Critical Mass

"Don't hand me a glass of wine.
Pour it in my mouth.
I've lost the way to my mouth.

The wine we really drink is our own blood.
Our bodies ferment in these barrels.
We give everything for a glass of this.
We give our minds for a sip."

from A Children's Game by Rumi

As I write this as I am considering this evening's MOLT rehearsal. This work has developed over an extensive period of time and is beginning to gain momentum. We are now at a place where things are happening quickly, or so it seems to me. This is a result of many months of slow going, during which time the dancers have been ever-patient, always ready to work, and tremendously invested. The creation of any [dance]work is a leap of faith. I can identify, with relative certainty, the place from which I am leaping; but I do not always know where I am going. In some cases, as with MOLT, I think I know where I am headed...

I love to drive without knowing exactly how I am going to get to my final destination. When I am on my own, dead reckoning is my favorite form of navigation.

I forget about this propensity of mine when not in the car. It is only when I get to this place of critical mass that I remember that I like to ramble (coincidentally the informal name of one section of the dance) along the way and that, often, the destination changes in the process.

I am starting to feel the ferment and I am racing ahead of myself, as I always do at the end. While my intentions have remained relatively solid, I am delighted to see that there is room for MORE!

MOLT will premiere at Cleveland Public Theatre April 30 - May 3, 2009 as part of DanceWorks09.

Look for further information about MOLT in my next post.
Joan

MOLT photo by Scott Radke