Happy holidays

Where ever you are, and who ever you are, my heart felt wishes for a safe and warm holiday season, filled with love.

I hope you have a moment to breathe. To be aware. And to smile.

Performance as research

I'm interested in the research of the performer. The investigations that go into a body of work. The kinesthetic understandings. The work that the performer does... more than just the work of doing the steps. The work of practicing and researching the lived experience of the performed moment.

I'm including a video from "Doris Says..." Megan Quinn graciously performed "Song of Euterpe" again, for me. We've been working on this piece for over a year, now; Megan has performed it in various stages, in various forms of refinement. After this, the sixth performance of the work over the year, Megan said to me, "I think I'm finally getting it."

And here lies one of the core issues of our research. We, as performers, are constantly searching. Constantly figuring things out. And, like research done in any laboratory, it takes time for us to figure things out. This is the importance of the rehearsal process. The research. The practice.

I'm posting Megan's September performance because it's beautiful to look back on the video from a year ago and see how much she has grown as a dancer and performer. It's beautiful to see the research lived before my/your eyes. It's exciting to see the process unfold. (Go back to November 2010 to see one of her first performances http://jcwarchalking.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=33)

What has unfolded? Megan has a more expansive use of her kinesphere. Her weighted is dropped and her movement pathways are more clear. I interpret this as young performer developing a more mature understanding of her body in space; of her body as a technical instrument. I see a deeper awareness of her relationship to her audience. She has a more clear relationship with the music.

Why is this important and what implications might this have? A sensitive, mature performer is aware of her place in space and of her audience. These relationships translate to everyday life. A performer who is adept at negotiating space and time and people and who can translate these skills to multiple stages, will also be able to translate these skills to multiple "real-life" situations. For example, business presentations, customer relationships, inter-office interactions... training through artistic performance has multiple benefits to the non-arts sector... more research to follow!

And it's continuing...

Thanks, Megan!

Here's the youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwxO65hnn24

Review of Ties that Bind and NGPP's latest project

The Nora Gibson Performance Project performed December 2nd and 3rd at the Painted Bride Arts Center. Here's Merilyn Jackon's review for the Philly Inquirer:
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillystage/Review-Ties-That-Bind-at-the-Bride.html

and some pics:

photo by Eve Gibson

photo by Bill H. 

How Philly Moves

JJ Tiziou created this wonderful project. Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=couOjtTiVPI

"It uses dance to talk about... everyone is photogenic... and that's not the end-all idea. That idea has a bigger principal that is this underlying truth of life of valuing your neighbors and valuing ourselves... It's about community and collaboration and that's what's really special about it... Bringing people from all over and seeing what a beautiful diversity there is and how much in common we all have in this shared beauty of our human experience." ~~JJ Tiziou

Thanks, and congrats, JJ!

Dancing is Defiance

It has been the core of my philosophy that dance is a form of social justice.

Let me break it down:

Throughout history, power has been exacted on one party by another through manipulation of the body. An idea cannot be silenced unless the body that houses that idea is silenced. The body holds the stories of an individual and of a people. Knowing the body provides an opportunity for one to know the self and the self in context of the larger community.
Dancing connects the body, the mind, and the spirit of an individual. Through regular practice of dance, the practitioner develops a better understanding of these entities (the body, the mind, and the spirit); therefore, developing a deeper understanding of the self. Understanding produces empathy. I believe that empathy produces a sense of respect and community. Through developing an awareness of the self, the dancer develops an awareness of other bodies in space in his/her community.
In our 21st Century society, our identities are relegated to e-mail addresses, two-dimensional photos, and cell-phone numbers. Dancing reminds us that we are three-dimensional beings. Dancing provides an opportunity to live and engage with the very thing that makes us human: our bodies.

Thank you, Psychology Today for this article:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what-body-knows/201111/dance-is-radical-act

And keep dancing!

At the Bride... (the Painted Bride Arts Center in Philly, that is...)

Rehearsal for Phase 2...

The Nora Gibson Performance Project with Jennifer Morley's Figments and Olive Prince Dance. Friday and Saturday at the Painted Bride Arts Center. It's a really intense show... you don't want to miss this. Kinda like slowing down with a really complex glass of wine or spending an entire afternoon getting lost in a book of poetry, an art museum, or a field of high, green grass and wild flowers.

Yep... you need to go there. Take a deep breath and dive in head first... (or, just get your ticket and stay glued to your seat).

http://ticketing.theatrealliance.org/tickets/eventDetails.aspx?id=20911&org=in

This week at the Painted Bride!

The Nora Gibson Performance Project is performing this week at the Painted Bride Arts Center.

Ties that Bind is an evening of dance shared by choreographers Jennifer Morley, Olive Prince, and Nora Gibson.

Here's the link for tickets:
http://www.paintedbride.org/events/tiesthatbind/

And a link to Phase 1 of NGPP's Trinity Project.
http://vimeo.com/21538688

Congrats, Kirsten!

