OH, BABY BABY
Tere O'Connor isn't content with simply being liked or critically well-received. Fresh off the success of Frozen Mommy-a subtle, humorous and quixotic look at space and everyday human interactions-O'Connor blew a gasket and reeled off a dismissive screed in response to a review of his work in The New Yorker.
The hullabaloo that ensued-charges, countercharges, more columns regarding the issue-ruffled a few feathers, but it may also have opened up discussion about dance criticism itself, and how to potentially improve it. And a little press never hurt anyone.
O'Connor's work examines time, moments in time and the change that occurs during the performers' movement itself. Hence his current title BABY refers to the fact that each new moment is born like an infant. Narrative is absent from O'Connor's work, and traditional "meaning" is irrelevant. In BABY, the passage of time exists sui generis: choreography itself is a process that develops in time for O'Connor, one thing as a reaction to the next.
Much like a feared (but beautiful) differential equation, choreography for O'Connor is about change and the process of change itself: How things change; what change looks like. As such, the audience is arguably more implicated in the performance, as its perceptions and reactions occur independently of a pre-ordained or well-known storyline or theme. If you really insist on concrete reference points during the performance, look for a giant bow, a ribbon monster and cowboy themes. Yee-haw.