"I got here by sheer hard work!" Jean Freebury dances for Merce Cunningham

Dancers are made for dancing -- and for being seen and not heard: rarely do they break silence -- lifting the veil over their lives and their work. How do dancers arrive onstage with outstanding international companies? Who are these mainly unsung heroes? What drives them? What are their views on the business they are in?

For generations, proud and self-sacrificing Canadian moms and dads have been faithfully delivering their kids after school and on weekends to hundreds of ballet classes across the country. But does anything extraordinary ever result from all of this feverish activity? Fortunately for the lucky few, the answer is, yes.

Jean Freebury of Edmonton was one. Last October, Jean jetted in to London England with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company of New York -- described by David Dougill in The Sunday Times as, "the most prestigious participant this year in Dance Umbrella's '95 season."

Now, at 27, Jean Freebury is one of the most experienced members in the Cunningham ensemble of eight women and seven men.

An unexpected telephone call announced her arrival in London -- she was here for six performances at the Riverside Studios and Sadler's Wells Theatre -- London's 1,500-seat home for dance. What a welcome surprise! When seen last in New York in 1990, Jean was a struggling young dancer studying and working passionately to gain a place with a top contemporary dance company -- and seemingly fighting against the odds.

Clearly, with perseverance and luck, she had won -- and here she was at the pinnacle. With considerable enthusiasm, my wife and I went along to a packed Sadler's Wells Theatre to take in three electrifying British premieres and a soaring Jean Freebury in Beach Birds with its John Cage score, Ground Level Overlay, and CRWDSPCR (Crowdspacer).

About Ground Level Overlay, The Times' Debra Craine wrote, "This year the American master has produced one of the most radically original and startlingly beautiful works of abstract dance in the last decade."

After the London engagement, Jean came 'round and caught up with us over mugs of tea and a surprising number of sandwiches. Obviously, she was exhausted and ravenous following the demanding run.

It wasn't long, however, before she was her bubbling self again; uncoiling like a spring on the sofa, laughing and talking animatedly about her adventures and fascinating life which now includes a New York apartment -- although she seldom sees it -- spending 50 weeks a year touring the world.

While living in New York in 1990, we had received a call from old friends in Edmonton. Jack and Mary Jean Freebury told us that their daughter was coming to New York to study dance and would appreciate a point of contact. It wasn't long before we met a very determined young woman. Jean was keen to break into the New York dance scene, even if it meant hanging around practice studios and rehearsal halls permanently until she got what she wanted. It is said that "if you can make in the Big Apple, you can make it anywhere," so in true Western style, Jean decided to saddle up and take the steer by the horns!

"I got here by sheer hard work," she says.

I asked her if her parents had pushed her into it.

"No! Not at all. Quite independently, by the age of six, I wanted to move; at 12 I decided I wanted to dance seriously and entered the Alberta Ballet School. In 1980, I went for a year to the National Ballet School in Toronto, where the Artistic Director -- the famous Betty Oliphant -- said I would never be a ballet dancer. I had constant problems with my feet.

"Nevertheless, I was very determined, and continued at the Alberta Ballet School under Ruth Carse, and apprenticed with Alberta Ballet until I was 19.

"Then I went to London [England] and had my first year of modern dance (which suited me better) as a student at London Contemporary Dance Theatre. I even took Cunningham classes there and became well aware of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. "I needed another year of modern training and went to the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts, but I didn't like the way they taught -- they were too aggressive." Jean Freebury, like all strong dancers, has a mind of her own, and knows what she likes and doesn't like.

"In 1990, I went to New York and was a student for a year with Merce Cunningham. Then I was awarded a half-tuition grant by the Canada Council to apprentice with him. In 1992, someone left the company and he took me on full-time."

I asked her about Merce, who is now in his seventies and joined his young company in taking the curtain calls at Sadler's Wells Theatre. "Is he a Napoleonic character -- a dictator?"

"No, Merce is very hands-off, but he gives you very hard things to do. His presence will make you do things you thought you could never do. You have to find a way to do it -- everybody finds a way. You have to try to be yourself onstage -- trying to do it in the most interesting way. Throughout the performance, Merce sits in the wings with his stopwatch, timing and cueing every piece to the nearest second!"

I inquired about the computer technology (LifeForms) he is reputed to use to plot choreographic options for moving up to seven dancers. "Yes he does -- but I've never seen the computer!"

Why does Jean love dancing? The reply comes with an impish smile, and with zest: "Because I like to move; and I like to jump! I like to challenge myself and take risks. I have a lot of energy I need to use up. With dance, the physical technical level has gone really high. Sylvie Guillem is the ultimate technician. But in most cases, the artistry level has not kept pace."

What does she think makes a great dancer? "It's a combination of intellect and instinct. Living in the moment of what they are doing -- a little quirky and unexpected or musical. Taking risks and bringing something of themselves to what they are doing."

And what of competition withing the Merce Cunningham ensemble? "It's not a matter of competing with others, but competing with yourself -- you want to become better. It's discipline, but it's freeing. We are making music with our rhythm. That interests me very much."

We spoke of the very unusual music or sounds which parallel Merce Cunningham performances but seem a world apart -- the dancers don't move to the music. "When I'm dancing, I'm usually not listening to the music -- I'm not conscious that the music is affecting me."

The conversation turned to audiences. How aware is she of them? "The audience brings a presence. They bring light. You can feel them. Actually seeing individuals in an audience puts me off. They look very stern as they concentrate. I enjoy dancing for an audience, but there is always the fear that you may forget something, or not be able to do something."

In 1995, the Merce Cunningham toured extensively in Europe. I asked Jean what was most memorable. "In July, we were at the Venice Biennale, " she said, "performing Ocean with music by John Cage, at the Gran Teatro La Fenice. The 1 1/2 hour event, without a break, was performed in the round with a 110-piece orchestra situated in the boxes, literally surrounding the dancers." Jean exclaims, "What John Cage has done with music, Merce Cunningham has done with dance!"

They've just heard that in 1996 they may play London's prestigious 6,000-seat Albert Hall which also will be hosting Quebec's Cirque du Soleil.

On the topic of modern dance, Jean says, "Unfortunately, there is nothing really new going on. Nederland Dance Theatre is doing interesting things and extending ballet technique. Also Frankfurt Ballet. And I respect Tricia Brown. But dance has gone into a slumber: it's lost the buzz of the 70s and 80s. In New York it's not what it was. Something that was avant garde and new has now gone. Maybe we need less dance and better quality."

Finally the spotlight focuses on Jean Freebury. Why isn't she dancing in Canada? "Contemporary dance hasn't taken off there yet, " she answers. "There are very few companies."

What has she learned from dance?

"Life is always changing -- we need to be aware of it. Performing is about trusting -- in yourself. You get to know yourself very well! You need to work at it very hard. When you finish a performance you are never happy with it."

Recently, Christopher Gable -- one of Britain's leading dancers and choreographers observed publicly that British dancers no longer work hard enough, so he is forced to engage foreigners. Jean Freebury doesn't have that problem -- this risk-taker from Edmonton got there by sheer hard work, and some luck.

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