Interview…

21 and looking young!

Corrine Bougaard, interviewed by Jeannette Brooks

When I look out over the sea of dance, with either my national or international binoculars on, I hope to see kindred spirits, role models, names and faces that inspire and/or challenge. And especially as a female voice in our field, I want to know that a woman can have the positions of influence and profile that change the landscape of Dance of the African Diaspora.

Realistically however, in the UK, those individuals that demand respect for the above reasons are not that numerous. In fact they are few and far between …quot; but not because the talent is not there, perhaps the dance sector just does not allow for long lived careers, or the professional opportunities that hold onto the experienced and knowledgeable few.

Therefore, it is with pleasure that we have an interview with the often publicly quiet Corrine Bougaard.

Jeannette Brooks (JB):
I would love to know when you started your affair with dance.

Corrine Bougaard (CB):
I started very young, 7 years old in fact. I loved mime classes and the imagination needed there. I was also good at P.E. and did well in high jump and running. Plus my mother was very good in performing arts. She was an actress and painter but there was a general artistic influence from my family too; and now my husband, Peter Emina is a television producer and director.

Linking things again to my family, as children we where encouraged to do as much as possible. I got into the discipline side of dance, so ballet exams and grades and maybe that part relates back to my church upbringing. I also took up contemporary dance classes (and trained with Roland Joffre, the film director of the Killing Fields). Mum took me to see Othello very young and Dad was an educationalist. All very stimulating stuff.

Another influence was of course the family’s move from Cape Town, South Africa and the Apartheid system (and then?) to the UK in the late 50’s. We had to start over, re-qualify for things and look for a new home.

JB:
At the beginning of your dance relationship, did you have role models that you wanted to be like? What or who did you aspire to as a dancer and then choreographer?

CB:
I’m not that kind of person. My heroes and heroines where more political figures like Che Guevara. I wasn’t inspired by dance and ‘dancey’ things and the fluffy ballet stuff was a bit scary!

I would say that I was just as connected to sports people like tennis champion Arthur Ash and his achievements. And then Mandela …quot; and people like that captivated me.

I am nevertheless, fascinated by many choreographers’ works and I think my work can be seen as an anamnesis of different choreographic influences. Ailey and London Contemporary Dance Theatre are close to me - but these are influences not role models.

And now, the work we (Union Dance) always focuses on is identity and enlightening peoples lives. It all must relate and be relevant to the audience. That is what’s important for the dancers …quot; that the company is a vehicle for change.

When I first started the company I was into quantum physics. It helped me to see that in life everything moves, even down to the smallest particle. Spontaneous movement you know! We are part of the mystery of Nature …quot; harmonious and complex designs. Union Dance refers to this in its’ holistic philosophy. We are all interlinked at some chemical molecular level. Artistically speaking, taking a cross section of things, looking at identity again, highlighting the unity in all things and how the unconscious is brought into the body and joins the mind, body and spirit, this is what we communicate in the company, but is not a quick fix meaning of Union Dance. It’s not a very euro centric conscious approach but a global approach to communication - our form of expressing ourselves as an organisation.

So through the love of dance I have been able to unite many of my other interests and thoughts and take that artistic expression into peoples understanding.

JB:
What have been the major influences on your work from your cultural and ethic (or ethnic) foundations?

CB:
I think what I’ve done is introduce as many non-European styles into the core of the company’s identity. Everyone who sees the company’s work has a different point of view and this is what it is progressive?. We don’t just throw in things, people are chosen carefully to work with us.

So looking at Mickael Joseph …quot; he is the benchmark for the company style - using the wave work, Hip Hop, yoga, his 21 years of his work with young people and his knowledge of media and camera work, give strength to us all.

It’s about focus and not being broken by tokenism. Most that goes on around us is generational, and the issues of twenty years ago are changed but not radically different. The subjects we touch on are critical to this company and they allow each person to be seen as unique, giving them space to spiritually grow. Even the Union logo includes the circle for the holistic perspective. It’s been said in the past ‘Planet Union’!

JB:
And in the future, what would you hope to see?

CB:
I think it’s very relevant to understand deeply one’s identity, past and present. Important for a movement framework to have that knowledge and respect the knowledge, but not be confined by it. It’s finding a balance - reaching forward to break out of confines of tradition. Union Dance has worked a lot with Chinese, Asian and African movement languages so it is about the art form first and foremost.

Union has had a positive effect on so many people and audiences. We hope to provide challenges and expressions for young people and audiences and that is part of our mission, to empower others through the arts.

Union Dance are celebrating their 21st Birthday this year.

Born in South Africa, Corrine’s distinguished career at Ballet Rambert preceded her role as founder member, choreographer, teacher and Associate Director of Extemporary Dance Theatre.

Corrine went on to found Union Dance in 1986. Awarded the first Arts Council bursary for an Artistic Director of dance, Corrine was also a recipient of the Winston Churchill Fellowship: the first British choreographer to research contemporary dance in Cuba. She has choreographed for many Union Dance productions, including most recently a commission for The Henley Festival of Music & the Arts. Corrine has spoken and given papers at conferences in Miami, Bologna and Shanghai and her interest is also in the developing field of new technologies with dance. This she furthers as Associate Lecturer on the MA Course in Design at Central St Martin’s College of Art & Design, London