Hello Louisiana Panorama Dancers,
I hope this finds you and your families safe and sound after Hurricane Gustav pounded through Baton Rouge. It must have been a frightening experience. The power is most likely still out, but when you get this message I have an assignment for you.
In relating art to life and vice versa - were there any images or feelings which came up for you while preparing for the hurricane - a ritual or rhythm for the preparation? If so, did those rituals (boarding up the house, getting candles, filling sandbags etc.) give you inner strength to face the storm. Was there a sense of community and people coming together for a common goal? During the height of the storm, did you have to find ways to overcome your own fear or anxiety in order to stay strong for others?
The answers to these questions can be used to find new inroads to your work as a dance artist. Perhaps, examening your life experiences can inform and enrich your work. Via internet, I have attached a couple of images which, for me, evoke Panorama through the experience of Gustav.
The first is from the tall ladies section and the next is the whirlpool. When you all regain power, please take a little time to search for images which speak to you and relate to Panorama - then, share those with the rest of us.
Keep practicing and stay well. - Love, Blakeley
Thank you Baton Rouge Panorama dancers and thanks to Molly and Sharon of the Baton Rouge Ballet Theater. It was a great week full of new ideas and breakthroughs - what more can a dancer ask? I am looking forward to returning in October with the glorious dancers of the Martha Graham Dance Company to perform for the people of South Louisiana.
Dancers, please continue to develop your concentration and focus - not to mention pelvic initiated contractions. Write to me here and let me know how its going.
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After yesterday’s rehearsal, day 6, I noticed a marked improvement in the dancer’s technique. Meaning, alignment, initiation of movement, cup of the hand, shape of the arms, allowing gravity’s force to drop down through them into the Earth (floor). All of these awakenings lead me to believe that they are on their way.
They are beginning to feel the wear and tear of repetition and yesterday we had a pow-wow about massaging out tight spots on the feet, calves and front of hips. It is crucial that even on days off, they continue stretching and visualizing the dance. CRUCIAL DANCERS ! Today is our last day together and I am looking forward to seeing their progress from yesterday. I hope that conscious focuses will be part of it (hint, hint).
More later…
P.S. - in case I forget to tell you … the East Baton Rouge Library on Goodwood should have some copies of a Graham DVD set called the Criteron Collection. I highly recommend checking this out . There are films of Graham and her company demonstrating the techinque . Check it out !
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Yesterday’s rehearsal was challenging and rewarding - the best kind. On our fifth day, the challenge was to keep our inspiration and enthusiasm vital. The dancers have the basic choreography and patterns and are now developing their awareness of the technique which will give them power and focus. We worked on standing - something people oftentimes take for granted in their everyday life. A person’s stance can say a lot about them if it is conscious, but without awareness much is left to chance.
Next, we worked on the standing contraction and release. I am finding it difficult to transfer the importance of initiation from the pelvis
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in this short period of time we have together. Perhaps the dancers reading this will continue working on initiating the contraction from the pelvis (I hope). I used Yuriko’s image of the ice cream scoop to help the dancers understand that the contraction is not a compression - it is an expansion.
Rehearsal ended with a good run of Panorama. I noticed some of the “fire in the eyes” I’ve been looking for, possibly because it was Friday night and they wanted to get out of there.
Hey, I’ll take it where it comes.
Working with the dancers in Baton Rouge, my hometown, has been a real gift for me. Most of these dancers have had little or no Graham technique since it is not taught in the area. Even so, they have given there all and trusted me, a total stranger, to guide them through the process with the hope of artistic fulfillment at the end. They’re doing great!
Panorama | Baton Rouge
We’ve only had four rehearsals and they have learned the complete choreography. Now, the work begins. We will delve into the technique and philosophies which imbue Graham’s dances with the power and urgency they demand. My hope is that the dancers are enjoying dancing in this different way - even more, I hope that it gives them a new point of view.
