Birthday

Today's my birthday. I'm 26 today. Though I have accomplished a lot in my 26 years, it is certainly not time to relax or celebrate. I am not in a celebratory mood today. But don't think I'm in a bad mood. I am in a good mood, I'm just in the thick of things: dancing, school, writing, planning, proposing, deciding. Yesterday and today, I sent off another rash of applications with hopes of either residency, performance opportunity or money to support my art habit.

This morning I made my way over to the River Run offices for the last time for my internship, to help wrap things up and debrief. The three months went very fast, but I am hoping there will be some way I can be involved with the festival next year. Such a wonderful event to have in our city.

This afternoon, I buy lovely vegetables and fruit. My body craves them. I put them in my cart, and wonder why anyone would buy anything else to eat but these beautiful, colorful, artful offerings. When I arrive home, I can't help but pop a strawberry in my mouth before I even unload the rest of the groceries. At home, I whip up a quick late afternoon lunch and run out the door to get to East Forsyth High for the Wingspan Project performance.

The Wingspan Project is an annual arts in education initiative led by the Alban Elved Dance Company. A residency is scheduled where high school students engage in process oriented workshops where performance pieces emerge for a culminating performance. The program is shared, between students and professional artists. Though I did not teach for the program this year (I did last year), I have been asked to show some work. I show the first section of "Words Apart," and I show our film, "Two Downtown." The small audience seems to respond well! They laugh and clap. The rest of the show went well, too. The students all did a great job, and showed dedication and maturity. We only hope that there will be more audience present at tomorrow's performance. Arts in education seem to be some of the hardest events to get people out to, even though one would think the families of the students would fill the theater. The sad reality of it is that many parents and siblings do not support these performances, as they are not seen as important events like sporting events or academic competitions. Last year's audience was very small, too. Hardly a soul to speak of.

It is late now, I just came home from my friends' house, where they and Rob had ice cream cupcakes waiting for me from Coldstone! I had two. My contacts are stinging now, and I can hardly keep my eyes open. More of the same tomorrow, teaching, lunching, photo shooting, interviewing, performing and awaiting a busy Saturday, Sunday and week ahead. G'night, fam.

~Cara

Little Post...

After our departure from Fayetteville, I needed to decompress a bit. So, I taught some yoga, got some books in the mail for school (very exciting!) and went back to the studio, even though I told myself that I would not for a few days. I am nursing an angry achilles tendon (I suspect it's tendonitis), and my QL is a mess. Need a massage, some ice and some ibuprofen badly! But somehow, even with the pain, the studio makes me feel alright. I'm looking forward to exploring a set of movements that I am at present calling "Urchin." They are slow, methodical and sea-worthy...whatever that means.

So, I have a lot to do today...meeting in 15 minutes with Green Street Church to discuss the video project they've asked me to do for them, tech rehearsals for performances Thursday and Friday, some school work, proposal writing, mailing, cleaning, good-bye-partying for a friend who's moving, etc. So, I've got to get going, but there will be more soon, as always!

~Cara

Integrity

For those of you who have been reading this blog on a consistent basis, you know much about my latest dance work, "Words Apart," a piece which embodies the stories of women from around my area. You will also remember that one of the stories in particular, I have spent extra time on, as I have also created a documentary film called, "Art for the Living," which is about art, grief and where they intersect.

This weekend, Mackenzie and I have been in Fayetteville performing and giving workshops with a ballet school here. I am disappointed to say that after one performance of the piece, "Words Apart," we have been asked to cut the third section, about Jan, her daughter and their experience of losing their husband/father to cancer. It has been brought to my attention that one of the parents watching the performance was deeply affected by that section, and spoke to the studio owner about it. Apparently, she is experiencing something similar to Jan, and thought it in bad taste to present dance on the topic of death.

