Hydroponics, Phonics and a couple of Neurotics

I just finished a wonderful and exciting afternoon in Providence, RI with a friend of mine who performs regularly in New York City (Joan Merwyn of Joan Merwyn Movement Theater).

She and I were discussing the dance/art scene of New England and New York, being in love, and having a professional company while drinking wine over a delicious hydroponically grown arugula salad decked with walnuts, green apple and HUGE shrimp at a little cafe on the East Side.

I discussed, also, with her my new piece that Andary Dance Boston is performing in October. I realized through our conversation that the combative elements within the context and content of the choreography is where I will find the "hook" or idea for this piece. The idea, explained below, is what I will funnel the title and the costuming of the dancers through.

Our discussion wandered, as any good conversation goes, to the political going on's of our nation and I mentioned that I have been so consumed with the news media and the coverage of the war on terror. I stated, "We are fighting a war on terror by being terrorists....HELLO!!" It hit me that the idea of war/combat is the hook for my piece and that it is relative, on some level, to the fighting that is happening in Iraq.

My personal endeavors against the war on racism, sexism, heterosexism (oppression) has created a similar relationship one has for going to war. You believe in something so strongly that you have to fight for it and nothing can stop in your way. The voices of oppression can be, and often are, consuming forcing someone to fight back out of anger, disgust, upset, rage. Don't these elements belong to the relationship someone has with war.

I marched in a peace march opposing the decision to go to war a few years ago and remember hearing the members of the UN stating (through NPR's live broadcast) their votes against their country supporting the war. The anxiety I had then about going to war is still prevalent now that we have amassed thousands of dead soldiers, grieving families, wounded soldiers whose quality of life is forever changed, rising gas/oil prices, the credit crunch.....need I go on?

I have decided that the dancers will wear varying forms of camouflage and that the title, a working title at this point, is "Bombarding Contentions".

When you see the piece....let me know what you think. I will be asking the dancers in Sunday's rehearsal.

Reciprocated Respect and Love

The bond a dancer has with the choreographer can be wrought with love, devotion, frustration and commitment.

That commitment is reflected in (I feel) the process of the dance making and also the final outcome--the performance. Some choreographers use the term, "dancers are a dime a dozen" and discard a dancer as if they are worthless. While the statement is true, I feel that I have worked hard to pull together the right group of dancers for this project!! I respect my dancers and their lives and work well with each of them. In turn, each one has reciprocated that level of commitment and devotion inherent in the dancer/choreographer relationship.

In today's rehearsal, the dancers' performance made me certain that our show in October is going to be spectacular. For me to say (as the choreographer), one month before a show, that our performance is going to be good is a feat in and of itself. I run rehearsals hard to the very end and will continue up to the last week before our concert.

In this rehearsal, I witnessed for the first time (after 3 months of work) my idea materialized through movement and space. The energy that the dancers created amonst themselves was deep and brought my idea and artistry to a level that was very meaningful for me. You should have seen me today: I was hopping around the dance studio and there was one moment that I ended up running all around the dancers shouting "Good!" "Great." "Keep that!!" "Great decision!"

Each one of them, through the past 3 1/2 months have demonstrated their devotion, commitment and love to this project--to me.

Some Feedback

This past Tuesday we showed a couple of the movement phrases from the 3rd section of our new piece to Karen Krolak, Monkeyhouse Dance Co, and Tommy Neblett, Prometheus Dance Co (both from Boston). The feedback was very helpful in taking some of these phrases to a new depth qualitatively.

We will go into rehearsal on Sunday and focus more on the "breath" in the movement to ascertain a free flowing sense throughout this fernetic section!!

I cannot wait to get into rehearsal with the dancers.

Ahhhh...now we're getting somewhere

Rehearsing my work over the summer has been cumbersome and I have had to navigate through the life schedules of 8 others while balancing my own needs. I moved this summer, resigned from my job after being there for 7 years and travel 1.5 hours to and from Boston for rehearsals twice a week. If you think that is bad, can you imagine what my dancers’ lives are like? Oi Veh!

Admittedly, I took on this responsibility knowing that it may provide some difficulty and I also chose to employ 8 dancers during the summertime for this piece! HA!

