I t’s not just any place. It’s a space that has birthed many creative dreams. A prestigious platform for modern expressions, it boasts of a glorious history. In this calm haven, in the bustling metropolis of London, art has been flourishing for over four decades. Any wonder then that Eddie Nixon, despite a string of interviews, is not short on enthusiasm and energy to talk about the joy and challenge of being the director of The Place. Loud conversations among a group of visitors seated nearby in the lounge at The Park, Chennai, doesn’t seem to bother Eddie as he patiently explains his role in keeping the show going.
He was in the city to join the panel of judges for Prakriti Foundation’s contemporary dance awards. Eddie also delivered a talk at the British Council on The Place’s approach to contemporary dance practices in the UK.
“I was impressed with the contemporary works that were staged at the competition. Dancers here have the advantage of drawing so much from classical, martial and folk arts. They carry a large slice of their culture in their move forward,” says Eddie, who as a child was into musicals and later, after intensive training, performed for 12 years with a wide range of companies. He began working as associate director of The Place in 2005, leading the theatre’s projects and artist development programmes.
His open-minded approach to art could have stemmed from The Place’s international outlook. The theatre has always had its doors open for diverse dance styles, choreographers from around the world and young experimenters. Names such as Matthew Bourne, Wayne McGregor, Richard Alston, Shobana Jeyasingh have taken bold, new steps here. “The aim has always been to make artists be their own in this rehearsal and performing arena. To think, to create, to test, to fail, to succeed…The Place has watched several emotions at play,” smiles Eddie.
A small dance school that functioned out of a dingy studio, The Place began to echo with the rhythms of change when contemporary dance established itself in ballet-dominated Britain of the 1970s. In the choreographers’ novel muses and movements, founder Robin Howard’s vision seemed to take shape. After losing his legs in the Second World War, Howard, hotelier and art collector, became determined to pursue his passion for dance. Financial constraints, political tension and lack of trained dancers in the UK, Howard didn’t allow anything to dampen his spirit. He created a revolution with the London Contemporary Dance Theatre, Britain’s first modern dance company, being launched here. Since 1966, the stage has been expanding at The Place to accommodate progressive ideas and productions.
As for criticisms in the recent past by acclaimed choreographers, over declining standards of training in contemporary dance schools in the UK, Eddie says, “it’s not true. We have been producing talent that can compete at the international level. We equip them with the necessary tools to take the changes and challenges of the now in their stride. The training methods have to be slightly altered with time but the artistic core of the programme remains. To make it the dance of the soul is an individual’s desire. It cannot be taught at a school,” says Eddie.
He has been working hard in making the theatre retain its prime place. “It’s not easy in the digital era to get a full house for live shows; to keep the curtains up. Performers have to think of ways to make their art more appealing to the real world.”