Though I sympathize with her and her situation, since when is it up to one audience member to dictate what is seen on stage? Have people forgotten what art is about? Since when is it expected that art elicit only certain kinds of emotions and not others? Part of me is taking the situation quite personally, as the making of this piece was a humbling, arduous experience. I took care with the charge I was given to represent these women with respect, honesty and integrity. And each of the women represented in the piece have given me their personal permission to present their stories, have seen the piece, and all enthusiastically approve of the work that has been done. In Jan's case more specifically, she wanted to share her story as a celebration of her husband's life. Her sharing was therapeutic to her, and her sharing has been helpful to others. By taking her section out of the piece, it is my feeling that her story has been trivialized, as an impersonal exploitation of someone's grief for my own personal satisfaction in creating. Another part of me is wondering what people expect to see when they go to an artistic presentation? If not work that makes one think or feel, then what?

As an artist, I feel that it is of importance to maintain the integrity of one's work. If work is presented in a piece-meal fashion, the audience does not get the full scope of the work being presented and the artist does not get to complete their own emotional/artistic journey with the piece, which makes it difficult to engage fully with the work. When an artist is not fully engaged with the journey/trajectory of a work, the performance can become less powerful, less poignant, less energetic, and many more less-adjectives. I think audiences need to remember that when viewing a work with ten, twenty, one hundred other people in the room, there will be ten, twenty, one hundred reactions to the piece. What might be a difficult experience for one person might be therapeutic for another. What might be in bad taste to one person might be insightful to another. When dealing with art, how one views it has all to do with their perception, environment and life experience.

The only other thing that really set me off in this situation was that it has been explained to me that since we are near a military base, I should be more sensitive to those experiencing impending death. "The people here think differently about death than other audiences." I have to disagree! In the military it is one's CHOICE to be a part of an organization that frequently advocates for unnatural deaths! And since when do we decide it is bad form to present an unavoidable fact of life in our art?

I truly hope in my heart that whatever the woman who I mentioned above (but have not met) is going through is something she can emerge from with peace, understanding and closure, and best-case scenario, a happy ending. However, I still feel that a work of art, if done in earnest, should have the right to be presented by its artist in its entirety,maintaining its integrity.

Thoughts, Please!

~Cara

Fayetteville

On Wednesday we arrived in Fayetteville to go straight to the theater for a 6pm tech rehearsal. The evening ended up begin much longer than we expected, as we did not get to tech our pieces until last. So at about 10:30, Mackenzie and I made a late night run to the grocery store for some serious grub. Beer included.

Thursday was a God send. A day off to do absolutely nothing, as there are absolutely no distractions in Fayetteville to speak of. So I slept until noon for the first time in ages. It felt good! And then we went to I HOP, roamed the mall and watched a few movies back at the hotel. Fully ready for Friday's activities!

Today, we began the morning with the usual warming-up and putting on of make-up, etc., etc. The school children arrived at around 9:30 for a 10am show. I was glad that the kids (not sure how old all of the classes were) responded well to "Words Apart." They clapped and "ooed" every time we picked one another up. "I'm a Woman" went well, too. Post show, we gave a workshop for a large group of high school students, some of whom had performed in the show with their school dance programs. Though we had a limited amount of time with the students, they really seemed to enjoy the material we presented to them, and worked in earnest to pick up the material quickly. After the workshop, we had a little time for Q and A. They all wanted to know how we picked each other up so many times! They also wondered what inspired the "Words Apart" piece, as it was the only piece in the show to be choreographed to spoken word. They asked what we do to get out of creative ruts, how to get over stage fright, and what kinds of projects we're working on right now. They had many more questions, which surprised me! A lot of times when we work with high schoolers, they do not like to ask too many questions...it's not cool, I guess. But this group was very forthcoming with their curiosity!

We have one more performance left. On Sunday. Day off tomorrow again, and a chance for me to get some writing done!

Until then,

~Cara

Leaving Today

Yesterday's Contemporary Dance class showings at HPU went well! I am relieved that the semester is coming to a close, and I think most of the students are very satisfied with their work and learning. Though I thought both classes did well, I thought that my second section class really took their showing to another level. They practiced on their own, outside of class, they dressed appropriately, with black bottoms and solid colored tops (and I might add, coordinating with their composition groups!) and had great composure during the showing. I couldn't be happier. This summer, I will be preparing to teach the tap class coming up next semester...time to dust off the old shoes! And I'm kind of excited about it!

