Choreographer discusses craft at dance building

Charity Atchison

For the Daily

If you have ever wondered what makes an artist tick, then attending Maureen Fleming's lecture demonstration might be the place for you. Fleming, an American choreographer, will discussing her approach to choreography and giving excerpts of her work.

Fleming, who is currently in residence at Western Michigan University, will be discussing "The Changing Role of Art in Society." She was trained initially in classical ballet, but then moved to butoh. Butoh is a Japanese dance form created in rejection of western ballet and classical Noh and Kabuki styles in post-war Hiroshima. Her current artistic direction has combined the movements of both of these backgrounds into her work.

Fleming incorporates slides and videos from the creative process in her performances, with the help of lighting and visual designer Chris Odo. Videos and films, by Jeff Bush, have been a way to accommodate the larger theater houses involved with touring internationally.

On the subject of art creating change in society, Fleming sees the potential there. "I feel that through recent performances in Russia, Columbia, South America, Venezuela, Iceland, France, Italy, Germany and Japan I feel that I have been given the opportunities to break boundaries in healing wounds of terrorism and war through my art. I feel my work offers the hope of transformation rather than the never ending cycle of retaliation."

The movements used by Fleming are intended to heal, rather than destroy and she hopes that dancers and choreographers will use this idea in their own work. She is known for her flexibility and bodily control.

Her inspiration comes from the quest for transformation, and in her work uses her body to exhibit the transformation.

Along with her lecture, Ms. Fleming will be demonstrating excerpts from her most recent work "Eros and Psyche."