Trevor Copp and Jeff Fox: Ballroom dance that breaks gender roles
Trevor Copp e Jeff Fox: A dança de salão que quebra as regras do gênero
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.
que a "Dança dos Famosos" foi ao ar,
first hit the airwaves,
ballroom dance instructors
de dança em horário integral
da dança de salão à TV,
geeking out that we had always done
técnicas nas quais insistíamos
than the competitive rumba
e a rumba de competição,
the public consciousness,
começou a ter consciência disso,
somehow, we were cool --
da noite para o dia, "os caras",
would get together for training seminars
juntos em seminários, ou só por diversão,
nisso de conduzir o tempo todo.
to lead all the time.
for switching lead and follow
para alternar os papéis,
de lugar e sermos justos.
as part of a performance
esse sistema numa apresentação,
tapinha nos ombros.
on the shoulder.
and director of a playwright center,
e diretora de um centro teatral,
da dimensão política disso?"
how political that was?"
de oito anos na criação de uma peça
collaboration to create a play
our system for switching
mais nosso sistema de troca,
de se ficar travado num único papel
of being locked into a single role,
por esse único papel.
isn't just a system of dancing;
não é apenas um sistema de dança;
de todo um período.
consistent, though:
it's all the same --
competição de tango, é tudo igual:
you don't throw it out,
that this is the past.
ao passado, que não são o presente.
respeitar, reviver... maravilha!
respect it, revive it -- great!
of partner dancing
the other one follows.
e a outra acompanhar.
independente de quem faça o quê.
regardless of who's playing which role.
give a crap about your gender.
a mínima para o gênero.
de como interagimos aqui, agora, em 2015.
more representative
não enxerguem apenas o que está lá.
don't just watch what's there.
only a man or a woman.
um homem e uma mulher...
e de gêneros não conformistas desaparecem.
couples just disappear.
internacionais de dança de salão,
ballroom competitions,
recognized on the floor,
do mesmo sexo dançando
proíbem isso completamente.
"professional Latin dancer,"
"dançarino latino profissional",
of white, straight Russian couples
de casais brancos, russos e héteros,
até ficarem da cor do mogno.
there are no Asians,
não há asiáticos,
just disappeared.
praticamente desapareceram.
couple-only paradigm --
"casal-hétero-branco",
would never stand for this.
apoiaríamos uma coisa destas:
straight or anything --
seja gay, hétero, o que for,
or functional looks like that,
saudável ou funcional seria assim
you slap some makeup on it,
damos uma maquiada,
as movement, not as text,
como movimento, não como texto.
from partner dancing.
demais da dança de casal.
two men dancing together.
dois homens dançando juntos.
de mesmo sexo concordam
ballroom circuit can attest
can be dynamic and strong and exciting,
forte e empolgante,
closed ballroom hold ...
a pose clássica da dança de salão...
must be larger and masculine
deve ser alguém maior e masculino;
from a totally different angle.
de um ângulo totalmente diferente.
the idea of lead and follow
de conduzir e acompanhar,
was connected to gender?
está atrelado ao gênero?
could lead and follow each other
e o outro acompanhasse,
just like we do in life?
exatamente como fazemos na vida?
called the cross-body lead.
chamado de condução cruzada.
to break up the improvisation.
if you're not used to looking for it,
é difícil de perceber.
to this transitional step,
fluida a esse passo transicional,
a troca entre quem conduz e quem segue.
to take over the lead,
pode decidir tomar a frente,
to surrender it,
a counter-cross-body lead.
uma contracondução cruzada.
when we danced it in the opening dance.
na coreografia de abertura.
the dance moves from being a dictation
a dança passa de algo autoritário
ou ser conduzido.
you can change your mind.
é possível mudar de ideia.
of how this applies,
de como isso se aplica,
anything can happen.
tudo pode acontecer.
could apply to a classic waltz.
fluida se aplica a uma valsa clássica.
para mudar quem conduz;
the dance itself more efficient.
a própria dança mais eficiente.
traveling backwards,
andando pra trás,
de quem é conduzido,
where they're going.
consegue ver pra onde está indo.
of accidents out there
of this blind spot.
were to just allow for
but allowed this switch to happen,
a dança, mas permitisse essa mudança,
offering new aesthetics into the waltz.
uma nova estética da valsa.
about your gender.
nem aí para o seu gênero.
in clubs, convention centers
em clubes, centros de convenção,
the play we created with Lisa,
a peça que criamos com a Lisa,
of seeing two men dancing together,
de ver dois homens dançando juntos,
Lisa see our initial demonstration
ver nossa apresentação inicial
switching lead and follow;
de trocarmos os papéis;
in our presence, our personality
nossa presença, nossa personalidade
of which role we were playing.
de qual papel assumimos.
by whichever role you're playing,
por determinado papel,
true to yourself.
verdadeiro para si mesmo.
to look like, or a follow.
conduzir ou ser conduzido.
off the dance floor as well,
fora do salão de baile também,
the perfect opportunity
a oportunidade perfeita
reinvigorate an old relic,
de revigorar uma velha relíquia,
of our era and our current way of being.
da forma de ser da nossa época.
all the time with women and men
o tempo todo, com homens e mulheres,
that this is a historic form
que se trata de uma forma histórica
and produce invisibility
silêncio e invisibilidade
that we enjoy today.
all the ideas that don't belong to us
as ideias que não nos pertencem
to what it really always was:
ao que ela realmente sempre foi:
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