(Music)
(音樂)
(Applause)
(掌聲)
Trevor Copp: When "Dancing With the Stars" first hit the airwaves, that is not what it looked like.
崔佛‧卡普:當《與星共舞》 在電視上首播時, 並不是像你現在看到的那樣。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
Jeff and I were full-time ballroom dance instructors when the big TV ballroom revival hit, and this was incredible. I mean, one day we would say "foxtrot," and people were like "Foxes trotting."
當電視上的國標舞再度引爆熱潮時, 傑夫和我還是全職的國標舞老師, 這太令人不可置信了。 我是指,某天當我們說:「狐步舞」, 人們一付「狐狸在慢跑?」
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
And the next day they were telling us the finer points of a good feather step. And this blew our minds. I mean, all of the ballroom dance geeking out that we had always done on why salsa worked differently than the competitive rumba and why tango traveled unlike the waltz, all of that just hit the public consciousness, and it changed everything.
然後,隔天他們竟會告訴我們 跳好羽步的微小細節。 這令我們感到不可思議。 對我們來說習以為常的,如 為什麼騷莎舞和競技倫巴舞不同? 為什麼探戈的舞步與華爾茲不同? 這些國標舞的種種一切, 突然間引起人們的關注和過度興奮, 這改變了一切。
But running parallel to this excitement, the excitement that suddenly, somehow, we were cool --
伴隨著人們國標舞瘋潮而來的, 就是突然間,不知為何, 我們變得很酷!
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
there was also this reservation. Why this and why now?
我們也有這樣的猶疑, 為何是國標舞?為何是現在?
Jeff Fox: When Trevor and I would get together for training seminars or just for fun, we'd toss each other around, mix it up, take a break from having to lead all the time. We even came up with a system for switching lead and follow while we were dancing, as a way of taking turns and playing fair. It wasn't until we used that system as part of a performance in a small festival that we got an important tap on the shoulder. Lisa O'Connell, a dramaturge and director of a playwright center, pulled us aside after the show and said, "Do you have any idea how political that was?"
傑夫‧福克斯:當崔佛和我 因為訓練課程 或好玩而聚在一起練舞時, 我們將對方拋出去、 接回來,輪流交換, 這可讓我們相互喘口氣, 不用從頭領舞到尾。 我們甚至在跳舞當中, 想出了一套可以相互輪流、公平地 領舞與跟舞的方法。 直到有次在一個小型活動中, 我們將輪流領舞的方法帶入演出中, 這套方法才受到重量級的關注。 麗莎‧歐康乃爾 ──戲劇家兼劇作中心主任, 於演出後把我們拉到一旁說道: 「你們知道這有多具政治意涵嗎?」
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
So that began an eight-year collaboration to create a play which not only further developed our system for switching but also explored the impact of being locked into a single role, and what's worse, being defined by that single role.
從此我們展開了 8 年的合作, 並打造了一齣戲劇, 這不僅進一步開發了 輪流領舞的系統, 而且也能探究被侷限在單一角色, 更甚者, 被單一角色畫地自限所帶來的影響。
TC: Because, of course, classic Latin and ballroom dancing isn't just a system of dancing; it's a way of thinking, of being, of relating to each other that captured a whole period's values. There's one thing that stayed consistent, though: the man leads and the woman follows. So street salsa, championship tango, it's all the same -- he leads, she follows.
崔佛:當然,因為 傳統的拉丁和國標舞 不僅只是一套舞蹈系統; 它是一種思維、存在、 人際間互動連結的展現方式, 記錄了整個時期的價值觀。 然而,有一件事卻始終不變: 男士領舞, 女士跟舞。 所以,從街邊的騷莎舞 到探戈舞錦標賽,全都一樣, 他領舞,她跟舞。
So this was gender training. You weren't just learning to dance -- you were learning to "man" and to "woman." It's a relic. And in the way of relics, you don't throw it out, but you need to know that this is the past. This isn't the present. It's like Shakespeare: respect it, revive it -- great! But know that this is history. This doesn't represent how we think today.
