What does it mean to dream beyond what is expected, to push the boundaries of what is possible? For me, this question has always been central to my work as a choreographer. The myth of Icarus—so full of symbolism, beauty, and tragedy—has long been a mirror for my own artistic aspirations. Crafting something as fragile as wings from feathers and wax, only to watch them fall apart in the heat of ambition, echoes deeply with the artist’s experience. It was this profound metaphor that inspired my 1989 dance piece Flight of Icarus, where I sought to explore not only Icarus’s fateful story but also the delicate balance between creative freedom and the constraints of society. Thanks to the support from the National Endowment for the Arts, I was able to bring this vision to life.
For me, Icarus isn’t just the figure of doomed ambition from Greek mythology. He embodies every artist who dreams beyond the confines imposed by societal expectations, every creator who dares to redefine what is possible. His fall—beautiful yet devastating—is more than a punishment for hubris; it’s a reflection of the systemic fear that arises when imagination pushes too far.
This tension became an essential question in my choreography. With the United States deeply divided over the role of federally funded arts at the time, I couldn’t help but ask—how many freedoms are we willing to sacrifice for the illusion of control? Would defunding the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) clip the wings of artists like Icarus before they’ve even had a chance to soar?
Table of contents
The Myth as a Personal Mirror
The ancient myth provided me with a framework that felt both timeless and deeply personal. I took the essence of Icarus—the ambition, the flight, the fall—and reimagined it for a contemporary audience. Flight of Icarus became not just a narrative but a statement. Through choreography, I wanted to articulate the artist’s eternal struggle between striving for greatness and facing the forces that attempt to hold us down.
Every movement in the piece was deliberate. The tension between restraint and release was palpable. Each leap, each arabesque, and each pirouette symbolized the yearning to transcend what is expected, to defy gravity. And yet, with each fall, there was the unmistakable fragility of our aspirations.
Emotional Weight vs Physical Demands
Some of my earliest performances of Flight of Icarus left me breathless—not just from the physical demands of the choreography, but from the emotional weight of it. Tammy Lynch, writing for The Ithacan, aptly described the piece as “haunting and effective,” highlighting the ability of dance to simultaneously teach and provoke. I wanted audiences to feel both uplifted and haunted by the beauty and price of unrestrained ambition.
For me, Icarus’s collapse wasn’t just a tragic end. It became a lens to examine the precarious position of art in a world that thrives on conformity. Art that soars too high, that dares too deeply, becomes a threat. I felt this within my own career—the moments where pushing past creative limits felt dangerous, not because of personal failure but because of societal resistance.
The National Endowment for the Arts and What’s at Stake
Growing up as an artist, the NEA was more than an organization. It was a lifeline, offering support to those of us striving to make our voices heard. For me, it felt like a modern-day Daedalus, empowering us with the wings we needed to chase our dreams while still tethered to the realities of economic dependency.
But I’ve seen what it looks like when art challenges power. I remember the late 1980s when artists like Andres Serrano and Robert Mapplethorpe faced backlash for creating work that was bold and unapologetic. Their pieces didn’t just decorate walls—they held up mirrors to society. Yet, their art was vilified by political leaders who preferred easy narratives over uncomfortable truths. Funding cuts became a weapon, a way to discipline creativity and enforce boundaries.
Cycle of Defunding Threats
When debates around defunding the NEA began to resurface in recent years, I felt the same echoes of fear and control. To me, these arguments—to redirect funds from “non-essential” art to other priorities—miss the point entirely. Art isn’t just a luxury or an embellishment; it’s an economic engine, a cultural bond, and perhaps most importantly, a force for human connection and growth. Defunding the NEA might appear like fiscal responsibility on paper, but it’s a melting of the wax—a dismantling of something far greater than any single art piece.
The Fragile Wings of the National Endowment for the Arts
Art is inherently vulnerable. Its true power lies in its ability to disrupt, to provoke, to make people see the world differently. Yet, this power makes it a target. I have experienced this paradox time and again—creating something deeply personal, only to see it resist understanding or acceptance because it doesn’t conform to expectation.
