This was a personal evening of psychological self-exposure. It was courageous and sensitive, detailed and emotional. There is a great deal of information on why this solo work came about, the inspiration and germination of the original idea, as well as the collaborators involved in a thorough interview conducted by Nancy Dobbs Owen of the LA Dance Chronicle – link: https://www.ladancechronicle.com/a-discussion-with-dance-icon-david-rousseve-on-becoming-daddy-af/. This interview answers all of the Why questions so let us get to the How.
David Roussève – REALITY – “Becoming Daddy AF” – Photo by Jason Williams.
This is the first evening-length solo David Rousséve has performed in more than 20 years and fittingly it is his testament to his life. The material spans his life from his birth to now. The work utilizes text and movement, projections and sets, music and costume. It began with a solo thematic movement, expressive and freeform. He has stated that his “world was rocked” by watching Pina Bausch perform a solo while in her sixties. His epiphany of realizing the physical wisdom of a dancer that age was inspiring and led him not to fear growing older. He thought, “What does a 65-year-old body want to do?” – “Becoming Daddy AF” is his answer. It turns out that 65-year-old body wants to do a lot, and it can do a lot. He has a long lean body that moves beautifully. Rousséve’s physicality is mesmerizing, not for its bravura but for its total integration of self. There are unselfconscious gestures which are thrown away. Yet these are the most potent movements of the evening giving away his frame of mind and thought as he reflects on any given period in his life.
David Roussève – REALITY – “Becoming Daddy AF” – Photo by Jason Williams.
There are references to racism, sexual assault, enslavement, and suicide yet these episodes do not detract from the heart of his trajectory through life. In many cases the stories have a streak of humor in them, all is not doom and gloom. It is a regular, messy human life. Ah, but the life of an Artist, which puts him in the path of some extraordinary circumstances. He relays anecdotes about his parents and not receiving the unconditional love that every child ought to get. He goes on to dissect his relationship with his husband of 26 years, still needing and searching for that unconditional love.
David Roussève – REALITY – “Becoming Daddy AF” – Photo by Jason Williams.
He talks about the racism he has had to deal with and how he used it to propel him through school. He relays how his HIV has affected him and moved him to own his own love for others. There are visual metaphors as well as verbal and all go into an electric evening of revelation. One in particular was a section of movement done in a dancebelt and gas mask with breathing tube attached. This was a very powerful image illuminating the need for the body to have access to oxygen when the atmosphere is poisoned. Harder to see visually is the bodys’ need for love, for acceptance, to belong, to feel safe. This image harkened back to Covid and HIV, the ostracizing and separateness of those diseased with ailments. Lighting by Christopher Kuhl helped these images punch with isolated downspots. It was poignant and disturbing.
David Roussève – REALITY – “Becoming Daddy AF” – Photo by Jason Williams.
One of Rousséves’ fantasies was of a magic being, Peter Pan in an early case, bringing him an emblem of love – to have, to hold and own. Pan never showed up but Rousséve himself transformed into that magical being, his own heart the source for that emblem. He became his own magic being and through his teaching and choreographic work was that for others as well. In the end it was the pursuit of Art and the Humanities that allowed him to feel and see the human condition and then compelled him to comment on it throughout his life. This is what his evening-length solo is about. How all experience is worth it and informs a human life. How the process of getting older, ageing, is really a gift for the Artist. That rather than being feared, aging is to be embraced, and the wisdom accrued in the body is to be lauded and shared. And thankfully, he has.
David Roussève – REALITY – “Becoming Daddy AF” – Photo by Jason Williams.
Collaborators include: Queer Performance/installation maker Julie Tolentino, Artist | Director | Educator Charlotte Brathwaite. Lighting Designer Christopher Kuhl , Video Designer and Interdisciplinary Artist Meena Murugesan, Sound Designer d. Sabela grimes, Costume Design is by Leah Piehl, Production Technical Assistance by Padra Crisafulli.
For more information about David Roussève, please visit his website.
For more information about the UCLA Nimoy Theatre, please visit their website.
Written by Brian Fretté for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: David Roussève – REALITY – “Becoming Daddy AF” – Photo by Jason Williams.