這是性別的訓練, 你不只是學習跳舞, 你還要學習「男性」與「女性」, 這是傳統的遺風。 傳統的遺風, 不代表我們要將之捨棄, 但,我們要知道那是過去式了。 並不適合現在。 就像莎士比亞: 尊重它,復興它──很好! 但是,這是歷史。 它不代表現代人們的思維。
So we asked ourselves: If you strip it all down, what is at the core of partner dancing?
所以我們捫心自問: 假如你追根究底, 雙人舞的核心特質是什麼?
JF: Well, the core principle of partner dancing is that one person leads, the other one follows. The machine works the same, regardless of who's playing which role. The physics of movement doesn't really give a crap about your gender.
傑夫:雙人舞的核心原則是 一個人領舞,另一個人跟舞。 機器的運作亦同, 不管是誰在操作它。 物理的運動現象也不會 因為你的性別而有所改變。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
So if we were to update the existing form, we would need to make it more representative of how we interact here, now, in 2015. When you watch ballroom, don't just watch what's there. Watch what's not. The couple is always only a man and a woman. Together. Only. Ever. So, same-sex and gender nonconformist couples just disappear. In most mainstream international ballroom competitions, same-sex couples are rarely recognized on the floor, and in many cases, the rules prohibit them completely.
假如我們要讓現有的模式 更合乎時代, 我們就要讓之間的互動 更具代表性, 在 2015 年的現在。 當你們觀賞國標舞時, 不要只是看那裡有什麼, 而是要看那裡少了什麼。 雙人舞的搭檔,總是一男一女。 一起。 就這樣。 一成不變。 相同性別、不落俗套的 搭檔卻不存在。 絕大多數主流的世界國標舞競賽中, 同性的舞伴極少在舞池上被認可, 從多數的例子來看, 大會的規則是完全禁止的。
TC: Try this: Google-image, "professional Latin dancer," and then look for an actual Latino person.
崔佛:試著在估狗圖片搜尋 「專業拉丁舞者」, 然後尋找一位真正的拉丁裔舞者。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
You'll be there for days. What you will get is page after page of white, straight Russian couples spray-tanned to the point of mahogany.
你將會花上好幾天。 因為,你看到的會是一頁接著一頁的 白皮膚、純正的俄國舞者, 全身使用定色噴霧噴成小麥色。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
There are no black people, there are no Asians, no mixed-race couples, so basically, non-white people just disappeared.
沒有黑人、沒有亞洲人、 沒有跨種族的搭檔, 所以基本上,沒有非白人的舞者。
Even within the white-straight- couple-only paradigm -- she can't be taller, he can't be shorter. She can't be bolder, he can't be gentler.
即便是在只有純白人搭檔的 唯一制式範例中, 她不能比較高, 他不能比較矮。 她不能大膽些, 他不能溫柔些。
If you were to take a ballroom dance and translate that into a conversation and drop that into a movie, we, as a culture, would never stand for this. He dictates, she reacts. No relationship -- gay, straight or anything -- that we would regard as remotely healthy or functional looks like that, and yet somehow, you put it on prime time, you slap some makeup on it, throw the glitter on, put it out there as movement, not as text, and we, as a culture, tune in and clap. We are applauding our own absence. Too many people have disappeared from partner dancing.
假如將那刻板範例的國標舞, 轉化成對話 演繹成電影, 在文化層面上, 我們絕不會容許這樣的現象。 他命令主導,她回應跟隨。 這樣的互動,不管在任何關係上── 同性戀、異性戀或其他關係── 我們都會認為是不健康、不可行的。 然而,不知何故, 你把它放在黃金時段, 妝點上胭脂彩粉, 灑上晶亮的五顏六色, 以動作的形式而非本質內涵來展現, 在文化上, 我們觀賞它並給予掌聲。 我們在為自己的缺席而鼓掌。 有太多人在雙人舞中缺席。
(Music)
(音樂)
(Applause)
(掌聲)
JF: Now, you just saw two men dancing together.
