Present Place

Present Place: June 6, 2016 an evening of improvisation.

Downtown’s ceremonial Monday pilgrimage to Movement Research at the Judson Church. An instinctual destination for many and a new destination for some. We gather for a collection of dance voices in the church, I often wonder When did we start dancing in the church? and I remember, We have always danced at church.

Kay, Elliott, Aretha, Tara and Eleanor welcome us and Aretha reminds us that we stand on stolen land and she asks to take a moment to reflect on the take. This echoes as we watch, we gather in a church to see dance on an island that was stolen, my scope is wide and close, expanding and encompassing the energies that these dancing bodies offer. We witness rounds of entrances, their bodies gather in our view they move to communicate and shift our perception of time together. We watch, they move, we listen and make sounds and layer.

An offering: Lily wanders to the corner and high, Randy grabs tight to gravity, Julia crashes and vibes, Justin holds pause he goes over there, Ayano is up in space and holds the sky, Marguerite cuts air so distinct, Anna drives hard to connect, Anna brings calm to the lake, Sarah rests and holds time, BASHIR presses the fourth wall, Perel massages our interest, Mahalchick takes the ground.

Lights are tender, at times sharper the sound is high and distant and suddenly we’re saying a sweet goodbye to Levi in a brilliant cape. Tears come fast, the celebration of loss is a transitional place where we see the distance from where began together. The connectors weave and their dance is high but with a heavy heart and with so much love and unity. Juliette, luciana, Donna, Natalie, Kayvon give dances to an honorable person, one of our dearest. They dance our collective thanks. When we come together, we come to dance.