YES! manifesto

In 1965 Yvonne Rainer published her "NO manifesto," a statement of beliefs via repudiation. It serves as a succinct guide to post-modern dance generally and to Rainer's minimalist aesthetics specifically.

NO manifesto - Yvonne Rainer

No to spectacle.
No to virtuosity.
No to transformations and magic and make-believe.
No to the glamour and transcendency of the star image.
No to the heroic.
No to the anti-heroic.
No to trash imagery.
No to involvement of performer or spectator.
No to style.
No to camp.
No to seduction of spectator by the wiles of the performer.
No to eccentricity.
No to moving or being moved.

I considered writing one myself but soon realized that, in framing everything as a "no," I was really being guided by those things that I wished not to find in myself, in others, and in dance at large. And so I have instead constructed a "YES! manifesto" which speaks directly to what I value and what I am seeking.

YES! manifesto - Joan Meggitt

Yes to questions.
Yes to risk.
Yes to individuality.
Yes to community.
Yes to transcendence.
Yes to moving moment-by-moment.
Yes to mistakes.
Yes to raw existence, unglorified yet glorious.
Yes to pedestrianism and technique.
Yes to cultivating the curiosity and imagination of the audience.
Yes to expecting the audience to think for themselves.
Yes to making room for them to do so.
Yes to being human.

MOLT photo of Amy by Brad Petot