Friday, April 25, 2008

Thinking about the body...


Thinking about the body, about movement, about states of being. Where am i now? In a chair at my desk. Tea from mug still warm on my tongue. Unanswered bills, scattered lists of things to do. How does this dance of paper shuffling go? This is a state of being... observing, not trying, simply noticing.

I babysat today. Smiley, happy boy, so full of movement, eight months old. He's trying to find his crawl. Only managing some spasmotic Twister moves. Still able to truck along somehow, not very fast. Very interested in pulling himself up to standing though not really strong enough to do it without help. Neuron pathways still forming, coordination on its way.



photo courtesy new york weill medical center archives

Thursday, April 24, 2008

My Dances Dance Me



The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot


photo from Cynthia's Polar Adventure

I build dances about the body and its languages. I pursue its eloquence, subtleties and intelligence while investigating the various ways we, as humans, communicate or might communicate. I look for the awkward and unusual to see who lives there, what lives there and what they are saying. My dances twist and grow in obscure ways, with surprising torques and redirections, as if they are trying to trick me.

I strive to not ‘know’ what the dance is about as I am making it, but instead to let movement and images surface from the subconscious, to bubble forth from improvisational states and daydreams. My artistic practice is about getting out of the way, getting lost, wandering. It’s about finding the venue for the subconscious. Much like a tree grows toward light I am striving to follow an organic path that is led by my guts and instincts, not my head and what I think you want to see or hear. But don’t be scared. I’m not interested in pushing your buttons or showing you my dark side. I’m really interested in the whimsical beauty in life, the way we talk and play with our bodies, I want to bring back our five-year-old playfulness and wonder with life.