Motor magazine captures dance in print
The editors of Motor like a challenge. Feeling frustrated by the under-representation of dance in printed magazines, they set out to create their own three-issue project that would translate human movement into ink on paper. As they say in their introduction: “It seemed that dance’s charges of ephemerality sidelined it from printed matter — as well as the fact that in modern art circles it has predominantly been practised by women. We wanted to show that this friction between performance and page could be fruitful.”
They’ve definitely succeeded in that goal, filling this launch issue’s 160 pages with all sorts of reflections on dance, from critical appraisals of specific performances, through to amateurs reflecting on why they dance. Under no circumstances would I describe myself as a dancer, which is probably why I particularly enjoyed the contributions by the non-dancers: I can appreciate the art and athleticism of the professional dancer, but what I find really interesting is the essential, human desire to move and the pleasure it brings.
I hope the video above gives a sense of what this lovely new title is all about and I’m really looking forward to seeing where Motor will go with its two remaining issues.