I have cool friends.

Check out this review of Kirsten Kashock's Sleight. And then get the book if you haven't already!

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/literature/134488638.html

http://www.amazon.com/Sleight-Kirsten-Kaschock/dp/1566892759/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322430246&sr=8-1-spell

exhale

Francois le Roux is also know as the HA!Man. His website states that "Ha! (is) the breath that reconciles body and mind, opening a third dimension..."

Kun-Yang often speaks of "what happens in between" when he's coaching our movement and energy during rehearsals. Sometimes he is referring to what happens in between time and space. Sometimes he's referring to the delicate interaction between the dancers in the space. Sometimes he's referring to the magic of the silence - the silence that is not still but rebounding in dynamic. Breaking a barrier of consciousness. Of another dimension.

Last year, I had the opportunity to see "Ha! Breath of Life" at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii. The youtube video states it's a stage spectacle. And that it is, but there's an element to the mythology that stuck a cord in me and the work that I do with Kun-Yang. The Ha is the breath energy. The flow. The force that connects us all. Since then, I've been processing these philosophies within my own dance practices, my performance practices, and my life practice.

Sunday. November 20th. 3:30pm. Chi Movement Arts Center. ExHale. (Yes, in accordance with InHale). After 45 minutes of an intricate solo performance, Francois pauses. He's gripped the soul of the cello. Danced across an electric keyboard with his fingers. Whistled. Chanted. Layered his music and his body over. and over. and over again. Peering into the audience, he asks for questions.

"Where do you get your inspiration?"

He turns his back to his inquisitor, sticks his thumb out, and points to his sacrum. At first, I think this is a joke. From speaking to him before the show, I know he has a sense of humor. But he's not pointing to his butt. He's genuinely pointing to his sacrum. Well, a point just below his sacrum. And responds, "From here. From my core. That's where I get my inspiration."

The academic in me that spent two years researching Tantric Hinduism and the chakras is reeling. (See earlier posts to catch up). Seriously. This is from where one grounds. Without grounding, further movement, enlightenment, understanding, health, relationships.... cannot occur. And he's acknowledging this physical place - or this energetic place - or whatever the space in between is. It's the place where researchers have located one of the important grounding energetic sites. This is where martial artists, professional Western athletes, dancers, runners... are trained from which to move. To act. To listen and respond. It's not just artistic... Francois is so (unforgivably) clear that this is from where he moves and creates. From his core. (and it has nothing to do with his stomach or strengthening with a giant ball).

He speaks about listening to his surroundings. To staying true to the moment of the work. To creating as a form of awareness and response. Of paying attention to the self.

He talks about times when he had very little money and played on street corners, but remained true to his art and his voice. He talks about the practice of showing up to the discipline. He talks about years of classical training. He talks about allowing the relationship between the individual and the training to engage in continuous practice; but to also allow for another factor to enter into the relationship of the practice and the practioner. The space in between.

As fate would have it, Francois came to KYL/D as the company is continuing to discuss our practice. Although, I'm not sure that fate and listening to the universe are separate elements. It is reassuring to see the importance of artistic practice, of listening, of being aware, is not unique, but a universal human truth. I witnessed this in Indonesia with Miroto and the other artists performing at JIPA. And now again with Francois who is on tour from South Africa.

Thank you, Francois and thank you KYL/D for the opportunity to share and experience.

A few links:
Francois's home page: http://www.hamanworld.com/
At work: http://www.youtube.com/user/kyldphilly#p/a/u/1/RNxBnomwROs
Improvisation and paying attention: http://www.youtube.com/user/kyldphilly#p/a/u/2/Iw0Qvw9oEEY
Polynesian Cultural Center: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADdDVsIYbls

Thank you!

There is so much to be grateful for. Thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving...

Thank you, InHale and KYL/D

According to Twitter, at 11:20pm, the trending phrase (?) is #SoRight.

Yep.

Thank you to the InHale artists - the choreographers and your dancers. Thank you to the amazing crew. Thank you to Ken, Kun-Yang and Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers for continuing to trust and believe in this process, and allowing it to happen at the Chi Movement Arts Center. Thank you to all of the volunteers from past performances who set the bar high... higher... and higher. Each performance and each year brings growth and strength in a way that makes so much sense. As though the universe has a very clear game plan for development.

I am always impressed by the strength of InHale participants. The craft of choreography is so clear. The design of the space is so defined. The skill of the dancer's technique and execution is... I need to find another word for strong but after being in the studio/theatre all day, I am at a loss. Twitter is correct - SoRight. (But you have to read this as sooooooooRIGHT!)

