Where I am

"If we stand tall it is because we stand on the backs of those who came before us" Yoruba proverb

As Christie and I work to bring the piece together, I am also facing the coming together of becoming a mother. Eight months pregnant... a challenging space to be in ... I'm creating on 2 different levels and wanting to give my all to both. Some have pointed out that the work really has already been done. So now our goal is to find the connection and make the choice of what story we will pass on. And hopefully our work will make room for those who follow like the work of those who came before us.

TMTC: Images From Ladder Series Open Rehearsal

On Dec. 11 TMTC Ladder Series Artists had a open rehearsal for The Producing Artistic Leadership Team and fellow Ladder Series Artists. It was really exciting to see the work and amazing to see how these artists are tackling their own ideas. Here are some images from the open rehearsal:

C & R: Thank you

We had the opportunity to explore and set choreography with dancers and a live drummer. Thank you to Pia Monique Murray, Nao Yamada, and Wahkiba Julion for sharing in the process with Christie and I yesterday!

CJD- "Glass and feathers.."Contains Disturbing images..please be advised.

Let me start by saying...this blog contains some disturbing images and matter regarding the attacks of 9/11. Please be advised....

In exploring one of the more physical parts of the piece, "The Window Woman", I keep coming back to this haunting; the falling body. As the footage and news stories after 9/11 show, this was a reality of the day.

In dance, there can be few things more beautiful than a body in motion, and I thought that the medium of dance might be an interesting way of exploring this topic. But first...to the bat cave...i mean, image bank/library. I came across the above.

It is Strange; when first saw some of these images, i thought they were macabre. I flinched. My friends inhaled through their teeth and turned their bodies in recoil. Mostly in memory. However, after spending some time with them, they look less like bodies about to meet an end, and more like bodies on the verge of something larger, with infinite potential. Like Icarus...rising.....frozen in time, in a free moment, they're kind of beautiful, no?

Given the choice to fall freely or go up in ash, what do you choose?

CJD: When Hip Hop and Sound Experimentation Collide...

Ahhh the magical Reggie Watts....I love this man, hard body. There is no bar he wont push, no corner of his voice he couldn't find in the name of truth and humor. Some people might call his work experimental, and I wouldn't disagree. It can be edgy and, at times, odd. However, it is so uniquely Hip Hop in it's innovation, aesthetics, purpose, and understanding of sound and it's functions. He inspires me, and a LOT of the transitions in "Tapes". I find that there is something hella fun about playing with words...like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnKThBC-L9M&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLD00E523EE458E3C8


But, his partner in the storytelling is the fun part.

Ah, what a wonder you are, Kaoss pad ( the sickeningly fun piece of equipment used by Watts in his shows). I am fascinated by how Watts' solid understanding of this seemingly indecipherable board of buttons and sliders frees him into the structure of song to justlay down the backbone and play in the muscle and tissue of a song. It's amazing to be able to split your voice into parts and play on yourself; What does it even mean to sample yourself on a song you are rhyming over? Its like DJ meets shapeshifter. It's like an MC becomes a multiheaded beast. .....did I mention I love the supernatural?

I recently got to play on one of these fun pads; It was a complex experience. While the plethora of functions is, at minimum, overwhelming, it's fun and allows for ALOT of exploration of sound. In a play about how we hear, remember, and expel memory, it feels like a perfect match.

Needless to say, I'll be snagging one this week. Lets go!

C


Oh, and some other things about sound and dopeness:

http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2011/jul/26/4-track-mind/

http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store-Used-USED-KORG-KP3-KAOSS-PAD--633-111411-107147876-i2253621.gc?&source=4WWRWXGB

C & R: Inspiration for a Work in Progress

“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you
into action, and there is only one of you in all time, this expression is
unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and
be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how
good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to
keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even
have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware
directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is
pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is a queer, divine
dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others."- Martha Graham.

The picture shows a collage I made after reflecting on creation. We are all creators, but specifically it addresses ideas about the role of women in creation. There are no limits - we are always moving, shaping, transitioning...but maybe we limit ourselves based on what society has told us about ourselves. What happens when we express ourselves freely?

Suheir Hammad on 9/11 to Cherrye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNfec7Fa2Cc