I tend to be very flexible when stress abounds and work in a manner, choreographically, that is efficient and effective. But, this summer has been challenging. As a choreographer I know that there are some pieces or some dance experiences that need a lot of time to develop the idea or concept at hand. This piece is one of those experiences, because of the subject matter, is very demanding. Fortunately, my dancers’ willingness and commitment level to me, the process and the piece definitely worked in my favor. Together we have navigated through the schedules and the rehearsal process to gain a deep experience and anticipated performance of this piece.

Not knowing what my dancers' lives would be like when embarking on this summertime experience, I came into the rehearsal process well-planned with the idea/concept, movement phrases and the homework that the dancers will be doing thought out and given to each of them. The homework entailed: going to the beach--because it is summertime--and laying in the ocean water allowing the waves to separate their bones and muscles and tendons and to really feel that separation, read a few documents surrounding the definitions of racism/sexism/heterosexism, read a thesis paper on the appropriation of those -ism's, and direct/provide metaphors and discussions supportive of the readings and the concept to be experienced through the rehearsal process. Not a bad set of work to do at home, huh?

We had the bulk of the dancers together in yesterday's rehearsal and we really plowed through the choreography. I got to see that the decisions that I made choreographically 3 months ago do make sense and make a cohesive thought.

I am definitely excited for the upcoming rehearsals when we can really make finite more choreographic decisions and also the experiences of dancing together through this piece. I want the idea that I started with to come through (not so much through performance as the audience member experiences it, but through the experience of the dancer and how they perform it).

I have a unique approach and technique to dance and dance-making and continue my excitement about involving my dancers in and through that process. I feel, from them, that they are equally excited about experiencing rehearsals and the choreographic process in the same way.

Each rehearsal has provided a rich experience for the dancers. Unfortunately, not all of them have been at every rehearsal. Some of them came into this project already committed to workshops and dance institutes to attend over the summertime. Each dancer communicated these issues and conflicts up front and I am grateful for that. Their respect and hard work in the rehearsals has been exceptional. When they have been in rehearsal, they are fully engaged and look forward to the next rehearsal and what it will involve.

I was intentional about choosing which dancers to work with at the audition a few months ago. I reflected on: a. their individual abilities b. their dance experiences listed in conversations and their resumes c. their performance at the audition gave me some way of defining how the overall individual would relate to the rehearsal process and its flow.

I was at a party recently and a dancer, not one of my Boston dancers, in the community said that she likes a rehearsal process where you “bang out” the choreography in just a few rehearsals. This is a common thought in the community of dancers and it was evident that her personal life has a stronger hold on her involvement in dancing than the process of dancing and dance making. As a choreographer with a unique style, I prefer to allow the process to unfold and give it the respect that the piece itself requires. Of course, this is contingent upon the content of the piece (movement vocabulary, intentions of movement, conceptual matter, understanding of all of the above, etc).

Knowing that there are different types of dancers and knowing the type of choreographer/artist I am....I seek dancers/artists that are involved in the process rather than a final product. I feel, against all the difficulties that the summertime has offered, that I have found that attitude/approach in these dancers. Again, I am imbuing my personal technique and movement aesthetic that will take a dancer time to learn and embody.

We are definitely getting somewhere close to the final product in our rehearsals and I am excited to see and feel the synergy developing amongst my dancers and the choreography.

The Character of Human Paint

I am reminded of the humanitarian element of being an artist in the neatest ways, and I have my Boston dancers to thank.

This past Monday evening before the informal showing at Green Street Studios, I presented my latest work in progress focusing on internalized racisms. The showing is a part of the Space Grant that I received from Green Street Studios in Cambridge and is mentored by Tommy Neblett of Boston's Prometheus Dance Company. The showing allowed me to show off my work and get feedback from the other 2 choreographers, who received the same Space Grant as I, as well as Tommy Neblett.

As a dance artist, the medium I use is the human body. This requires me as an artist to consider/involve not just the body, but also the other elements of the human (emotion, intellect, experiences, etc). A painter learns the characteristics of her/his paint and how to manipulate that media. In doing so, the artist decides what type of paint to use (acrylic vs. oil) and how it will interact with the canvas. As a result, the relationship that an artist develops with her/his media reveals the achievement of desired results or effects through the art making process.

