David Parsons: the challenge of a higher plateau - dancer David Parsons heads his own troupe, Parsons Dance Company - Cover Story

Dance Magazine, April, 1998 by Alice Naude, Howard Schatz

David Parsons settles down to be interviewed in the frenzied offices of his troupe, Parsons Dance Company. Phones are ringing steadily. People are coming and going, and Parsons greets each with a big smile and a "Hey, good to see you." His face lights up, genuinely lights up, while his eyes follow his visitors around the room. His attention is caught by a conversation his manager is having about an upcoming tour, and his head inclines toward it. Then he is distracted by a video of a performance on a nearby television set, and his brow furrows as he watches. He seems to be focused on some step that doesn't work--then he suddenly snaps back to the present and finishes answering my question.

With his all-American good looks and deceptively youthful appearance, he could be mistaken for a quarterback instead of a choreographer of some forty works. His infectious smile brings deep dimples to his cheeks, and the twinkle in his eye matches the playfulness of his dances. Underneath this gamin persona, however, is an unrelenting drive to succeed that has made his eleven-year-old company one of the busiest modem dance groups around. Parsons has built a solid organization during an uncertain time for dance.

Right now he is preoccupied with taking his choreography to a higher level. "It's that thing of reaching a plateau," he says. "You have a dream and you achieve it. But in dance there's always that piece that you work toward. It's always in the back of your mind." Can he move in this direction while keeping his audiences happy and his company as busy as it needs to be in order to survive?

Challenges have rarely stopped Parsons. Born in Rockford, Illinois, in 1959 and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, he started dancing at age eleven, and by the time he was sixteen he had moved to New York City. He had received a full scholarship to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, but it was not until he saw Paul Taylor's company dance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music that he knew what he wanted his next career move to be. Parsons hung around Taylor's studio and badgered the choreographer for a year before he agreed to take him on as an understudy. When a company member was injured on the eve of a company tour to Russia, he readily stepped in.

During the ten years that he danced with Taylor, Parsons developed a style known for its buoyancy and wit. He won audiences' hearts with his youth and power. At the same time, he was choreographing on his own and showing his work at Dance Theater Workshop. In 1987 he made the bold move of going out on his own. His departure was amicable, and Parsons found an audience that was eager to follow him. He hit the ground running just as federal funding came under heavy attack and regional touring began to fall apart. Many companies folded, but Parsons's throve and is still going strong. With an annual budget of $1.3 million, it has completed every year in the black and runs on a healthy balance. Dancers are now employed some forty weeks a year; more than thirty cities were visited in 1997 and 1998, and booking dates are being set for 2000. International engagements will include Japan, Australia, Greece, Switzerland, and Israel.

Without a doubt, Parsons's seemingly boundless energy has been the key to this success. "Sometimes he comes into the office, and if he senses complacency, he'll start rattling everyone's cages," says company manager Frank Sonntag. "David's always trying to come up with something new," adds Howell Binkley, company cofounder and resident fighting designer. "He's good at looking into the future and asking, `Where will we be five years from now?'"

That question is driving the company's next move--a Manhattan season at City Center, May 10-15. The prospect of a weeklong engagement on the stage where he made his reputation with Taylor has Parsons both daunted and thrilled. Returning will be something of a symbolic homecoming. But, more important, the season is aimed at gaining the company greater exposure. A successful run could mean higher touring fees and larger venues in other cities.

It's also a huge risk. City Center seasons are expensive. Parsons has easily filled the Joyce Theater's 472 seats during his last five seasons, but City Center has some 1,300 seats. "If we take a hit, our fund balance could be gone in the blink of an eye," says Sonntag. "That's what I lie awake at night worrying about."

Parsons also worries about the financial risks, but right now he's trying to stay focused on the artistic concerns. New York City is a tough audience, and Parsons wants his premieres to dazzle. He is working on two new pieces. One is a duet with Russian dancer Vladimir Malakhov. The second, the work that is foremost in his mind, is an untitled piece for his company. He won't discuss its progress but will say that he is working with themes of boundaries, loyalty, leaders, and power. Already he has certain images he would like to use at City Center. "I see a small woman with a very large flag or a large man with a small flag," he says.