Central Park

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Everytime I tried to live in NYC, central park was my refuge. The city eventually bore down on me and I would come to the park so I could look up and see the sky without buildings. Watching this video makes me think of all of the decompression I did here.

Movement does not speak for itself

I have been thinking a lot lately about the role of dance in my life. A thought has been forming in my head for a long time and it has to do with my idea of pre-futurism in dance. This is to say that dance does not need to stand alone in a theater. I saw the play Lord of the Flies at the Round House Theater choreographed by Kelly Mayfield and what she did with movement in the play was quite inspiring. What I liked about Lord of the Files was that there was a solid story, the acting was good and they moved well. The choreography made sense to what they were communicating and it was not over done but it was intricate and relevant and resolutely dance! The set, the costumes and the suspension of disbelief were all integrated in a well executed performance.

So often someone makes a dance about a subject and in the end the dancing is the least important part of the work. Why do we feel like we have to put movement to something that does not require a display of movement? You know what I mean, you look at a work and wonder why this is not a five second piece or done as another art form. Why not just make a work that does just that, a 30 second commercial. Is that not how our minds work? Why ramble on for 20 minutes saying nothing or saying the same thing over and over without using other non-dance devices to go deeper into the subject. Movement cannot say everything, so for all of you who repeat the line that movement speaks for itself, wake up, it does not.

My skills as a dancer and choreographer are valid skills that transfer to theater and visual arts. Dancers have skills that they just do not use and they put movement where something else would work better. Collaborate with yourself!

Close to the Glass

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More dancing at Lincoln Center this time with Chuck Close and Phillip Glass. I was struck by the 40 years because that is how old I am.

SUPA

SUPA
Neil Greenberg Susan Rethorst John Jasperse Jeanine Durning

WORKSHOPS BY CHOREOGRAPHERS FOR CHOREOGRAPHERS
July 7 - August 2, 2008
Intensive yet relaxed working situation - small groups - affordable -
located on the campus of Wilson College in Pennsylvania

Studio Upsun* in Pennsylvania - SUPA - is designed to provide
opportunities to engage in in-depth investigations of choreographic
practices. We have looked for rigorous and sophisticated choreographers who
are also interested in teaching and its relationship to making. We have
given them an entire week to work with a limited amount of students (max
14) via composition, repertory, mentoring, or any combination of practices
they feel useful. It is our hope that these workshops will result in a give
and take of knowledge and practice that is rigorous, personal, intense, and
intensely pleasurable.

*Upsun: (noun) the period between the rising and setting of the sun.

One week $330 plus room, discounts available.
For more information and/or to register, write to
susanr@ahk.nl, or visit www.wilson.edu/supa .

Damrosh Park

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This was another refuge for me while I was in NYC. I saw performances and did swing dances here all summer long. Wow, I really did not like living in NYC but I would like to visit more often.

Gallery Doors

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Todd and I were hanging out in front of the National Gallery at night and after the security guards left we engaged in a little dance game.

Todd Night Blossoms

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Todd dances among the Cherry Blossoms at night

NYC Subway

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As I traveled around NYC I thought that the subway was a great place to do a dance so I did one. David Morneau created the score for this one.

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Meryl

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When you come to NYC you want to see movie stars so I went to Lincoln Center where there was an event honoring Meryl Streep and waited for the stars to arrive. In between I danced. Anyone know who the redhead is Amy somebody?

Earth Day

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Yesterday was Earthday so I took my class outside to dance with the Earth. Here are some dances they made.

Times Square

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I remember dancing in Times Square when the Ailey school was here. It was much different then, not very family friendly. It is funny how memory works. I have so many images of seeing and being in Times Square and a lot of those memories come rushing through my mind right now.

Herald Square

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Other than the song "Give my regards to Broadway" I never paid much attention to Herald Square but as I walked around NYC the song was in my head and the dance was in my heart.

34th Street NYC

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I arrived in NYC at Penn Station. There are of course many landmarks in the area, Madison Square Garden, Macy's, Empire State Building and places that have meaning to me for different reasons. As I walked down the street I remembered the many conversations I had with different people over the years, the hotels I stayed in, and the experiences I had. I stopped for a moment to dance as I was having all of these thoughts.

Train

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As I traveled to NYC on the train, I decided to do a dance. There were very few people around so I found a few empty seats and set up my camera.

Confucius Say: What . . .

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David Morneau sent me a composition he calls Say What and low and behold if there was not a great big statue of Confucius that plopped down in the middle of the George Mason University campus. I decided to explore what Confucius said through movement.

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