We celebrated Valentine's Day this week with loads of chocolate and candy in the studio. Actually, the dancers are extremely conscious of their bodies and only took a few of the sweets sparingly. The highlight of the week was a "rehearsal" that we put on for invited members of Dance Kaleidoscope's Board and Advisory Board. My idea was to show them in an hour a little of what we go through in a day of work at the studio.
We started with a run-thru of Pascal's "Wien." This was great for the dancers, since it gave them a chance to try out performing it for an audience. There are so many facets to this piece that the more practice they have, the better. Next came "Afternoon of a Faun," unfinished at that point. I had fun with the audience asking for suggestions as to how I should end the piece. Then Cynthia showed a tricky and athletic quartet from her "Tangled Web," and we ended with the show-stopping "Milord" from "Au Moulin Rouge." The reaction was fantastic. Lots of appreciative and supportive comments, and one I especially loved from Larry Hurt who said that seeing the dancers up close and in process made him aware for the first time of the "risks they take every second" of dancing.
I'd like to include this statement that I created for Jan who is so busy writing the very necessary great proposals for us. It really made me think about who we are and where we are going...
"Art must hold a mirror up to life, and in so doing bring the viewer closer to the supreme experience of living life. I believe that as an artist, it is our job to make people think and feel, and to reveal universal truths about the human condition. In dance, the body is our instrument of expression. It is the same body that we use to live our lives. What we are able to express on the stage has enormous resonance with our audience simply because they are able to recognize it in their own bodies. I believe that theatrical dance goes beyond mere entertainment in that it strives to communicate something about the human condition which no other art form can. Martha Graham said "Dance is the secret language of the soul." In our pursuit of artistic excellence, I believe that we must constantly challenge our audiences' perceptions of art and broaden their experience of being in the theatre. By presenting a variety of aesthetics and points of view we are building and developing an audience that is educated and knowledgeable about the enormous variety of expression accessible in the art form. Indeed, we are cultivating connoisseurs of dance."
