There are those days when as Mae West famously said, ‘I used to be Snow White but I drifted’, but then there are those days when I am distinctly Snow White.
Today’s weather was consistently wet for dancing. I actually quite enjoy dancing in the rain, there is something cathartic about accepting the conditions of one’s physical environment with glee (‘happy to be HERE’).
Then, sometimes, my heart opens and I seem to dissolve into the sky and I want to weep with happiness. Sometimes all that exists is joy.
Then magic starts to happen.
This morning a seagull swooped down a couple meters from me, watched for a moment before leaving an ‘offering’ of something that used to be living next to my bag. You know that way cats do when they bring something once living into the house as a ‘big-thank-you-I-love-you’ surprise.
Then two ducks (ducks! On the Broomielaw??) appeared from no where and sat and faced me and watched for over an hour as I danced. There was also the dog who danced around me in passing. And the rain came down. And I laughed mostly, in mouth and limb with the sheer extraordinariness of it all.
It comes to me, that what I am looking to create is heaven here on earth.
Cause in fact, what I want to have, to do, is on every level good. And in our mad, chaotic, fraught world of relentless unrest and unhappiness it’s a relief to know that I can be that, for myself and others.
So from the 20-26 June, where-ever you are, what-ever you are doing, what-ever you are hearing, remember that. In Glasgow on one stretch of River there is an expanding peace, beauty and goodness.
And if you are local please come and join, celebrate, BE part of that space in all it’s delight. Knowing that it is a place for acceptance, freedom, for all.
You don’t have to dance, or to do anything in particular.
If you can manage to take some film footage (with my wee ipod camera or your phone) remember that film in and of itself is a media of the future, what is filmed is only designed to be projected into some future space. So if you are filming you are also placing peace and joy into the future. And so it continues. This is the world we must create, we must strive for, in it’s beauty, fun, joy, exuberance…hope. It is for everyone.
Whoopee and Zaps of Love for allllll…. xxxxxxx Kate E.
Dancing Schedule for Week (stop by or you can let me know when you are coming):
Monday 20th:
730-10am
noon-2pm
4-6pm
Tuesday 21st
8-11am
12-3pm
Wednesday 22nd
730-10am
noon-2pm
4-6pm
Thursday 23rd
730-10am
noon-2pm
4-6pm
Friday 24th
8-11am
12-3pm
Saturday 25th
9am-noon
2-4pm
Sunday 26th
10-noon
2-4pm
Thanks to the Workroom and Six Foot Gallery for Support of this Residency
Very pleased The Six Foot Gallery has agreed to be my ‘dry space’ whilst I am down dancing at the Broomielaw. This is really important as the weather in Scotland can be a bit ‘changeable’ and whilst I quite enjoy dancing in that, the thought of being in the same wet clothes for 8 hours does not bring me great bohomie.
The Six Foot Gallery is a great multi-floor gallery space (you should see their roof garden!!!) located just off the Broomielaw, at 36 Washington Street. The Six Foot Gallery specialises in contemporary art by emerging artists, providing workshops, exhibits and events.
Went to Arran yesterday. Needed some time in the GREEN, to merge with nature and notice the variance in the green, and the tone of the air. Thought if I can do that maybe I can figure it all out HA – figure it all out. I don’t know if I reached any more clarity at the end then the beginning. Guess I realized I need more days in the country! We all need to take more breaks. It’s hard when you (me) haven’t ‘reached it’ yet. I always fully expected to be out of the woods by now – coming to realize I AM the woods HA! But everything is put into perspective when I watch the recent Channel 4 Documentary on Sri Lanka and am reminded on how lucky I am. And how much what I really want, and I don’t know if other people feel this?, is a life of meaning. That’s all, I don’t want to be some automon just doing things for the sake of doing them. I want to make the world a better place, being my best person. And that might be in the simplest things or the most complicated things, but that’s what I want. Is that so much to ask for? In the chaos of the world that we create, via our economics and ease of life, it can be hard to believe. Yet I must strive to move that forward. To be that. And so I hope.
Have my residency with the Workroom next week. When Laura Cameron-Eaton spoke to me about doing something a big part of my directive was to find ways to get to know folks ‘down there’ more! After all I dance all those days and people stare out at me (so I’m told) from the big windows as I reveal my soul, and yet I don’t know – do you like it? do you not like it? what does it LOOK like? And does it make you think of anything in particular. As an artist, I am always keen to find new ways to build bridges and keep connections. So a big part of my research week will be basically to get to know YOU PEOPLE. After all that’s what life’s about eh?
