Here we go.
What a perfectly suitable April Fool's day for all of us in the city. A fresh dusting of snow was waiting to greet us city folks as we set about our days letting each of us know that our dreams of the Spring are still just that- lovely! I must admit that I was feeling the weight of the descending sky at first, but managed to climb out of bed, and out of my mental gloom, early enough to eat breakfast before running off to rehearsal. So Day 1 of my project began.
After rehearsal: yoga, home, dinner. Now to finish the biography of Jerome Robbins, Dances with Demons: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Greg Lawrence. One of the goals of my project is to read at least one dance-related book each month. I've been sawing away at the Robbins book for over a month now...it's excellent though. Look for a review soon!
Last, a quick rant about dance in New York:
The company I was working with today is currently in what I'm referring to as a creative/developmental stage (though I'm aware that this sounds fairly pretentious), meaning that we're building new repertoire and, basically, learning how to work together as a company. Working like this is a luxury that, in my experience, is seldom the case for small dance companies in the city (and may I say that I am elated to be in a process of this type). Much of the time, due to lack of funding, inability to secure space and near impossibility to gather a group of insanely busy dancers in a room together, companies come together as briefly as a month before a show and expedite the process. Unfortunately this form of working tends to be sadly ineffective and, by cutting out the full process, choreographers and dancers alike never become fully absorbed in and embody the work thus resulting in a LOT of crap. Or, um, perhaps that just my problem...
Day 1 has ended! The first of many dance filled days. I leave you with a quote that exemplifies my journey: In dreams begin responsibilities. -Yeats
Love and light,
Jess
What a perfectly suitable April Fool's day for all of us in the city. A fresh dusting of snow was waiting to greet us city folks as we set about our days letting each of us know that our dreams of the Spring are still just that- lovely! I must admit that I was feeling the weight of the descending sky at first, but managed to climb out of bed, and out of my mental gloom, early enough to eat breakfast before running off to rehearsal. So Day 1 of my project began.
I left my apartment, trudged 6 blocks down the street in the rain (thank god the air had warmed a bit and the snow shape shifted) and took the train to rehearsal in Bedstuy. On Nostrand I ducked in to Dunkin' Donuts for some gourmet cafe, climbed the 3 flights of steps at Restoration Plaza and deposited my boots and umbrella. I found a square of sunlight on the gray marley and let my body sink into the floor as I took in the trace scent of sweat and started to wake up my body. For some reason dance studios always have a different feel when it rains, the floor gives more resistance, the muscles are unpredictable, the windows fog and the work can become heavy...and it did. Psychologically heavy, physically light. An interesting rehearsal. But rewarding.
After rehearsal: yoga, home, dinner. Now to finish the biography of Jerome Robbins, Dances with Demons: The Life of Jerome Robbins by Greg Lawrence. One of the goals of my project is to read at least one dance-related book each month. I've been sawing away at the Robbins book for over a month now...it's excellent though. Look for a review soon!
Last, a quick rant about dance in New York:
The company I was working with today is currently in what I'm referring to as a creative/developmental stage (though I'm aware that this sounds fairly pretentious), meaning that we're building new repertoire and, basically, learning how to work together as a company. Working like this is a luxury that, in my experience, is seldom the case for small dance companies in the city (and may I say that I am elated to be in a process of this type). Much of the time, due to lack of funding, inability to secure space and near impossibility to gather a group of insanely busy dancers in a room together, companies come together as briefly as a month before a show and expedite the process. Unfortunately this form of working tends to be sadly ineffective and, by cutting out the full process, choreographers and dancers alike never become fully absorbed in and embody the work thus resulting in a LOT of crap. Or, um, perhaps that just my problem...
Day 1 has ended! The first of many dance filled days. I leave you with a quote that exemplifies my journey: In dreams begin responsibilities. -Yeats
Love and light,
Jess
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