This afternoon, I will drive to Fayetteville to pick up Mackenzie from the airport. We will be in Fayetteville for the remainder of the week to perform as guest artists with a ballet school there. We will also be giving a workshop for high school students from public schools around the area. We will have a chance to perform "Words Apart" in its entirety, which is a nice thing, as we have only performed excerpts since it's October premiere. I will also be performing "I'm A Woman," which I only just completed recently. it is a short, fun piece that I think the audience will enjoy.

Well, it is time to pack my things. I have a few errands I need to run before leaving town for a few days. Next time, I'll be writing to you from Fayetteville!

~Cara

The Full Weekend

Again, my apologies for leaving you in the dark about my glorious weekend!!! The past few days have been filled with busy activity, excitement and growth. let me tell you:

If you're like me, you love vampire movies! On Friday, at the RiverRun Film Festival, I saw one of these, but not your typical variety of horror film. The movie, called "Suck" is a hilarious take on the lives of the undead. It focuses on a failing rock band who becomes better and more popular as each member is turned into vampires one by one! During their rampage, they manage to eat a radio host, a groupie and many others. Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper and Malcom Mcdowell appear in the film, and homage is paid to rock greats not appearing in the film through album cover reference and jokery. So much fun! Check them out:http://www.suckthemovie.com/

On Saturday, Rob and I took a little drive to Columbia, SC to see my film, "Two Downtown" play in the Indie Grits Film Festival. We had a great time. The shorts program was full of experimental pieces of art, animation, comedy and documentary. One of my favorites was a short doc called, "Swim," about a segregated beach resort town called, Atlantic Beach, where all the black tobacco workers used to go to relax during the summer. The director included beautiful old photographs, lovely commentary and simple animation. However, the best part was yet to come...our film, "Two Downtown," won best short film!!! So excited, and certainly UNEXPECTED!!! www.indiegrits.com

On Sunday, my mother and I decided to drive to Cary, NC to attend a poetry writing workshop with Chris Salerno, a professor from NC State U. We had a great time! Chris was wonderful, and the first exercise he gave the group was to write the worst poem you could entitled, "The Unicorns at Dawn." Of course, in their hilarity, the poems turned out amazing! For the remainder of the workshop, we worked on poetic exercises from various prompts and they too, were a lot of fun to listen to.

That evening, I returned to Winston to watch another film at the RiverRun Festival called, "I Am Love," an Italian Movie starring Tilda Swinton. I had no idea Tilda Swinton is fluent in Italian! The film is about a woman who is married to a textile mogul, and how her family breaks off in different directions in love. And the film was gorgeous. The cinematography was luscious and flowing. The music was absolutely epic! My friend, Vanessa and I could hardly contain ourselves after the film!

Yesterday, I was back at RiverRun. That morning, three high schools bussed their classes to see the documentary, "Only When I Dance." The film is about two aspiring Brazilian balet dancers. One is a young man, and the other a black girl. The film shows the two as they work towards their dreams, the boy, ultimately succeeding and joining ABT and the girl struggling, because there are very few black ballet dancers in Brazil. She also struggles with not having the right body type for ballet. The film shows American kids what kids from other countries have to go through to achieve their dreams. We are very lucky! After the film, Jenny, one of my RiverRun Colleagues and a former dancer, talk with the students about the world of dance and various points in the film. It was very enjoyable!

Off to seize the day today...last class at HPU, singing lesson, and Dogtooth, a movie at RiverRun!

~Cara

Update

My apologies for being absent these past few days! Life has been full. Wrapping up the semester with my dance students at High Point University. After Tuesday's frustrations, I have to say that Thursday went much better. Many of the students have expressed their desire to continue with their dance studies, which makes me feel happy! I think the showings should go off without a hitch.

At RiverRun, the atmosphere has been absolutely hectic! Every one of the staff members has been running every which way, trying to make sure everything is in working order for the festival which just began yesterday. This evening, Robert and I are going to see a film called "Suck, a comical feature length movie about a rock band whose lead singer becomes a vampire. I can't wait!

