Dance paleontology

bones, ligaments, gut and might, tenderness, falling, batches of sweaty stubble careening through the studio, another turtle dance in the gallery space which lends itself so well to observing as well as moving. then we carefully expose the structure and unrehearsable process in group circle munching salty bits, cheese and nuts, drinking 'turtle juice' letting the night move forward into our quiet homes, our chocolate musings, private conversations to clarify any emotional fog, perhaps a nightsleep alone, perhaps not.

i sometimes grieve not having danced as a child, collided with the realization that my nature and passion in dance may have blended very powerfully with the athleticism and balance i attempted to find some satisfaction with through baseball, wrestling, a bit of gymnastics and even one partial year of jr high football. growing up in rapid city, south dakota, the possibility of dance being discussed or discovered as a talent or strength was slim. i am so grateful that i have this day, this week, this month and year and coming decades to continue to explore how i move outwardly through space to express my inner life.

merce cunningham grew up in centralia, washington - not that much different of a town from rapid city i suppose - and all of his instincts toward movement were manifesting as a child, it all came together inside of him, he did formal training at cornish in seattle and then moved to new york. there is still a huge amount of research for me to do on the history of his work, i feel drawn to him like no other popular modern dance artist/creator. if i lived in new york i would study at his school, and have given myself permission to do both of those things at some time in the future. dance, like all of the things that matter to me in life, is not going to be cast aside because i missed some specific expression of it in my youth.