I love InHale because it provides so many opportunities. It provides artists with opportunities to try out new work or get feedback on established work. It provides performers with an opportunity to practice performing. It provides technicians an opportunity to work closely with professional choreographers and performers to help produce the complete artistic experience. It provides young artists with an opportunity to grow and established artists with an opportunity to intimately engage with the community. It provides the community - artists and audience - with an opportunity to see what everyone else in the community (REGIONALLY!) is doing. It provides KYL/D an opportunity to share their beautiful space. (I love Chi MAC! There's a certain energy that is so calming in the studio!) Speaking from the educators of KYL/D and Chi MAC, it provides us an opportunity to share the professional world with aspiring professionals in a safe, supportive environment. It provides an opportunity for audiences and artists to interact on a non-threatening level.

And I could go on... but you really should experience it for yourself. Our next performance series will be in January. Stay tuned...

InHale Performance Series tonight!

We're into year four of the InHale Performance Series and we're going strong! The work we receive continues to be very interesting, complex, and sophsiticated. We're getting submissions from all over the east coast. InHale is a wonderful way for not only me to get to know more artists, but for the artists to interact with each other and for the Philly community to see what's happening in the rest of the region.

So, stop by tonight. Here's a link to the promo video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lElKU3W5gao

Kun-Yang Lin/ Dancers presents the
InHale Performance Series
featuring choreography and performance by:
Alie Vidich - Movement Brigade
Liz Lyle
Loren Groenendaal
Melissa Chisena and Chisena Danza
Rori Smith
Sam Kenney

Thank you, Veterans.

Happy Veterans's Day. Thank you to all of those who served and protected.

It is because of you that I have the opportunity to write and speak openly. To dance joyfully. To create my art freely.

It is because of your sacrifices that I can recognize my possibilities.

Thank you is not enough. But please know that some of us are aware, even if we don't understand.

Thank you, Bill H.

From "Chronicles of a Love Junkie"

Photo by Bill H.

One more performance on 11/12/2011, 7:30pm at Temple University's Conwell Dance Theatre. 

Workshops with Janis Brenner

Starting this weekend!!!

Movement/Voice Improvisation Workshops 

For Actors, Singers, Dancers and movers of all kinds    

with Janis Brenner,  

an Award-winning dancer/choreographer/singer/teacher and Artistic Director Janis Brenner & Dancers in NYC

Sat, NOV. 12th, 11:30am to 1:30pm at CHI MAC 

Sat. DEC. 10th, 11:30am to 1:30pm at CHI MAC 

($12 per class)

 

JANIS BRENNER has toured in 33 countries and is recognized as a "singular performer" with a multifaceted artistic range. Honors/grants include: a NY Dance & Performance Award (a "Bessie") for her performance in Meredith Monk's "The Politics of Quiet", Lester Horton Award for Choreography in L.A., NY Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, The Fund for US Artists at International Festivals,  The Trust for Mutual Understanding, UNESCO and a commission for the interdisciplinary work, "The Memory Project", from the Whitney Museum of American Art. Her work has been commissioned/restaged on more than 45 companies and colleges. She performed with Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble from 1990-2005 (recording on ECM Records). Ms. Brenner was with the Murray Louis Dance Company from 1977-84 and worked with Rudolf Nureyev, Placido Domingo, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Joseph Papp, Bat Sheva Dance Company in Israel, and Alwin Nikolais. Janis Brenner & Dancers has performed throughout the U.S., Asia, and Europe since 1989 and has been presented by leading NY organizations. Brenner is a sought-after Master Teacher conducting workshops and residencies in dance technique, improvisation, composition, repertory and voice/movement integration throughout the world.  KYL/D is honored to host Janis, who also was the original vocal coach and lead singer in BEYOND THE BONES production in NYC.  Workshop participants may be invited to perform BEYOND THE BONES with KYL/D in March 2012.

Chi Movement Arts Center, home of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers

1316 S 9th St

Philadelphia, PA 19147

(one block south of Pat's and Geno's cheese steak giants, between Wharton and Reed)

267-687-3739

kunyanglin.org

More reflections on Indonesia

Here's a link to an article I wrote for the Dance Journal. Again, thank you Steve Weiss, Ken, Kun-Yang, Janet, Olive, Jenn, Eiren, the board and supporters of KYL/D, the JIPA volunteers, my parents, my family, and (of course), Justin, for making all of this possible. There are so many people to thank and I am so grateful! But, take a read for yourself.

http://philadelphiadance.org/blog/2011/11/09/investigating-quietness-kun-yang-lin-dancers-on-tour-in-indonesia/

Chronicles of a Love Junkie

This Friday and Saturday at Temple University's Conwell Dance Theatre at 7:30pm.
Choreography by Michael T. Roberts.

Here's the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y6zFhuDEGc&feature=channel_video_title

and a picture by Bill H.:

And a picture of the poster:

It's a really incredible show!

Reminders...

"I beg you... to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. do not search for the answers, which could not be given you now, because you would not be able to live them. and the point is, to live everything. live the questions now. perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer." ~rilke


I love this quote. And I have experienced living my way into the answers. I just need to remember that the questions can be enjoyable, as well. 