傑夫:現在,你看到 兩個男人在跳舞。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
And you thought it looked ... a little strange. Interesting -- appealing, even -- but a little bit odd. Even avid followers of the same-sex ballroom circuit can attest that while same-sex partner dancing can be dynamic and strong and exciting, it just doesn't quite seem to fit. Aesthetically speaking, if Alida and I take the classic closed ballroom hold ... this is considered beautiful.
你覺得它看起來...... 有點奇怪。 有趣、甚至有魅力...... 但是有點古怪。 即便同性國標舞聯合會的 狂熱追隨者,可以證明 與同性舞伴共舞是充滿活力、 張力和令人振奮的, 但看起來就是不怎麼搭。 以美學的角度來看, 假如婀麗達和我做出貼身握抱…… 大家會覺得很美。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
But why not this?
但,為什麼這個就不美了呢?
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
See, the standard image that the leader must be larger and masculine and the follower smaller and feminine -- this is a stumbling point.
看吧,領舞者必須 身材高大些、具男子氣概, 跟舞者則須嬌小些、 具女人味的制式印象── 這就是障礙點。
TC: So we wanted to look at this from a totally different angle. So, what if we could keep the idea of lead and follow but toss the idea that this was connected to gender? Further, what if a couple could lead and follow each other and then switch? And then switch back? What if it could be like a conversation, taking turns listening and speaking, just like we do in life? What if we could dance like that? We call it "Liquid Lead Dancing."
崔佛:我們想從全然不同的角度 來審視這件事。 如果我們保留住領舞和跟舞的觀念, 但是捨棄掉性別的概念, 會是如何呢? 更甚者,如果舞伴間可以 交替領舞和跟舞,又會如何呢? 然後再互換? 如果可以將它變成一種溝通、對話, 就像日常生活中彼此相互地 傾聽與訴說呢? 如果我們能夠像那樣地跳著舞呢? 我們稱它做「流動領舞」。
JF: Let's try this with a Latin dance, salsa. In salsa, there's a key transitional step, called the cross-body lead. We use it as punctuation to break up the improvisation. It can be a little tricky to spot if you're not used to looking for it, so here it is. One more time for the cheap seats.
傑夫:讓我們試著用這方法 來跳拉丁舞, 騷莎。 騷莎中有一個重要的過渡舞步, 稱為身體交錯引導。 我們把它當成標點符號 來分解即興發揮。 如果你不習慣去注意它的話, 會比較難看出來。 就像這樣。 再一次,給坐在後面便宜票的觀眾。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
And here's the action one more time, nice and slow. Now, if we apply liquid-lead thinking to this transitional step, the cross-body lead becomes a point where the lead and the follow can switch. The person following can elect to take over the lead, or the person leading can choose to surrender it, essentially making it a counter-cross-body lead. Here's how that looks in slow motion. And here's how it looked when we danced it in the opening dance.
再做一次動作給大家看, 放慢步調。 現在,如果我們將流動領舞的思維 應用在過渡舞步的話, 身體交錯引導, 將會是領舞與跟舞的關鍵轉換點。 跟舞者可以成為領舞者, 而領舞者換位成為跟舞者, 實際上就是相對的身體交錯引導。 慢動作看起來是這樣的。 在開場舞中,它看起是這樣的。
With this simple tweak, the dance moves from being a dictation to a negotiation. Anyone can lead. Anyone can follow. And more importantly, you can change your mind. Now, this is only one example of how this applies, but once the blinkers come off, anything can happen.
一個簡單的扭轉動作, 舞蹈就從主導 變成了協商。 任何人都可以領舞; 任何人都可以跟舞。 更重要的是,你可以改變心意。 這只是其中的一個例子, 一旦燈光熄滅,任何事都可能發生。
TC: Let's look at how Liquid Lead thinking could apply to a classic waltz. Because, of course, it isn't just a system of switching leads; it's a way of thinking that can actually make the dance itself more efficient.
崔佛:讓我們看看流動領舞的思維, 如何應用在經典的華爾滋上。 當然,因為 它不僅只是輪流領舞的系統, 它是一種思維方式, 可讓舞跳起來更輕鬆優美。
So: the waltz. The waltz is a turning dance. This means that for the lead, you spend half of the dance traveling backwards, completely blind. And because of the follower's position, basically, no one can see where they're going.
