Bill T. Jones is black, gay, and HIV positive man who has not only survived all of these things, but created beautiful works from them. One of the reasons I was so interested in his work was due to where he drew inspiration from. He pulled from the dark parts of his life – controversial topics, and turned them into beautiful pieces of art. He also made close connections with people who helped him grow and create the amazing works.
I believe the biggest influence in his career, was his partner Arnie Zane. They met in college, and became a perfect pair. During the time Jones spent with Zane, they met Lois Welk. Lois Welk introduced them to the world of contact improvisation. Jones, Zane, Welk, and another dancer Becker, formed American Dance Asylum in 1974. During this time, Jones produced works that were beautiful but with a twist. Often, he used spoken word passages and had his dancers’ improvisations react to the spoken word. He had pieces about little things bothering him all the way to huge social issues.
His interest in controversial topics only grew stronger. When Jones and Zane created the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company in 1982, they began to go deeper and deeper with their themes, while still exploring this idea of new media and technologies. When his partner died from AIDS. He choreographed multiple pieces about love and loss. These were highly controversial, but also highly acclaimed. One piece he wrote relating to aids and illness is titled Still / Here. He talked to people all over the country who were facing life threatening diseases. He drew inspiration from the real world, parts of the world that people usually shy away from. The following link is to an excerpt from this piece: https://vimeo.com/36236488 . It also includes the use of technology, as a small form, but still he was implementing something that not too many other people were using at the time.
- A Still from Still / Here
- https://www.pinterest.com/offsite/?token=613-225&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn1.walkerartcenter.org%2Fstatic%2Fcache%2F72%2F7203528bc8f428e94d8adfcaa8c60e38.jpg&pin=116319602850222384&client_tracking_params=CwABAAAADDI3OTMyMjEwNjY1MwA~0
His works not only got people talking, but still have people talking about them today. He took everything around him in life and applied it to dance. He was inspired by not only things that were important to him, but also people and what other people were exploring such as improvisation and technology. That is why I find his work so interesting.
Bill T. Jones Blog 
I think the way Bill T Jones used his own life experiences to create is also inspiring. Do you think his work would have been less controversial in today’s society? I wonder what made him so courageous in speaking about his own life, did he need acceptance, want to educate others, or was he inspired by someone else doing the same thing.
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What an interesting view of the life and inspirations that drew Bill T Jones to create. His is a minority in his environment multiplied by three. Being African American, being gay, and being HIV positive. Those are a lot of identities that can help drive a dancer, to create. The loss of his partner is another event in his life that pushed him to create more pieces that were beautiful. It’s incredible to think about how art that is created from a place of pain, can generate pieces people love.
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