One of the best reminders I've been given was by a fellow company member. "Keep dancing," she said. Well, what was I doing? Struggling with my body. Not dancing. I was doing the steps, but not dancing. 


Kun-Yang has often said, "Let your body do the thinking. Let your mind dance." 

And in moments of extreme stress, Justin asks, "what would you do, just for you?"

The answer: I would dance.

In this world where letters after my name or lines to my resume mean that I've qualified for... something... the experience has evaded me. I'm on a quest for joy without having to understand that in my head. My thinking body understands joy. My analytic mind gets frustrated that joy and happiness cannot be quantified. But it can be qualified. And there lies the value. Qualitatively living the questions and the answers and being reminded by the memories of our Indonesia trip that the unknown languages can be translated without words.

So, dear diary... I'm on a quest for joy. An embodied fully present, mind-body-spirit experience of happiness. I want to heal the world with dance. Starting with myself... if only for one day.

International Friends

Here's a link that our friends from Indonesia and the JIPA festival created. Great pics! Thanks, friends!

http://jipafestival.tumblr.com/

Trinity Project Phase II with Nora Gibson Performance Project

http://noragibsonperformanceproject.weebly.com/events.html

Dance for PD poem - get out the tissues!

NEW DANCER

by Karen Lynch

I AM STIFF

I AM TWISTED

I AM DETERMINED

I GET UP

I AM ACHY

I AM SLOW

I DON’T SLEEP

I KEEP GOING

I AM TILTED

I FEEL SLUGGISH

I CAN’T DO IT

I FEEL OFF-BALANCE

I GET DRESSED

I TRY TO EAT

I MISS MY MOUTH

I DON’T GIVE UP

I CHANGE MY CLOTHES

I PUT ON SHOES

I TRY TO WALK

I ALMOST FALL

I TRY AGAIN

IT’S TIME FOR CLASS

I AM SLEEPY

I FEEL ANXIOUS

I AM CLUMSY

I DON’T GIVE IN

I CHECK MY WATCH

I  CAN’T MOVE

MY LEGS DON’T WORK

I AM TIRED

I DON’T LAY DOWN

I KEEP GOING

I  FIX MY HAIR

I DROP THE BRUSH

I  PICK IT UP

I HIT MY HEAD

I MUST LEAVE SOON

I GET IN THE CAR

I MUST KEEP MOVING

I DON’T GIVE UP

I STOP AT THE STORE

I CAN’T FIND MY WALLET

I HOLD UP LINE

I DROP MY PURSE

I AM EMBARRASSED

I DON’T CRY

I  DRIVE TO THE STUDIO

I AM A MESS

I PARK THE CAR

I FEEL SCARED

I WANT TO HIDE

I TRY TO STAND

I TRY ONCE MORE

I WALK TO THE ENTRANCE

I PULL THE DOOR

I CAN’T GET IN

I GET SOME HELP

I LOOK AROUND

I SEE A FACE

I SEE A WALKER

I SEE A SMILE

I SEE THE RAMP

I AM NERVOUS

I TRY TO SMILE

I START TO SHAKE

I CAN’T SIGN IN

I FEEL ASHAMED

I TRY TO TALK

I AM NOT HEARD

I GO AND SIT

I AM ASKED

I GIVE AN ANSWER

I FEEL UNSURE

 

I SEE THE TEACHER

I HEAR THE MUSIC

I START TO LOOSEN

I MOVE MY ARMS

I FEEL BETTER

I LOOK AROUND

I MIGHT BELONG

WE FEEL THE RYTHM

WE START TO LAUGH

WE START TO SWAY

WE ARE RELAXING

WE FEEL THE MUSIC

WE ALL ARE MOVING

WE ARE ALL SLOW

WE ALL ARE BEAUTIFUL

WE ALL ARE AWKWARD

WE ARE ALL GRACEFUL

WE ALL ARE JOYFUL

WE ARE ALL DANCING

WE ALL ARE LIFTED

WE ALL ARE SOARING

WE ALL CAN FEEL IT

WE NOW ARE BOWING

WE FEEL ACCEPTED

WE GET EMOTIONAL

WE ARE ALL HOLDING

WE ARE CONNECTED

WE ARE ALL TWISTED

WE ARE ALL WEARY

WE ARE ALL AWKWARD

WE ALL DON’T KNOW IT

WE ALL ARE DANCING

Broad Street Review of Two Hands

The Broad Street Review wrote about "Two Hands." There are a few inaccuracies in the article (for example, Kun-Yang is from Singapore, not Indo), but it is a great review, nonetheless. Thanks so much, Broad Street Review!

http://www.broadstreetreview.com/index.php/main/article/two_hands_at_annenberg1/

Photo by Bill H.

"Two Hands" at the Annenberg Center

Opening night.

Here are a few pictures from the show, thank you Bill H.

