Friday, August 28, 2020

HOMEbody - audience comments

Included below is some of the written feedback we received from the live presentations of HOMEbody. In person, the performance consisted of a spoken welcome, a guided body scan, my solo Shed, Jake Buczewski's mini-documentary, and the 34 minute HOMEbody. 

Audience comments from November 2019 in Reading, PA. Presented by Alvernia University. 

~reminded me of the beautiful lines of ballet, modern, very European. I loved the foundation of the work and the continuity of the movement. 

~ It evoked feelings of a story told within the dance. Deeply personal. Though I am interested in what evoked some of the movements, they belong personal. Part of the intrigue...

~Power

~ It was a wonderful exploration of what home feels like to me and how I identify with my feelings of "home" and comfort. 

~ Get the word out! Quickly! Performances like this should be sold out. 

~ Wonderful to see such high quality dance in Berks County. 

~Loved it! So happy you are here and doing this work. 

~ Amazing Talent!

~ First experience with interpretative dance. Left me feeling I could watch the performance over and over again - so much to unpack. Very beautiful. 

Audience comments from February 2020 in Philadelphia, PA. 

~Inner struggles. Interpersonal connection and turmoil. 

~ Impressive and moving! Keep up the great work! 

~ Contentment, beauty, comfort

~ Lovely performance. 

~ The two solos reminded me of babies learning about their bodies and exploring them. Maybe it's because I'm a new mom, but this reminds me that my body was my baby's first home. And now she and I are learning to be comfortable in our bodies and they both develop in new ways. I saw the solos before but it's very interesting to see them in the context of the whole. 

~ Music + Dance = Excellent! 

~ Trust. Vulnerability. Suffering. Healing. 

~ The complexities of relationships with those close to you. 

We'll continue to update with comments from Fringe 2020!



Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Behind the Movement - Adaptations

Thanks to everyone who's shared in Reading Theater Project's Adaptations! 

I've been thinking and reflecting and writing, but not posting publicly because I think there are folks whose voices need to be louder than mine. They need to be heard and lifted up. I've been reaching out and doing work quietly through Covid isolation, but I've missed the sense of connection and community that being around/ moving around other people provides. 

I'm grateful for the challenge from Reading Theater Project to participate in Adaptations. Click here to check out Artistic Director Vicki Haller Graff's introduction to the experiment. 

Chris Hesslop share his inspiration for elements of the music. In collaborating about one of four musical options, Vicki and I settled on HiLo. Here's what Chris had to say about HiLo:

The musical piece is called HiLo. In case you don't want to watch the short video above, Chris described that the adaptation of HiLo was taking two ends of the musical scale, putting them together and seeing what might develop. 

As I reflected on the music and my own feelings about the past few months, I began to appreciate the paradox of opposites. I tried to similarly play with as many opposites as I could fit into a short rehearsal/ filming time frame and length of the total work. Some of those opposites included:

A digital platform (video) to present a natural form (outdoor landscape, human body).

Clear technological edits and digital manipulation of the human body.

Business attire against a natural landscape.

A collared shirt-dress and bare feet. 

Framing and constricted audience views against an open space. 

Light and shadow.

Movement and stillness. 

Sound and silence.

What else do you see? 


Check out the full Experiment Event here: RTP's Adaptations