Last evening, I saw some of my dance students perform in a HPU's production of "The Seagull," by Anton Checkhov. A heavy play, indeed, and a difficult one, if I might say so. I thought the students did a great job of rising to the occasion of presenting material with such depth. The play really got me thinking about art, the human condition, and our motives for doing what we do to each other and ourselves. Bravo!

Tomorrow, Robert and I will take off for South Carolina, to see my film, "Two Downtown" play at the Indie Grits Film Festival. Very exciting!

More later...

~Cara

Dance and Sea Bugs

After a restless night, I've made it to Tuesday, and now, it is almost over.

This morning in the studio, it was right down to business, with a short, to-the-point warm up, a three-time-run of my solo section from "Words Apart," and a three-time-run of "I'm A Woman." Done, and done. I like it when it rolls like that.

A quick stop home to pick up a few things, and I was off to HPU to teach the day's classes. I was disappointed to find that not everyone made it to their open studio time (which I scheduled during last weeks classes, so they would not have to find time outside of their regular class time) to finish their composition projects. I was also disappointed to find that after only one week of not running the large group phrase for their final showing, many of the students had forgotten material we've been reviewing since early to mid-term. So, I worked the students hard today, and had them run material ad nauseam...they were sweaty and tired by the end, but I'm sure they will be better on Thursday!

I teach one of my private yoga clients this afternoon. She has had a very stressful few days, so we decide to do a restorative practice, to help her release her muscles and breathe without tension. I don't often get to teach a restorative-only class, and was glad to have to opportunity today. My client responded well to the sequence I gave her, a series of alternating prone and supine postures to balance the nervous system and relax the body. Afterward, she said the she didn't realize just how tense she was today.

This evening, I try to write a bit of poetry but am only marginally successful. I get a few good lines done, but find it difficult to wrap my head around a continuation. I decide to leave the endeavor for now. At this very moment, I am watching "Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel. Crab fishing really does look like one of the most dangerous jobs in the world! As I watch a huge wave knock the crew members off of their feet and into hard, sharp parts of the boat, very close to the edge of the boat, I remember why I have such a fear of water. It is too powerful. All for large sea bugs. Who ever decided that crab looked appetizing in the first place?

~Cara

Day of Many Layers

Another long Monday, but much to report!

As I mentioned yesterday, it was time this morning, to get the movement from "Words Apart" back into my body. Once I polished the parts that were cloudy in my head, the overall process was rather effortless! I remembered why I like this dance so much. The movement is not excessive and it brings me to a place emotionally that some of my other dance works cannot. I am so excited to be performing this piece again! I also ran the Peggy Lee piece, which is entitled, "I'm A Woman," after the song I'm dancing to, which is becoming easier and more fun each day. A nice little ditty to place where ever it may be needed. And what's more, I finally think I may be getting past my block. I turned on some tabla music by one of my favorite percussionists, Hossam Ramzy, and the rhythms are so infectious that I could hardly keep my body from moving! I may have promising beginnings to some phrase work, but I think I need to wait and see for sure!

At home, I spoke to my friend Laura, a fellow artist. We spoke about our respective art practices, and what we are working on at the moment. We talked a lot about storytelling, and what place it has in our work. It seems to me as though we are both discovering the storyteller side of ourselves, slowly but surely. It is an emotional journey and a surprising one, too. However, we agree that the process of finding and sharing our stories, personal or fictitious has been a growing experience!

At the River Run Film Festival, things are absolutely mad! The finishing touches are being put on all of the events, the logistics are being refined, and all of the volunteers have begin to pour in for duty. It is exciting! And I can't wait to view some of the films when they begin to play April 15th and continue through April 25th.

I come home to find that my first article for LVCmag has gone up! I am so excited! I have only been submitting articles for this new job for three weeks now, but it has been both a great challenge and a wonderful learning experience. I hope to continue growing my skills as a writer and storyteller with this new venture! Here is the link to the article: http://lvcmag.com/MoviesMusicArticle.aspx?id=42%20&ArticleID=947

In the evening, it is on to teach my Monday night Yoga class. We work on refining a few poses as opposed to doing a straight flow class today. We work at the wall for support and muscular training, and the students seem to respond well. One of them explains how her lunge feels different...that is is more lifted and stable, after we complete our work at the wall and with partners. The hour and fifteen minutes goes fast, as it always does, and I always wish I had just a little more time!