(Me. From the final section)

(More of "Dreamer")

Tickets can be purchased at http://www.pennpresents.org/tickets/?id=181

Beyonce's gotta know some smart people...

I have a hard time believing that she's not already aware of this. I want to believe that maybe, just maybe, this is her way of exposing dance history. First Fosse. Now De Keersmaeker. Smart. Really smart. 

It's all been done before, so why not stand on the shoulders of giants?? Those of us who have studied her cry at her concerts (Anne's. yes... I've done that. And I'm sure there are people who cry at Beyone's concerts). Ms. De Keersmaeker is incredibly smart and an extraordinary choreographer.   

When my students first introduced me to Beyonce, I became obsessed. Many of her videos and her songs make my critical mind question. She's making socially challenging decisions. She's copying (sharing?  exposing?) great choreographers. She chose a super smart partner in Jay-Z. There's something to the woman behind the curtain. 

So, my challenge to you is to do your own homework. Here's the youtube video that puts them together. Figure out Ms. De Keersmaeker for yourself....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDT0m514TMw

*and so you know, from my understanding her name is pronounced "Dee-Keers-mock-er"

Two Hands performance tonight!

I'm performing at the Annenberg Center with Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers and Hua Hua Zhang's Visual Expressions.

http://www.pennpresents.org/tickets/?day=2011-10-15

This is one of my favorite sections... I'm a penguin! Bill H took this picture - I'll add more as he posts them.

Research, information, integration!

Miroto's words come back to me. "Dance is about literal movement, abstract movement, speech, and opera." He is sitting crossed-legged on a small futon-like couch next to Kun-Yang, ticking off the elements of dance.

He is sitting in his studio. The sun is fading outside and the shadows are creeping in. His dancers are sitting next to him, his daughter on his lap. Traditional and contemporary masks are being passed between our dancers. He leans forward as if this part of the conversation is vitally important. "Dance is about what's behind the movement!"

The body is the conduit. The transmitter of information.

Yesterday, I performed for Kirsten Kaschock's book reading/ Philadelphia tour stop of "Sleight." I read the book because I love reading, I love Kirsten, and I wanted to research my role in this performance. Great read. But, I learned more about Clef, Lark, West, Kitchen, and the sleight from Kirsten's embodiment during her reading. We began rehearsing several weeks ago and she briefly described the story line. Developing a relationship between an object and the self. Being aware of the space and the audience. Being part of a larger whole. Listening to an object and the larger moving community. Her concepts resonated with the work I've been investigating. I was excited to approach them from a different perspective - from a literary perspective.

Kirsten integrated music, dance, and reading into her performance last night. I learned, from watching her, that  these opportunities provide me with rich, deep research. Kirsten moved as she read, delineating the space, designating space, providing her audience with a visual, physical, and mental image. She engaged all of the human elements in this work - the sound of her brother playing, physical empathy through movement, visual experience, thought-provoking language, the smell and taste of wine and apples... it was a complete sensory experience. This provided me with more data and information to complement my own kinesthetic research.

Thank you, Kirsten!

Dance is about what's behind the movement.


(I may be misquoting Miroto, but that's what he said in my memory, and I'm not that far off, if I am misquoting).

Sleight!

Kirsten Kaschock is a beautiful dancer, writer, thinker, and person. We actually met four years ago taking class together at Koresh. For me, it was one of those meetings where I knew our paths would cross again. 


Kirsten is a PhD candidate at Temple, but that's only one of her many degrees. She's so smart! Her clever mind is very clear in her latest book, SLEIGHT. It's described as än acutely literary sci-fi rhapsody about inter-dimensional dance, and the tortured relationships between the dancers."


She's on an exciting national book tour and her Philadelphia celebration is tonight, October 9th at 7pm, upstairs at L'Etage (on the corner of Bainbridge and 6th Streets). She asked me to perform a translation of her book. 

I love working with Kirsten as a choreographer. She's so attentive to details and clear about her movement vocabulary. I'm honored to help bring her work to life. 


Here's Kirsten's blog:  http://kaschock.wordpress.com/

Back in the studio with NGPP

We began rehearing for Trinity Project - Phase II last night. I love being back in the studio with the Nora Gibson Performance Project.

Getting the material from Phase I back into my body was an interesting process. This is the second piece this year that I've revisited - the first was Kun-Yang Lin/ Dancers' Mandala Project for JIPA.

As my body recovers the steps and movement, I am overwhelmed by the memories of the previous year. The body has so much memory! Things that my mind has forgotten, my body remembers - places and events that have nothing to do with the work, directly, but were occurring during it's creation and therefore hold a place in my body and the work. Old kinesthetic habits resurface. It's surprising to me, in the moment, that when I revisit a piece in my new, current body, that she remembers so much. Much negotiation brings the old material into a new form. It's exciting!

