Claire Porter – means to carry light
by Corinne Reilly-Ferretto
What brought you to CMDE?
I studied at La Mont institute in Manhattan and came to CMDE to see a performance with a friend at the Studio in ‘1980-something.’ I have been connected to CMDE one way or another since.
When did you start dancing?
As I was growing up, I danced ballet, tap, point work, and got accepted to a Starlit group in high school where I sang and danced. Although I loved dance, I moved my focus elsewhere for a while. At 17, I declared my major in college, a subject that was easy for me—math. I also played tennis and golf. At the time I considered myself very sporty. I graduated and became a computer programmer, working for GE.”
What brought you back to dance?
One night, I was invited to see a performance of Maria Tallchief, a Native American ballet dancer from the southwest. I was so moved by the performance, I wept. The next day I went to a dance studio and reignited my love for dance. Soon after, I found my way to California, working for a software company outside of San Francisco. I met Marsha, a dance artist at Sonoma State University who invited me into the world of Modern Dance. I took my first modern dance class. I was floored. Modern dance had everything! It was philosophical, physical, spiritual, psychological, it was art, it was expression.”
From there, I started dancing and dancing, and, after that, I started making dances, group dances in unison that were a lot of fun. I danced everything. There were little dance companies sprinkled all over that I became a part of. I danced at schools, on stage, anywhere that wanted dancers.
I applied to Ohio State, where I received a scholarship for graduate work, so I went there! I was a graduate assistant; I taught and danced. I was dancing nonstop. I worked with people from Graham to Merce Cunningham. I took lots of workshops, tried out different dances, and met wonderful people.
Towards the end of my graduate school journey, I took a class based on Rudolf Laban. I was so enamored by the clarity of the work, I decided to immerse myself in the work at Sonoma State in California and then Grand Valley College in Michigan. Afterwards I began teaching movement and analysis and got funding from Grand Valley College to study dance in London in 1981.
What is Laban Movement & Analysis?
I got certified in the Laban Movement & Analysis which is an intensive program. This program took a little over two years to complete, and then I was certified! Laban Movement & Analysis focused on the body and integration of the breath, It provided a theoretical and experiential system for observation and focused on body connectedness, performance, and interpretations of human movement. Laban was prolific and created many projects and schools all over the world.
What were some memorable events in your career so far?
When I was working at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, Charlie Rose, a famous interviewer from PBS 13, talked with me after a great performance. I remember smiling from ear to ear during and after the interview, but I have no idea what I said.
Another highlight was being asked to perform at the Baryshnikov Arts Center for its grand opening in New York in 2005.
From there, I moved to Teaneck, NJ, where I applied for and got a NJ Council of Arts Grant. It was an impactful moment of “okay I live here, I’m appreciated here.” It inspired me to explore dancing in New Jersey even more.
How has your dancing changed over the years?
I experienced a shift in my artistic attention. I started writing scripts. I started getting involved with language and movement. I formed writing groups and directed rehearsal projects. These included what I called “Grammar dances.” I also invented “Portables”—solo and group work to take anywhere. Admittedly, I flipped to language because I was so physically tired from all the dance I had been doing. I decided to do something with words and gestures instead. The new work was so cool that I made more! “Planted Feet” was my first big gesture and spoken word Portable. Next, I decided to make a new piece at Grand Valley and then a piece called “Portable Lecture” about the gestures of teaching in a lecture hall. I did this by sitting all the way in the back of the class, watching the professors and noting their gestures as they facilitated classes. Their combined speaking and choreographing seemed like music. I also watched the change in the audience during these “performances,” and it changed me. It broke through the “fourth wall.” I saw the people all the way in the back leaning forward, so then I leaned forward. And there was this connection. There was no going back after that.
Where do you see the future of your dance and career going?
Getting Covid knocked me out of dance for a while, but I made my recovery and continued my movements and analysis. My interests are branching out more; researching creativity itself. Currently I teach at Montclair and FDU, and have previously taught at Columbia, Raritan Valley, Ohio University, Connecticut College, and NYU.
One interest leads to another. A new project I’m working on is writing a play, “Train of Thought,” about five women on a train. I’ve put together choreography for other dance companies and continue to make new work for groups and solos.
Where do you see the future of dance?
We love to dance; we’re always going to be dancing. As for Modern Dance, it has morphed; it has become so gymnastic and flamboyant. It was based on psychology, feelings, expression, but I think it imploded. It was about the internal dancer’s world, but the audience wanted it to be about them. So it has changed and will keep changing”. I did a piece called “Modern on Modern” which was about “What is Modern Dance?” for the 50th anniversary CMDE. Each dancer answered the question individually and both spoke and danced the response.
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