Bill T. Jones is Still in Motion
The great American dancer and choreographer reflects on five decades of provocative art— and how critics tend to misunderstand his work.
Read the full story in Justsmile Issue 6, Eyes on the Prize.
Photography Casper Kofi
Styling Eric McNeal
Text Darnell L. Moore
Bill wears shirt and scarf STOFFA.
Gracing the wall of the foyer in my home is a framed photo of a nude Black man captured in a dynamic state—it’s choreographic, even sensual. The body, toned and sculpted as if chiseled from Carrara marble, appears across a panel of eight different poses. Each one is a grayscale silhouette of the subject, moving as though he is traversing the world with beauty, grace, and an unshakeable sense of self-determination. It’s a sublime and powerful image by the legendary American fashion photographer Herb Ritts, aptly titled after the sitter, a renowned artist and choreographer: Bill T. Jones I-VII (Ascent of Man). That parenthetical phrase: How appropriate a metaphor for an athlete turned dancer, whose body is an emblem of perseverance and whose long career has been fueled by a fierce stamina?
‘I have three words right now that I’m using a good deal: resistance, perseverance, and love.’ – Bill T. Jones
Shirt LORO PIANA.
Bill T. Jones has won Tony, Obie, and Off-Broadway Lucille Lortel awards for choreography. Over the course of his five-decade career, he has been a Kennedy Center Honoree, an inductee into the National Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the recipient of a Doris Duke Award, a MacArthur “Genius” Grant, and the prestigious National Medal of Arts, which President Barack Obama endowed upon him. He is, plainly said, one of the most significant modern choreographers of our time, and a man I have the pleasure of calling a colleague and big brother. I serve on the board of New York Live Arts and the Bill T. Jones / Arnie Zane Dance Company, of which he is the artistic director.
What has become clear to me is the fact that Bill has always been ahead of his time. He was a track star in his younger years, so leaving folks in the dust (whether critics or competitors) seems apropos. And he is still, as ever, in motion—resisting, persevering, and loving—as he shares in the conversation that follows.
Read the full story in Justsmile Issue 6, available to order here.