And as I revisit the first movements, the second and third follow on their own. The story of the movement has been latent, but quickly resurfaces.

Exciting adventures!

The performance of Trinity Project - Phase II is at the Painted Bride Arts Center on December 2-3.

Kun-Yang Lin on WHYY

Check out this link:
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/art-entertainment-sports/item/27488

It was filmed at our last rehearsal before we left for Indonesia.

Video Journals

There are many pictures from our time in Indonesia. I only have a few. As part of my reflection process, I am creating several photo/ video journals. Here are the first two of three.

Part 1: Arrivals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaZAMNd3AOw

Part 2: Movement (Action. Development. Evolution. Passage. Shift. Stir. Voyage. Joy.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jfrlXBxHLQ

This is a picture from our rehearsal for the outdoor performance:

This was taken during our indoor performance:

Java in Java

Not quite knowing what I was in for, I packed enough gluten-free snacks to survive a ten day excursion. Advil, digestive aids, immune boosters, toilet paper, sanitizer... but on the way to the airport, I panicked. What about coffee?!?!?!

Ken, our executive director, laughed at me. "We're going to the island of Java and you're worried about coffee. Where do you think the name 'java' for coffee came from?"

Hey! That's not fair. If I'm not allowed to drink anything but bottled water, how am I going to be able to drink coffee if it's not made with bottled water?

Kun-Yang came to the rescue, "Boiled water is safe to drink."

Saved!

Ken and his first cup of java in Java:

My first cup of java:


mmmmmmmmm!!!! That's soooo good!!!!

So what's in the coffee?
Cat shit.

Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson describe it better than I can:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVJqwCdzZnw&NR=1

And it is really good. Further research shows that a half pound of this stuff is sold for $40-$120 US dollars.

Bottoms up!

Updates from Indonesia...

I'm sitting right inside the open French doors of our little cottage house, or home stay as they call them here. We're at a cute little out of the way place called Rumah Kaka with lovely hosts, tabacco, corn, and sugar fields, birds singing, roosters crowing, and gekos sharing our space.

We performed Saturday night - the second of three full evening concerts. Yesterday, Sunday, the company and an attentive group of photographers and festival volunteers took us to the Barbardor Temple - the temple that inspired Kun-Yang's work, company development, and the Mandala Project. We entered at ground level. Mr. Pinto, a photographer for National Geographic, Reiki practicioner, yoga instructor, guitar player, and geologist told us that the bottom levels were covered in dirt and grass by the government. The Temple is one of the wonders of the world. Carved into the many lavers of stone is a book of stories. I could have spent days looking at the intricacies of the carvings. The details of the people, the leaves, the objects they used were all clear, even after thousands of years. The story tells of the life cycle and, according to Pinto, the first few levels tell of the creation process (sex). The government considered it pornographic, so they covered it with dirt and grass. Apparently, only a few people have seen those images and they were present during the original restoration and excavation. So, I climbed many, many, many steps. The sign outside of the entrance provides a brief description on how to approach the Temple. You enter on the east side and circle around three times at the first level before moving onto the second. Each level begins at the east side, but there are stairs in each of the four directions (so, we just trusted what they said was east). The company entered into the Temple and experienced it in different rhythms, but we were always closely watched by our wonderful guides - our entourage of festival workers and photographers, now our new friends. There were moments in my personal journey when I felt my energy drop from a nervousness high in my chest to something lower and not nervousness. Moments when I thought I would burst into tears, moments of extreme calmness, moments of total awe.

As I reached the top, Kun-Yang asked the company to walk the final circle together. In silence, we traversed. Each step concentrated and deliberate. Focused. Aware. Complete.
For me, it was impossible not to be totally aware of the height at the top of the Temple, the mountains and towns surrounding, the glow of the sun, the murmur of hundreds of visitors. Part of my practice with Kun-Yang is cultivating awareness and this was a moment of clarity and understanding. Those who built the Temple understood that the journey to the top was as important as the being at the top; that it took several hours of walking and climbing and reflecting to let things fall away, internally. Externally, they provided a visual example within the Temple - the top of the Temple was filled with strategically placed bells with Buddhas sitting inside. The walls at the top held no reliefs, as if they had been let go and the stone was allowed to exist in its own, natural form.

Later yesterday evening, a master mask maker came to visit us. He's preparing for an international tour, but made some time to journey to Rumah Kaka to talk with us. To just spend an evening with us. He shared that Javanese dance is made up of four elements. Abstract movement, gestural movement, speaking and opera. I never would have thought about dance as singing and speaking, but in this context, where everything is connected, it makes sense. He said that the act of performing and working with masks and dance is about listening: listening to the mask, listening to the space, listening to what is around you. Maybe not with your ears, necessarily. Dance is a form of communication and as dancers, we usually do most of the "speaking". It is important for any conversation, any relationship to have an amount of listening. In dance, listening to the time and the space.

