On Community, part 1

I am told I have a “crusader’s” personality. Not in a medieval sense- I am not into conquest and the imposition of my will on others- but in the sense that I am into “causes.“ I want to effect change in the world- to see it made a more just and humane place where each individual is valued and appreciated. I can get very passionate about this. Still I am also kind of a skeptic and this truth has led me away from most mass movements and towards trying to model the changes I believe in on a more intimate scale–on the community level– mostly through my work as an artist and an educator.

In recent days I have been asked to define what I mean by community. In the most basic sense I mean the people with whom I find common cause. MUVs mission statement in its latest iteration reads:

Movement for the Urban Village is a community of women dancers of varied identity and life experience who join together to present original dance works addressing social, political and spiritual themes. At the heart of this concept is the intention that the work function as an instrument of creative expression, a modality for healing and means for liberation on every level for all people.

 The mission has evolved a bit over time but I started this company with a fundamental commitment to the idea that the world works best when people work together. I hope that MUV is a space where the women who create here feel appreciated, challenged, embraced and engaged as we join in the collective enterprise of making art. The final section of our first dance, the eponymous Movement for the Urban Village, is called Come Unity, and from that first work to the most recent, Ascendance, the persistent theme of the dances in our repertory is that we have to work together in order to achieve freedom. Not that we are overly didactic about it, one of the greatest joys of developing work that springs from the traditions of the African Diaspora is that our audiences are welcomed to participate in our performances. They call out to the dancers and sing along as the music and the movement resonate with them and then when we are all done they tell us they wanted to jump up on stage and join us!

 The idea that the microcosm reflects of the macrocosm -“As above so below, as below so above”-guides my effort to create community through art. In MUV I strive to make the concept of fully realized personhood a part of the process we use to create work and to see that work presented in spaces that welcome active dialogue between all present including performer and audience. It pleases me when this is recognized as it was by Sasha Rodriguez when she wrote, “the connection and intimacy between performers clearly extended off the stage and into the crowd…” in the Summer 2007 issue of Attitude: the Dancers’ Magazine. In this way I try to communicate the spirit of embracing and welcoming  community to our audience and I hope that they take this understanding and carry it with them into the wider world.

peaceLOVElight
Shalewa
Up next, creating community in the classroom…

This week’s progress report.

Over the past couple of weeks we have held two auditions. The auditioning process is fraught for all involved. From my side as the director it forces me to examine who my ideal dancer is and how far away from ideal can a dancer be and still be a good match for MUV? On the side of the women who come in to audition there can be anxiety about the whole process including wondering are we looking for a specific “type” or “look” to apprehension about what they will be asked to do? Auditions are kind of like a blind date and the SAT mashed up into one uncomfortable, physically strenuous encounter. I try to run the MUVauditions in as low key and humane a way as possible. I guess I am succeeding because I often get thank you notes and feedback that our auditions are actually, “fun!” This cycle of auditions attracted a wonderfully varied group of 20 or so women a handful of whom we have invited to join us and a good number of others who we certainly could have invited. The decision to invite or not is never easy and is often as much about vibe as it is about training, experience or choreographic recall.  Rehearsals resume later this month and I can’t wait to introduce you to the newest members of MUV.

Obviously this blog was born this week, it is another part of my ongoing plan to stay better connected and grow up a village around the UrbanVillage. I am also taking a three week workshop called Strategies for Internet Outreach  taught by Jaki Levy of www.arrowrootmedia.com and offered by my favorite artist service organization, the field. I expect that I will learn many useful things in this workshop including how to make this blog so gorgeous and wonderful that you will all want to read it.

On the creative front I am working on a solo… I am confessing it here because now I will have  all who are reading this wondering and watching and waiting for the evidence of my efforts to be revealed. I am developing it in a fieldwork group and in my journal and on random subway platforms (I often get this strange urge to dance while waiting for the subway…). Beyond that I think the less said about it the better because it is still very young and I have a few different ideas and themes kicking around. Wish me luck!

peaceLOVElight

Shalewa

Hello world!

Welcome to Working Progress, Movement for the Urban Village’s chronicle of creating in the big city. Expect to hear from members of the MUV community about the ongoing development of the Ascendance Project and other projects. It is our intention that this blog open a window into our process and our work and also that it spark a dialogue, so please ask a question or share a memory and let us know you are out there!

peaceLOVElight

Shalewa