel seguire e condurre,
switching lead and follow;
aspetto, la nostra personalità
in our presence, our personality
of which role we were playing.
dal ruolo che avevamo.
by whichever role you're playing,
da qualunque ruolo stiate interpretando,
true to yourself.
sempre veri a sé stessi.
to look like, or a follow.
chi conduce o chi segue.
anche fuori dalle piste da ballo,
off the dance floor as well,
the perfect opportunity
la perfetta opportunità
reinvigorate an old relic,
rivitalizzare un'antichità,
of our era and our current way of being.
epoca e all'attuale modo di vivere.
all the time with women and men
con donne e uomini
that this is a historic form
che questa è una forma storica
and produce invisibility
e produrre invisibilità
that we enjoy today.
che abbiamo la possibilità di vivere oggi.
all the ideas that don't belong to us
da tutte le idee che non ci appartengono
to what it really always was:
a ciò che realmente è sempre stato:
l'uno dell'altro.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Trevor Copp - Artistic directorTrevor Copp is known for innovative social justice theater that blends physicality, image and narrative.
Why you should listen
Trevor Copp was a full-time ballroom dance instructor and regional Fred Astaire's Canada American Style Latin/Ballroom Champion. He retired from teaching to pursue his love of theater and now runs Tottering Biped Theatre, a professional theater company emphasizing social justice and highly physical work in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Copp has performed in over 30 international cities and theater festivals. The salsa scene keeps him dancing, however. Locally, he coaches the World Salsa Champions, and internationally he's an avid salsa tourist, having danced it in 13 countries so far.
Copp and Jeff Fox met as colleagues during their shared tenure with Fred Astaire's Canada and remained friends after Copp retired from teaching. They would dance at social occasions where they developed their "playing fair" method of sharing the lead, which caught the eye of local dramaturge, Lisa O’Connell. Thus began the theatrical collaboration which led to the creation of a full-length Ballroom Dance/Theatre production, "First Dance," about the development of the first dance for a same sex wedding. Through building the show they formalized their "Liquid Lead" concept and continue to tour the piece at regional professional theaters, festivals and even as part of an international dance festival in Tirana, Albania. In 2015 Alida Esmail, a former student of Copp's, championed the TEDx Montreal proposal and graciously volunteered to help the Fox and Copp demonstrate their work on the TEDx stage.
Trevor Copp | Speaker | TED.com
Jeff Fox - Dancer
Jeff Fox is a professional dancer, competitor, choreographer who has won professional titles in American Smooth, Rhythm, Theatre Arts and Showdance.
Why you should listen
After graduating with an honors degree in psychology, Jeff Fox entered the world of dance in the fall of 2000 almost by accident, investigating an ad out of curiosity, and he hasn't looked back. Working as a full-time instructor, choreographer and competitor, Fox has taught hundreds of students and won professional titles in American Smooth, Rhythm, Theatre Arts and Showdance. In addition to his ballroom work, Fox is a double black belt martial artist and creates lyrical contemporary work focusing on the universal experiences we all share, which has been featured in festivals across southern Ontario, Canada.
Fox and Trevor Copp met as colleagues during their shared tenure with Fred Astaire's Canada and remained friends after Copp retired from teaching. They would dance at social occasions where they developed their "playing fair" method of sharing the lead, which caught the eye of local dramaturge, Lisa O’Connell. Thus began the theatrical collaboration which led to the creation of a full-length Ballroom Dance/Theatre production, "First Dance," about the development of the first dance for a same sex wedding. Through building the show they formalized their "Liquid Lead" concept and continue to tour the piece at regional professional theaters, festivals and even as part of an international dance festival in Tirana, Albania. In 2015 Alida Esmail, a former student of Copp's, championed the TEDx Montreal proposal and graciously volunteered to help the Fox and Copp demonstrate their work on the TEDx stage.
Jeff Fox | Speaker | TED.com