Seated cross legged on the couch in our cottage, he demonstrated abstract movement, gestural movement, speaking, and opera for different characters. In moments, he transformed into a prince, a king, a servant, and back into a friend, just spending an evening with us.

I was deeply moved by his willingness to talk with us about his process and his artistic journey. He's invited us to visit his studio on Tuesday.

This reflection will continue... but for now, I have to close. We're headed to the field to rehearse and begin a new journey.

Indonesia, here we come!

We leave for JFK is about 36 hours... I'm getting a bit nervous. So, in order to distract myself, I decided to do some research. Here's where we're going:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga0brLPIXRI

http://www.jipa-fest.com/

Stay tuned... if I have internet access, I'll keep writing about the journey.

Composition 101

The year before I took Composition 1, I went through a very traumatic physical and emotional experience. My instructor told me after the semester was over that it seemed I was using Comp. as a theraputic tool. "Yeah... it seemed like you were working through some hard stuff." And that was it. No question about what happened. No assumptions. No judgements. And perhaps that was the perfect reaction for her to have. So much that I still remember it almost a decade later.

The issues are in the tissues.

Composition 1 is one of the more difficult classes I think that students of dance take. It's something that is usually scheduled in their second year of academic study. The elements are "simple" and I try to present them in a way that is academic (almost coldly scientific?), but the truth is that, when working with the body, you can't separate the spirit and the mind. The body cannot lie.

I often hear that presenting your own work, or showing a self-created, self-performed solo is almost so scary that it can be inhibiting. The self-made solo is raw and honest in a way that performing someone else's work is not. As a solo-artist, I put my self, my process, my soul on the line.

There's a certain level of honesty too.. I can't hide from myself. I don't get to diffuse my experience with other dancers in the room. Even if the movement is just movement for movement's sake, the execution and listening to my body will release a truth that I may not be ready to accept. Not quite yet.

But at the same time, I want and need to be able to listen and to know and investigate. It's a scary place, but it's a good place.

So, I'll dive more deeply into body, time, space, and energy and hope that these tools will reveal not only the dance, but a bit of my own truths.

Relationships with strings.

Metaphorically, of course. These puppets don't have strings.

String: 1) cord or thread used for binding. 2) to stretch (in as to string along).

Interesting. Binding and stretching. That seems about right.

I'm participating in a performance with Hua Hua Zhang's Visual Expressions at the Annenberg Center next month called "Two Hands." Loosely, the performance explores the relationships between east and west, through dance, music, theatre, lighting and costume design, and puppetry.

As someone used to working soley with her body, this process has been trying, but fascinating! Yesterday, I was listening as Ken and Kun-Yang were debriefing over Western Puppetry and Eastern Puppetry. Ken said (and I apologize if I misquote), "Western puppetry is about manipulation whereas Eastern puppetry is about having a relationship." I think he could probably have made this statement about anything West vs. East. We manipulate our bodies, our friends, our families, our careers... or at least we try to. Usually, at least in my experience, unsuccessfully. My experiences in studying Eastern philosophies is that the relationship - the negotiation - is part of the process and the result.

This process, with Hua Hua, is quite difficult. Creating a relationship with myself, with another object, with the space... sure, we practice this ALL THE TIME, but this process has made me question how much I dedicate to the relationship.

Working with the puppet is hard. I do try to manipulate and control. But the puppet - whatever that is, wants and needs to have a voice too. Kun-Yang compares our work in his choreography to puppetry. It makes sense to me. One of his sayings follows something like "In dance you have body, time, space, and energy. The body is you and the space is the puppet. The relationship between you and the puppet is time and energy. Your relationship to the puppet is like your relationship to the space."

Relationship. That's another hard word. (I inadvertently typed "work" instead of "word" - Freudian slip? Perhaps not.) Relationships are hard work. And they require practice and constant vigilance. Work.

I'm learning that I cannot "push" forward. In order to grow, sometimes, I need to sit back and allow the relationship to happen. This is proving true both in my art and in my life. As dancers and artists, I don't believe we can completely separate the two. We constantly live in and work with our instrument. We don't get to "leave it at the office." So right now, instead of pushing for more reflection and depth, I'm just going to sit back and allow more of the conversation - the relationship - to unfold.

Reflections on "Dance" by Deng Ming-Dao. Part 1 (see Ancient interpretations post for reference)

eek. In naming this post, I am beginning a series of reflections.

First, Social dance and Becky's wedding.

Second, Doris Says...

Social dance and Becky's wedding. I love Becky and need to publicly congratulate her and Kelly. Becky is a beautiful person through and through. A dancer, choreographer, entertainer, leader, stage-manager, friend.... I don't know Kelly very personally, other than he is a perfect complement to my dear friend Becky. And that's all that matters. Oh, and Kelly's a clown. And so's Becky's father. Really. Did I mention that this wedding was full of performers? Say what you want about professional clowns, but I've seen few performers, other than dancers, as comfortable in their bodies. Amazing!