I am thrilled to announce that the Workroom (Glasgow’s Independent Dance Studio, based at the Tramway) is supporting me for a week of dancing down at the Broomielaw!
From Monday 20th June till Sunday the 26th June I will be taking up residence ALL DAY everyday (mostly 8am-6pm, exact schedule TBC)
I have two goals
To get more film footage of my dancing
To get more dancing friends!
In recent weeks I have realized that I have virtually no films of my dancing. I would like some record, not least because I want to be a better dancer and seeing what I’m doing would be useful. For example just last week Moira B. took some film and I realized I was holding my neck in a particular way. Seeing the film has allowed me to address this…
I am also hoping to get more dancing buddies, as I said in my video blog earlier, I would love that space to become known not as ‘that space where that lady dances’ but more ‘that space where people dance’! And WHY NOT? AND I’d love to meet more folks.
SO I need your help
1. As I’ll be Riverside for 7 days, it would be useful to have a base where I can store some things (laptop, dry clothes), so if anyone has any office or home space to donate at anytime that’s nearby I’d really appreciate it!
2. Film me film me film me! Can you spare 5 minutes or more?
3. Dance with me dance with me dance with me! Come down for a boogie! Let’s create more grooves in the world!
Thoughts, ideas, can you help? You’re it! Pass it on….
Thinking on how dance is outlawed in the USA leads me to wonder what I would do if on ‘the other side of the pond’ or if faced with same situation here?
The reflection on this led me to see how someone’s actions in the current climate can ‘create terrorism’. It’s a frightening thought how small actions lead us to a dangerous precipice.
The banning of ‘silent dance’ is akin to telling someone how he or she should feel and how that feeling manifests itself in a physical way.
Many contemporary choreographers have studied the fine line between everyday life and dance (titled ‘Social Choreography’). Where does life end and dance begin? If (stereotypically) a reserved Japanese person took on the dramatic hand gestures of an Italian at the Jefferson Memorial, would s/he be arrested? And in the case of the banning of such activities who decides? Are the police officers stationed at the parks and monuments trained on these nuances of dance?
I considered these thoughts, and started to (naturally) compose a piece of choreography that would challenge these notions, that fine line between dance and gesture. I could hire actors to play ‘regular tourists’ to film it. I might also place a nun in a habit with her rosary beads, a Muslim woman in headscarf with her prayer beads, and maybe even a Buddhist Priest in his orange robes to mix it up. It would only be successful if it wasn’t noticed, but equally it would be carefully considered and timed to perfection. When re-edited and set to music the performance would be unveiled publicly and the hypocrisy of the Law exposed.
But then I thought if that was to be successful on that level, it would have to be absolutely underground. No Facebook, no Twitter, just good old-fashioned meetings in back halls and basements for planning. And this is where it starts to (in all it’s good intentions) become deviant. Or perceived to be.
I thought about the recent UK and US Uncut creative protests wherein the level of police presence to the activities of the artists seemed grossly out of proportion. I thought on recent economic sanctions on the arts and humanities. The sea of change seems to be hard-line (false) economics. An approach of control and restrict which is directly out of sync with what the Arts and Humanities strive to do, which is expand/challenge on the intellectual, social and spiritual realms which is vital for our survival.
And yet there is hope. For me (as it reminded to me time and time again) it is to ‘keep dancing’. Each of us has ‘our dance’ whether it is dancing or whatever that thing that makes our hearts sing. And we can all be empowered to LIVE that. To be strengthened in our own authenticity.
I get messages from the most unexpected sources reminding me of this; from local fire-fighters in my area giving me a honk and thumbs up whilst driving by to teens joining me in my dance at the Southside Festival. And so I do continue – even when I get looks from passers by that I’m ‘crazy’ or ‘sick’ (I figure my dance must be pretty bad those days ha ha). But mostly people smile, stop to chat and sometimes join in. I figure I’m writing this story (of my life) and so best live the world I want to live in.
And to you, Beautiful, I wish you the absolute same. Here’s to the dance!
Much love
Kate E. xx
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There are those days when as Mae West famously said, ‘I used to be Snow White but I drifted’, but then there are those days when I am distinctly Snow White.