It’s this same paradox that gave Flight of Icarus its emotional heartbeat. The choreography captures the essence of freedom but also its fragility. And isn’t this what art truly is? A fleeting, fragile push against limitations, always on the brink of something extraordinary or devastating.
What is Appropriate Dance?
Perhaps this is why funding for the arts is so often fraught with tension. To support art is to acknowledge its ability to critique the very systems that fund it. Art shakes us from our comfort zones, exposes what we would rather ignore, and demands that we face our realities. But cutting that funding suggests an unwillingness to be challenged, to see beyond our self-created boundaries.
Where Do We Go from Here?
If my years as an artist have taught me anything, it’s that art will always find a way to exist. But the question is, at what cost? Without support, beauty becomes a whisper when it ought to be a roar. To truly safeguard the arts, we need systems that protect their autonomy.
Public-private partnerships like those initiated by The Getty Foundation offer one solution, blending government support with philanthropy to maintain cultural vibrancy. Similarly, crowdfunding gives communities direct control over the art they want to see, creating a sense of ownership and pride in the culture we build together.
However, solutions must ultimately begin with a reinvestment in what art means to us. It shapes who we are, challenges what we believe, and carries us through both the dazzling heights and humbling lows of the human experience.
Icarus, Alive in All of Us
Flight of Icarus remains one of the most personal pieces I’ve created—a reflection of my constant negotiation between aspiration and limitation. It is a dance of hope and despair, freedom and constraint.
And I think of Icarus often. I see him in every artist who dares to fly too high, in every advocate who fights for artistic freedom, and in every audience member who is moved by a story that challenges how they see the world. Yes, wax may melt, and wings may falter. But to fly at all—to strive for something greater—is a triumph in itself.
What will we choose? Will we clip art’s wings and lose both its beauty and its disruption? Or will we find ways to help it soar, unafraid of the transformations it might inspire?
These are the questions I continue to ask, both in my work and in my advocacy. And they are questions for all of us, because art isn’t just mine to create—it belongs to us all, shaping the shared story of humanity one flight at a time.
Performing Arts Posts
- The Quiet Power of Yoko Ono’s Cut Piece
In the quiet of a Kyoto concert hall in 1964, a woman kneels on the stage. She wears her finest suit and places a pair of scissors before her. This is Yoko Ono, and she performs Cut Piece. The instructions are simple. One by one,… - The Coolest Debate: Fosse, Robbins, and the Rhythmic Connection Between “West Side Story” and “Sweet Charity”
In my last discussion, I dove into the fiery rooftop debate between West Side Story’s “America” and Sweet Charity’s “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This.” That comparison, a visual parallel between two masters, is a favorite among theater fans. But the connection through iconic… - Flight of Icarus and the Fragility of Artistic Freedom
The exploration of ambition and artistic freedom in “Flight of Icarus” inspires us to reflect on the power of art in challenging societal boundaries. Embracing vulnerability, creativity can soar, transforming both creators and audiences in profound ways.
- Regional American Theater Companies Worth Traveling For
The stage, a microcosm of life itself, forms a bridge where imagination meets reality. Beneath glowing stagelights, stories unfold—tender, relentless, transcendent. Despite Broadway’s limelight, it’s in regional theater where American cultural roots find fertile soil. Here, playwrights experiment with untamed daring, actors refine their craft,…
- Should The Government Bailout Regional Theater Companies?
Theaters nationwide face an existential crisis post-pandemic, struggling financially and risking cultural extinction. Urgent government support is needed to preserve these vital community pillars and protect artistic expression. - Why Straight Plays Matter: The Importance of Dramatic Literature
The debate over Straight Plays1 vs. Musical Theater2 is fundamental. It merits serious consideration regarding the significance of these two art forms in modern society. For centuries, plays have acted as a vital medium for expressing societal struggles, ideas, and beliefs. They provide a unique…
Discover more from Alex Westerman
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.