And so, this wedding was full of completely embodied experiences, complete with a secret flash mob. Of course, I took part! Early in the evening, I just observed. So many people dancing! I didn't know many of them, and I'm sure that many of them didn't know each other, but it didn't matter. (As a side note, I did not see any excessive use of alcohol at this wedding, so these were not drunken dances.) Everyone participated. Everyone danced. Everyone smiled and laughed and wow... the excitement of being together and sharing in a celebration through physical (dancing), mental (the pre-ceremony and post-ceremony engagements), and spiritual (the ceremony itself) participation was so clearly evident. Social status didn't matter. Levels of education didn't matter. Levels of dance experience didn't matter. Body shape didn't matter. Clothing style didn't matter. What did matter was the celebration of the human experience. And the experience was SHARED THROUGH THE DANCE.

Usually, I get caught up in this and am compelled to be moving myself. Who wouldn't? And I do make it a personal prerogative to get those who aren't moving, on the (dance) floor. (So beware) Because, really, you (strange people who aren't dancing) wouldn't be standing at the edge of the dance floor, or watching the action with a bopping head if you didn't want to be there, too. You can pretend you don't want to be in the middle of all those moving, engaged, energized bodies, but you can't deny the smile, nor the next 45 minutes you'll remain on the dance floor after I pull you in. It's intoxicating and invigorating in a way that no grown or manufactured drug can be. There is nothing that can replace the shared energy of dancing. I've been witness to this since I was twelve and allowed to attend the (dry) cast parties after the Nutcracker. And the Catholic, middle-school dances. And the high-school proms. And the many weddings and events I've attended since.

But this time, I watched. And smiled. And realized that no matter what, people will always find a way and a reason to dance.

Here's me watching. There was a whole 45 minutes where I observed and reflected:

And here's me participating:

I can't sit still for too long...

Why should anyone????????

Congratulations and thank you, Becky and Kelly!!!!!!



Part two: Doris Says... opened on Thursday and closed on Friday.

I performed a solo, as part of a commitment to Cassandra Cotta. She's got her own blog:
http://memotiondrsproject.blogspot.com and received a grant from Temple University to conduct some research.

As a trusted friend, she asked me to participate. Honestly, looking at the program for Doris Says... I thought it was too short, so I invited Cassandra to show what she was working on. And I suggested that I perform a solo based upon what was happening in my life, for her research (read her blog to gain perspective). There are few things that are as honest as true performance. Or true dance. Ming-Dao really strikes a cord with "You cannot think about dance. You cannot count the beats or tell yourself to do this step and that step. Instead, you have to act in a way that puts aside your everyday conscious mind. You just have to dance."

I've been going through a lot, personally and professionally, that doesn't need to be detailed in this post, but is admitted in my body. So, I titled my public investigations "Out of... (when everything isn't enough) and/or a dance for..." So the first three little dots mean "time" or "money". Yes. That honest moment of panic when I realized that I either sink or swim, compromise or lose, take a deep breath or suffocate... but also realize that I have/had a choice. And that's what the dance became about. The moment of performance was about making choices. I used my eyes. My focus. My attention. One dear mentor suggested that I had a clear understanding of the inward, twisting capability of my body. That I would be a strong candidate for the study of Butoh, which, very, VERY simply stated, is a Japanese art form of presentation that finds beauty in the grotesque. I took that as a deep compliment. He also told me that my performance revealed more of myself to him. (and I still had a long way to go....) I generally try to hide this (personal vulnerabilities), as a "What your birthday says about you" book on clearance in Borders so aptly described. But at the same time, I want my audience, my mentors, my friends to challenge me, to see me. As Ming-Dao says, "You can't hide yourself when you dance."

The second part of the title, "and/or a dance for..." initially meant my dear friend, Cassandra. But it became a dance for breath. A dance for survival. A dance for exploration. A dance for honesty. A dance for strength. A dance for Me.

We had the camera set up, but no one pressed record. Perhaps, that too, was a part of the dance. I remember it (on Thursday evening). I wish I could see it, take a little electrocuted car or elevator to the past. But I know that the moment can only exist in the dance. And that has passed. (passed, not past. i believe they have different connotations. like watching a dragonfly flit by, knowing that it has a journey, but that journey has eluded the viewer, and maybe not so important to the viewer except that the dragonfly and that viewer shared that moment in time....).

Just as I know that my dear friends Becky and Kelly are no longer living their wedding night, but are embarking on a new journey. Every day is a new beginning. Every moment is a new chance to dance. And to be honest. Because "You can't hide yourself when you dance."

From photo shoots from "Doris Says..."

And a personal fav... because this does capture many of my "thinking" or "what the....?" honest faces...

and I also happen to love Michael and Angie's expressions as well... oh, Doris... I wish we could chat over coffee or a nice bottle of wine.... until then... 

dear readers, please dance!