In a nutshell:
February 11 and 12th we debuted "Resonancias" our new work about the elements of memory that linger in our work at the University Center for the Performing Arts with Susana Behar.
Februrary 20-March 11 I attended ACA's Residency with Liz Lerman. Wow is all I can say...what an incredible experience! Jose came to visit during the last few days and we got to dive into much of the touch-ups on "Resonancias" and some of the ideas for "the History House."
and as soon as I got back we jumped into editing "the History House: Huelva." Take a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd-59_N6qNY
An in April...
http://www.inkub8.org/Inkub8/Residency.html
Just past the half-way point of my residency and it feels like a month already. I must say work on "the History House" is going much better than expected. Murky possibilities are now clear ideas that I can tackle and actually turn into something tangible. The labs were incredibly informative and gave me a taste of what it would be like to keep some of this work as ongoing investigations in movement here in Miami. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who came and were so willing to dive right into this "deconstructed flamenco." I am amazed by the layers of information that surface and the multiple narratives that happily coexist in our city and its dancers/performers.
So far I've had visits by a few visual artists interested in getting inspired, or simply spurred by their curiosity who have generously shared space and ideas. Some of us may even experiment with some 'interference' in some of the final showings. After all, you don't know if it works unless you try it.
2nd Saturday was a great place to start putting some of the work out there. Some of it worked, some of it didn't and some will have to wait till June to be revisited. Nonetheless, I FINALLY FOUND THE FLAMENCO STANDARD I WANT TO USE! Yes, it was elusive, but finally it's here...and I'm loving every minute of tearing it apart.
Last Sunday we had a wonderful, draining and incredibly informative workshop. Thanks to three very generous actors, I was able to re-inhabit some spaces I had stepped away from since arriving in Miami. They actually put themselves at the mercy of my experiment and I must say it did not turn out half-bad. We explored sensory awareness, self-perceptions and spontaneous movement first and then moved on to tearing apart some of the text they are working on. A special thanks to Liz and the Dance Exchange for their Toolbox and thank you to Jose Manuel, Pepe and Luis who were willing to dive into their own personal narratives with such gusto. There is more to come and I will keep you all posted.
Thus far the critical inquiry has been extensive and I am looking forward to this very packed stretch. I have a feeling there are many more ideas and unexpected turns ahead.
UP NEXT:
"Deconstructing Flamenco and what it all means" facilitated by Elizabeth Doud and with a small improvisation to highlight some of the undefined spaces we're inhabiting to discover more about who we are, what are we trying to say and what does it mean in a city like Miami. TODAY, April 18 at 6pm.
I've invited a little of everything...traditional, conventional, experimental and totally unrelated. It's the only way to really get the conversation going.
also looking forward to the Critical Response Process on Monday April 23rd at 6pm, facilitated by Jenni Person (Artistic Director, Next @ 19th). Jenni has also worked with Liz and has been so kind as to dive into this undefined space to help us make a bit more sense of it. I don't want it to become about the work, I'm more interested in making the process accessible to artists in Miami who have not had a chance to experience it. I love that both audience and performers are active participants in prompting critical inquiry. It really is a great system to get your juices flowing and I'd love to have you participate.
I'd love to make this a regular happening, so don't miss out on the conversation!
Off to do some more research on cultural memory...tonight I get to watch a movie...
AND THIS SATURDAY...
