Meet A Very Different Faun, Tonight on PBS

March 27, 2017

The mythical faun, half human, half goat, has inspired many dance works. In Nijinsky’s 1912 Afternoon of a Faun, he created a role for himself with the vulnerability of a human and the sensual power of an animal. His love object, a beautiful siren, was unattainable, so he pleasured himself with her scarf, causing a sensation in Paris.

Jerome Tisserand of Pacific Northwest Ballet in Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun, photo @Angela Sterling

Jerome Robbins created his faun in 1953 to the same Debussy music, but his character was part human, part dancer. The narcissism of looking in the mirror fostered a languid kind of self love. When he wakes up to the beautiful female dancer in the room, they are both so self-involved that the attraction doesn’t go beyond one still-born kiss.

Mark Dendy portrayed a homoerotic duet with his “Afternoon of the Faunes” (part of his Dream Analysis) in 1996. He and Larry Keigwin sprinted faun-like, side by side, mostly in place. This new interpretation of the animal/human in love was quirky and touching.


Gregg Mozgala, with Lucie Baker (seated) in Rogoff’s Diagnosis of a Faun, from the film Enter the Faun.

Tonight on “America Reframed” on PBS we will see yet another rendition of the faun. Choreographer/healer Tamar Rogoff’s protagonist is sensual, virile, charming—and has cerebral palsy. In a way it’s a perfect metaphor for the faun never fitting in. The lead performer is the charismatic, distinctive Gregg Mozgala, a professional actor. This amazing documentary, Enter the Faun, tracks Rogoff’s approach to rehearsals with a differently-abled Faun, interspersed with clips of his performance in her 2009 Diagnosis of a Faun. Rogoff had an intuition that she could do what no doctor could—change the way he walks. In the film, she trains Mozgala in her “body scripting” technique, which involves hands-on manipulations and vigorous, sustained shaking. Mozgala is a changed man after their work together—but not without a sense of loss for his old, familiar, lop-sided walk.

When I previewed this film for Dance on Camera last year, I called Rogoff a miracle worker. If you watch the film on “America Reframed” tonight, you’ll see why. You’ll also see how humor can bubble up from a challenging situation.

Here’s the trailer.

The 68-minute film airs tonight at 8pm EST. To check local listings in your area, click here.

For more info and for streaming after March 28, click here.