To end the day, I go to Brett's house, to continue polishing and refining the documentary, "Art for the Living." We are so close to being done! I know I say that every time I mention the film, but it's true! Each time we get together to edit, the film is many strides closer to being a finished product. I am proud. And I hope that this doc is just one of many that I will make in my life as an artist. There are so many interesting people and places, messages that need passing and so on.

Tomorrow is Tuesday. HPU. The home stretch is here. Come on May!!!

~Cara

Yoga Sutra

Yesterday, I rose bright and early to attend a teacher training as part of my 500 hour yoga certification at the Triad Yoga Institute. I found it enjoyable, as I always do, but got some great learning out of the day as well! The workshop was centered around various teaching skills, such as demonstrating, adjusting your students, use of the voice and effective language, sequencing and pacing. The exercise that stood out to me the most however, was the very last exercise of the day. The final exercise involved physicalizing the Sutra of Patanjali. Reviewing some of the Sutra and being asked on the spot to teach a series of poses, or a pose in the essence of that Sutra was both challenging and fun. It made me want to focus on this aspect of the practice in a bigger way. Not just reciting the Sutra to my students, but weaving them more fully into the physical practice that I present.

Today as I taught class however, there was no mention of the Sutra at all. No mention even, of the overall goal of yoga. The fact of the matter is, that some of the places I teach would rather hear nothing about the holistic aspects of yoga and just give the clients a good workout, which is what they are there for, right? I certainly understand that most of the people who come to yoga with no prior knowledge would only like to work out, and that for a long time, that is all they understand. But at what point can you begin to introduce all eight limbs of yoga? It is a question with which I struggle often. Nonetheless, I felt I gave a well-rounded practice, in that we moved in all directions and did both active and passive postures. We did a 7 minute final rest and we always close with a quiet few moments to acknowledge the effects the practice has had.

Additionally, I finished the Peggy Lee dance today and am happy it will be ready for the performances in Fayetteville in two weeks. Tomorrow, I need to begin to get "Words Apart" back in my body. This month is going terribly fast, and I can hardly keep up!

~Cara

Friday is a Great Day!

TGIF, and what a success it has been! I gave a lovely yoga class this morning, for an intimate group of three. A mix of slow, controlled flow sequences, heat building standing poses, and a few fun challenges! When the classes are good, they just seem to go by too fast. I would like to, in the not-so-distant future, set up a monthly mini-workshop. This 2.5 hour class would be a balanced practice, with short meditations, chanting, readings, and both vigorous and restorative postures. It would be donation only, and open level. This is how I would like to share my love of yoga with my community. I will let you know as soon as I get that together!

This afternoon, Scott and my performance of our play, "Lost and Found," for the Guilford County History Teachers went very well! The conference was held at the High Point museum, which I now know, is a cool place! I had no idea that John Coltrane was from High Point...thanks, HPM! Our performance yielded praise from many of the teachers, a few of whom made sure that they were to get our contact info. So now, as always, we just need to sit and wait to see if anyone calls us for a booking or two. Here's hoping!

After our adventure at the museum, I went to the studio, to continue work on the Peggy Lee piece that I'll perform in Fayetteville two weeks from now at the NC State Ballet School's annual spring concert. To my surprise, it is coming together! I have no idea how it happens: I needed a dance. I was in a slump...heck, still am in a slump...and poof! There it is! A short, little, fun dance! Gets me every time.

At home, I read many things for school. "Sula," by Toni Morrison is still keeping my keen interest. I can't get enough of her writing! And she continues to surprise me, with strange events, unexpected deaths, and a picture of how difficult black life was in the 20's and 30's. After "Sula," I read an excerpt from Simone Forti's "From Animate Dancing to Writing." The excerpt chronicles the artist's journey through impulse in many forms of art and the eventual amalgamation of all of her loves. Such lovely imagery and many realizations and "ah-ha" moments! I have been truly inspired by this woman, whom I have only just been introduced to through her writing. The excerpt is a wonderful representation of how one's art practice evolves over an entire career.

