Lauren Putty White fell in love with dance at an early age, and she has never looked back. Her dedication to her passion has allowed her to perform with many great dance companies, do some incredible solo work, as well as launch her own project with husband Brent White, a phenomenal jazz trombonist, composer, and educator. From planned choreography to spontaneous improvisation, she has done it all and continues to do it all, relentlessly pushing herself to create new expressive pieces of art.
We had the chance to talk about her roots, her career in dance, the relationship between music and dance, race relations in the world of the arts, and much more! It was definitely a pleasure for me to delve into the world of dance as I learned quite a bit! It was an exciting interview for me and I hope you all will enjoy it!
How did you get your start in dance and what is your main arts discipline?
I started dancing at the age of 3. I had a lot of energy when I was little and my parents noticed I had a thing for movement and rhythm, so they put me in dance and the rest was history! My main discipline is modern dance, though I would say my personal vocabulary encompasses all of my training, which involves ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop as well.
Who are some of the artists/companies you have worked with during your career and can you share some of your most memorable experiences performing?
I have definitely been a “free floater” for the bulk of my performing career, having dabbled with an array of different companies and independent choreographers, but two primary companies I’ve toured with internationally are Parsons Dance Company in NY and Philadanco here in Philadelphia. Honestly, every opportunity I’ve had to be on stage has been memorable because each time is so unique but, if I have to choose, there are two that immediately come to mind. Performing at the historic Apollo Theater with Philadanco was a surreal moment, being in that exact theatre on that exact stage I watched on tv growing up, following so many brilliant performers that touched that very stage was so awesome! The other time I recall is when I spontaneously performed with the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra. I initially came to see the show in support of my husband who was playing with the band at the time, but then got asked minutes before the show started to dance with them. Luckily I was coming from a rehearsal and just happened to have my dance clothes with me, so I put those on, got thrown into the infamous Sun Ra wardrobe, and literally went out there having no idea what I was going to do! It was the most amazing experience of raw, authentic improvisation, I fell in love with the collaboration of it all!
Can you tell us about the Putty Dance Project, how did it get started and what is the mission of your organization?
So Putty Dance Project is a passion project that my husband Brent White and I started out of seeing a void in combined music and dance audiences. He’s a jazz trombonist and composer, and we initially thought that by collaborating live music with dance concerts, it would expand the level of interest and generate bigger audiences. Over time, we discovered an even deeper desire to produce shows that spoke to diverse groups of people. Therefore, our mission has evolved into producing socially-conscious works that meld live instrumentation, original music scores, multimedia, and elements of theater with dance. The work itself really delves into diverse issues that impact modern-day life.
To piggyback off the last question, you and your husband do a lot of collaboration work together with dance and music. Historically, the two have been intertwined forever and I think it’s interesting to hear how other art disciplines view each other. What are some of the things that you as a dancer listen for in the music, and how does it affect the choreography or improvised movements that are ultimately produced?
I personally favor this type of question because it is part of my lifelong mission to preserve the innate magic of the two! When it comes to music, jazz music, in particular, I listen for nuances, beats, and accents, this is how I embody what I call Physical Listening. What I hear directs a lot of my movement process and that causes spontaneity in my choices, which is when most of my best choreography is born.
Some people say that dancers, much like athletes, have a short career span so to speak because of the limitations due to age. Do you feel this is a true statement or do you feel it has to do with the individual mindset?
This is a tough one to answer because it really does depend on the person. I will say that if you are a dancer who starts in a major modern company at a young age and stay there until you retire, chances are you could last till you are in your 40’s/ 50’s. If you are more of a freelancer, the older you get, the harder it is to audition and compete with the younger dancers. But the beauty is that nowadays, Broadway is hiring so many older dancers that have “retired” from concert dance life and are still active, and then of course you have smaller project-based companies that also embrace diverse age groups. Basically, there is room for longevity, you just have to obviously take good care of yourself and know what you want.
How has your career and your art evolved over the years since when you first started?
Oh man, I’d definitely say it’s evolved drastically! When I was a young dancer in training I had this very narrow view of where I wanted to go professionally, the goal was to dance for a major company like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre or Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and that was that. Never did I predict that I would get into choreographing, start my own company or discover a passion for teaching as well.
In the world of ballet, it can be said that historically it hasn’t always been accepting of minorities and although it has been getting better we still have progress that needs to be made. Can you comment on your thoughts on this disparity in the world of dance and what might be done to make it better?
Though it may sound cliche, I believe the road to this solution starts with the training of our young dancers. As a dance educator, it is my responsibility to ingrain positive body imaging, self-affirmations, and aid the students in setting realistic goals for themselves. Also, they mustn’t be told “no”, “can’t” or “never”, especially because you don’t know how a flower will bloom just by looking at the seed. The more they are led to believe what is possible the more they are prone to persevere without limitation.
What are you currently working on during this pandemic era? I understand with a family it can be difficult with time as well so I’d love to hear how you are managing things!
Yes, this pandemic has been an interesting time creatively but I am grateful for the time and space to dream and create. I have a 3-year-old and a 10-month-old, so yes I have to find tiny slots throughout the day to be productive but oftentimes they are along for the ride! I’ve actually booked a virtual performance gig with a NYC based choreographer named David Gordon. So all summer it’s been me learning pre-recorded choreography, my husband filming me with an iPhone performing the choreography and submitting it back to the production team for the final virtual production. The best part is that if I film off location at a park or something it becomes a family affair and the kids just tag along and watch mommy dance in the park. I’ve also just been spending this time applying for various choreographing opportunities in the coming year and brainstorming what comes next for Putty Dance.
To find out more about Putty Dance Project please visit www.puttydanceproject.org to find out all the latest, and be sure to follow her on social media. Again, it was truly a great honor to speak with Laura. I and all of us at Occhi wish her nothing but continued success, which I am sure she will have much of!
Photos: Ola Baldych (headshot) and BH Photos Photography
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