華爾滋。 華爾滋是一種旋轉的舞蹈。 這表示領舞者, 一半的時間都是背對行進的方向, 完全看不到背後的動線。 因為跟舞者的位置, 基本上,沒有人知道 他們要跳去哪裡。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
So you're out here on the floor, and then imagine that coming right at you.
你在舞池的這裡, 然後想像他們向你逼近的情形。
JF: Raaaaaah!
傑夫:(低吼聲)
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
TC: There are actually a lot of accidents out there that happen as a result of this blind spot. But what if the partners were to just allow for a switch of posture for a moment? A lot of accidents could be avoided. Even if one person led the whole dance but allowed this switch to happen, it would be a lot safer, while at the same time, offering new aesthetics into the waltz. Because physics doesn't give a damn about your gender.
崔佛:實際上,因為這個視覺的盲點, 造成很多的意外。 但是,如果可以暫時讓舞伴 變換一下姿勢呢? 可以避免很多意外的發生。 即便只有一個人領完整首舞曲, 但是允許舞伴們互換姿勢, 不僅跳起來更加安全, 同時,也將新的審美觀帶入華爾滋。 因為物理學才不在乎你的性別。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
JF: Now, we've danced Liquid Lead in clubs, convention centers and as part of "First Dance," the play we created with Lisa, on stages in North America and in Europe. And it never fails to engage. I mean, beyond the unusual sight of seeing two men dancing together, it always evokes and engages. But why?
傑夫:現在,我們在俱樂部、 會議中心表演流動領舞, 還有在北美與歐洲的舞台上, 它成為我們和麗莎一起創作 「第一支舞」舞台劇的一部分。 從不缺乏參與的人們。 我是說,在罕見的 兩個男人共舞的畫面之外, 它總能喚起人們的參與和互動。 但,為什麼?
The secret lies in what made Lisa see our initial demonstration as "political." It wasn't just that we were switching lead and follow; it's that we stayed consistent in our presence, our personality and our power, regardless of which role we were playing. We were still us.
秘訣就在於當初麗莎洞悉到 我們最初示範時的政治意涵。 它不僅只是大家表面上看到 輪流地領舞和跟舞, 而是不論我們的角色為何, 我們的本質、個性 與力度展現始終如一。 我們還是最真實的自我。
And that's where the true freedom lies -- not just the freedom to switch roles, but the freedom from being defined by whichever role you're playing, the freedom to always remain true to yourself. Forget what a lead is supposed to look like, or a follow. Be a masculine follow or a feminine lead. Just be yourself. Obviously, this applies off the dance floor as well, but on the floor, it gives us the perfect opportunity to update an old paradigm, reinvigorate an old relic, and make it more representative of our era and our current way of being.
那是真正自由的所在, 不是只有舞伴角色的互換而已, 而是不論你的角色如何被界定, 你始終都忠於自我的表現。 忘掉領舞或跟舞者 應該看起來要像什麼樣子, 做個有男子氣概的跟舞者, 或女人味十足的領舞者。 做你自己。 顯然,這也適用與舞池之外, 但在舞池上,它給了我們絕妙的機會 來創新舊有的典型, 復興優良的遺風, 使其在當今時代更具有代表性。
TC: Jeff and I dance partner dancing all the time with women and men and we love it. But we dance with a consciousness that this is a historic form that can produce silence and produce invisibility across the spectrum of identity that we enjoy today. We invented Liquid Lead as a way of stripping out all the ideas that don't belong to us and taking partner dancing back to what it really always was: the fine art of taking care of each other.
崔佛:傑夫和我一直 與男性或女性搭檔雙人舞, 我們很喜歡這樣。 但我們跳舞時意識到, 這是具歷史意義的呈現形式, 可使人們忘掉並無視於 制式的角色認同, 盡情地享受跳舞的樂趣。 我們創造了流動領舞, 褪去了所有不屬於我們的想法, 讓雙人舞回歸到它最真的本質: 那就是相互關懷、照顧的藝術。
(Music)
(音樂)
(Applause)
(掌聲)