~Cara

Passion First

The ladies at NCSU gave a lovely dance concert last evening! And they had a great turnout, as well. During the question/answer session after the performance, many of the girls spoke about how the work in the concert had transformed them. Some of the dancers had never done some of the types of dance they were asked to do in the concert. Some of the girls had never choreographed before (the final piece of the evening was a collaborative work by the company members), and some commented on how simply changing head space from piece to piece was transformative. One of the young ladies commented on how the work presented in the concert had more depth than the dance she had done at her studio in high school, and that the work not only challenged her to transform during performance, but also in real life and in her interactions with other people. The preparation and execution of this concert was helping her to become a more mature human being!

It is in these instances that I am reminded of how powerful art is. This particular group of young ladies would not be categorized as "dancers," who have had years and years of classical, technical training. Many of the girls are English majors, Mathematics majors and Science majors. However, they all experienced the joy of moving, and the joy of sharing that movement just as any "dancer" might. So, as I have already decided, though my position on this is ever strengthening, it is not about training, or technique. If one has passion and a desire to share that passion, the work that comes out of that passion is just as valuable as that of a consummate professional. Of course, training can offer refinement, but many people, I am finding out, don't actually know the difference between having technique and not having technique. They only remember if they were emotionally stimulated, or not.

So, as I practice in the studio this week, I want to remember this notion, and remember that above being able to do a good plie, I would like to place my passion for movement front and center. The technique is only there to keep my body in working order. My mind and emotions are a whole different animal, and they are what helps me to engage with my audiences.

Tomorrow, a performance of "Lost and Found" for Guilford County School System teachers! Wish us luck!

~Cara

NCSU Dance Concert

On the way to Raleigh soon, to see the NCSU/Dance Visions Repertory Company perform their spring repertoire! I went on Monday for a pick up rehearsal for the piece I set in a short residency period back in February called, "Grounding Space." The piece mimics the energies of the earth: water, wind, lava and animal life through circular phrase work and smooth, ever moving dynamics. The girls did such a wonderful job picking up the material, and I can't wait to see them perform! I'll tell you more tomorrow, after the performance!

~Cara

Beautiful Nights

Just arrived home from my first fashion show! What fun that was! The show was for the launch of a new venture here in Winston Salem, Sustainable Style WSNC. The whole show was centered around fashion that is eco-friendly and socially conscious. There were so many wonderful works of art on the runway! And to think, all of them were made with organic materials, natural dyes and not in sweat shops. Novel, right? I can hardly believe that clothing companies aren't mandated to employ some of these practices in their manufacturing. I will never look at Macy's the same way again!

Post show, I decided to take a trip to my favorite coffee shop, Krankies. It is such a beautiful night, I could not let it slip by without absorbing it's beauty! I ordered a Fat Tire beer, and a super cookie (double chocolate!). I sat alone in silence, absorbing my surroundings, the many sounds and the tranquil color of the night sky. I wish I was still sitting on that chair this moment. So much was I enjoying myself, that poetry began to spill from my brain almost uncontrollably. I had nothing to write on, so decided that I would put some of these images away in my mental file cabinet until I got home, where I could hash some of the ideas and impulses I have had. I have to say, I am certain that there will be many more evenings this spring and summer, where I will be sitting in my solitude or with friends outside at night. The evenings in the warmer months are so precious. I enjoy them sometimes more than the days. In the evening, one's mind can rest and wander. There are conversations that last early into the morning sometimes, gorgeous smells and sounds:nature's romance. I consider this time outside at night to be a preparation for winter, when the nights are absolutely unbearable. I make memories in the warmer months, to reference when the windows cannot be opened and when the cold air makes your travel from one place to another hasty. Perhaps one of these nights, you will join me to drink, contemplate and absorb the earth's music.

~Cara

A Little of This, A Little of That...