My dancers performed at the showing on Tuesday and demonstrated the commitment they made to the process determined by the Space Grant and to me as the artist. They are not paid for any of this and willingly volunteer their time and artistry. I consider each of my dancers an artist and they present their individual talents/skills/emotion/intellect through the dance piece that I am creating. I was thrilled when I received comments from 2 of them, after the showing, stating that I would have been proud of their performance (I was unable to attend the showing because of a work conflict). That statement and the commitment they made at the beginning of the summer reveal the human relationship that I have with my media--my dancers. I say, "My dancers".

Thank you dancers for believing in the work and making up the strong community we have through Andary Dance Boston. The piece that I am working on requires each of you equally. Your investment, hard work, brilliance and artistry move me and I really cherish this time with each one of you.

I present the piece in concert at Green Street Studios on October 12/13, 2007. It will be that moment that I experience fully my desired results and effects through this new (still untitled) piece focusing on the osmosis of Racism, Sexism, Heterosexism, Ageism, etc and the appropriation of those -isms.

Stop the voices

My Boston dancers and I had a real and raw conversation in Friday's rehearsal (August 17, 2007) about our current work that is to be debuted in Cambridge, MA mid-October. We are working with the subject matter of the Osmotic and Appropriation of Racism, Sexism and Heterosexism.

This work stems from my lifelong consumption and research with the fight against oppression. I have discovered over the past 12 years of my work in Student Affairs in Higher Education that I am not only fighting the majoritive expectations that fill/filled/are filling my environment, but also myself and the appropriated oppression I subject myself to everyday. Pop culture propagates mantras and coaching through any and all of life's situations. The mantras that I subject myself too everyday reflect the community I was raised and the non-majoritive membership I maintain.

I gave each of my beautiful dancers Mark Tappan's "Reframing Internalized Oppression and Internalized Domination: From the Psychological to the Socio-cultural"--Education Program at Colby College.

He writes: Traditionally, both internalized oppression and internalized domination have been viewed almost exclusively as internal, deep, unchanging, psychological qualities or characteristics of the oppressed, on the one hand, and the privileged, on the other. I believe, however, that there are serious limitations to such an overemphasis on the personal, individual, psychological dimensions of both these phenomena. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva (2003) argues “whereas for most whites racism is prejudice, for most people of color, racism is systemic or institutionalized” (p. 8). The same holds true, I think, for internalized oppression and internalized domination, in general. It is easy, particularly from a dominant point of view, to see the oppressed as “victims,” and to see their reaction to oppression as reflecting a set of “psychological problems”—-thereby obscuring the role that systemic, structural, and institutionalized forces play in the production and reproduction of oppression. Similarly, it is very easy, from a dominant point of view, to see racism, sexism, homophobia, etc., as personal, psychological shortcomings that are too easily interpreted, and thus dismissed or minimized, as the result of prejudice, bias, ignorance, etc. (“I’m not a racist!” or “I didn’t mean anything by that remark”). This view, moreover, leads to a solution to prejudice and bias that stresses the need for individual attitude change, via education, training, therapy, etc. (interventions at the individual level), and nothing more.

But privilege and oppression are the result of forces and mechanisms that go far beyond the individual, psychological level (see Hardiman & Jackson, 1997). Consequently, the social, cultural, institutional, and historical forces, that lead racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. to become systematically embedded in the structure of our social lives must be acknowledged in any attempt to challenge the status quo (Bishop, 2002). In the end, any solution to the problems of privilege and oppression must focus as much on structural/systemic change as it does on personal transformation. This is where the socio-cultural concept of mediated action can be most useful.

Mediated action entails two central elements: an “agent,” the person who is doing the acting, on the one hand, and “cultural tools” or “mediational means,” the tools, means, or “instruments,” appropriated from the culture, and used by the agent to accomplish a given action, on the other (Wertsch, 1998). In this essay I will argue, therefore, that that both “internalized” oppression and “internalized” domination are better understood as forms of mediated action--are better understood, in other words, as socio-cultural phenomena, rather than simply as psychological phenomena. Such a reinterpretation, among other things, helps to hold both the individual and the structural/systemic levels together at one and the same time.

Mark's perspective, my own research through life experience and training and teaching through my work in Student Affairs over the past 12 years pervades deeply my new choreographic endeavor.