I Began my morning without moving from my bed to read more of Toni Morrison's "Sula." The book is absolutely amazing. I have just passed that part where Eva, one of the characters in the story, kills her drug-addicted son. It totally took me off guard! The imagery before the event is lucid, and it brings you to a place where you are feeling the strange comfort Eva's son is feeling before his unexpected death.

At the studio today, I continued to work through some material. My mother accompanied me, and I explained to her my theory and practice of micro-movement. She seemed quite interested to know how I came upon this practice, and asked if I'd read a book. I told her no, that I came upon the practice in response to pain that I was having in my joints. I explained to her that as long as you are listening, your body will always tell you what it needs, and my body led me to this practice.

Back at home, I contemplate a series of poems I wrote for my school work, entitled, "The Chronicles of Wild Child." The series is one that I will add to until there are many experiences in varied places that Wild Child has. So far, she has had an adventure on the sea. In contemplating these poems, I drew pictures for the first time in about three or four years. I was a little apprehensive, at first, but soon I felt a release as my hand journeyed along the paper with my pen in hand. This poem is the very first in the Wild Child Chronicles:

Wild Child wants to go far into the ocean
To be carried in the currents that will swirl her around
Where her body may be crushed by the weight of Earth's tears
She'll flail about, and try to keep swimming
Through the hurricanes that threaten to sink the ships
On top of depths full of fish swimming calmly under the storm


And this is a picture I drew of Wild Child:



Until Tomorrow!

~Cara

Force, Dance, Write, Read...

I awoke yesterday to find out that my electric head-space was short lived...I went into the studio only to leave 30 minutes later with nothing new. So today, I decided to begin at square one again, and use music with lyrics. I decided on "My Man," and "I'm a Woman," as sung by Peggy Lee (Love her!). I printed out the lyrics and headed off to the studio this afternoon on a mission! I got a good bit done today, and feel confident that this time, I will be victorious. I have let go all of my notions of what is presentable, and what is not. I am using the words quite literally, which I never do, and allowing the simplicity of the arrangements to give me freedom. Will I end up loving the product? I'm not entirely sure yet. But at this point, I'm so frustrated, I don't think I care whether I love it, or not. I just want to wrap my head around making something, and do it. This current state of artistic slump brings me back to so many experiences where I have a short amount of time to finish a project and not much inspiration. I am always surprised at how things just get done. It's almost magic! Half the time, I can't believe it's happened, and most of the the time, what comes out isn't nearly as bad as I made it out to be!

This week, I am finding writing articles much easier than conjuring dance. In addition to my writing, I am reading. For school, I am currently reading "Sula," by Toni Morrison. I absolutely LOVE her writing! Her imagery is so full, and every word in every sentence has a purpose in the story. i can only hope that one day, my writing is as sophisticated and beautiful as hers!

~Cara

A Day in the Life...

So far, so good at the studio this morning. I have a bit more material, and hope tomorrow is as fruitful. Slowly but surely, I hope to have a dance finished within the next few weeks.

At HPU today, I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather to have the students make some sight specific dance works on campus. The students really enjoyed themselves, and made some fun, fancy-free dance works! They utilized benches, clock poles, grassy knolls and water fountains. They jumped and climbed, danced up down and all around their chosen features, and made the campus a more beautiful place to be!

Post HPU, I had the esteemed privilege of interviewing Ken Frazell, the composer of the lovely collection of songs I saw last weekend, "Songs from the Rear View Mirror." He had some wonderful insights into the artistic process. He talked about how places evoke a spirituality of what transpired there. And he drew parallels between the importance of place and how the American South has a certain sense of place and story about it. It was beautiful, how he described his inspiration for the music and the words I heard in the songs. I can't wait to write my article about Mr. Frazell and his work!

This evening, Scott, my percussionist and I get back together to rehearse our piece, "Lost and Found" for the first time in two months. It was good to be back! The piece is so much fun to perform, and we had a blast getting it back up and running. We are preparing for a performance which takes place next Friday for a group of history teachers in Guilford County, in hopes that they will have us in for arts in education performances next year. We have one more rehearsal before the performance, and I am certain it will go well!

Robert comes home tomorrow from being on tour with the Flamenco Vivo dance company as their tour manager! I'm so excited!

~Cara