man/Mother is an all-male trio, which composes three separately made solos to original music by Philip Butta. The solos translate emotions, specifically connected to each dancer’s experience of the global COVID-19 pandemic, into movement initiated from emotionally resonant bodily regions. The dancers maintain a separateness of focus with a simultaneously intense awareness of each other in space, as well as a deep reliance on one another for timing - quite literally together while apart. A thick branch, suspended down stage center, makes its way into each of the three physical trails. Both an obstacle and a comfort, it confronts us with hard truths that demand reflection and action. Why would mother nature create such an affliction? What have we done as humans to contribute to bringing it into being? How can we mend our fragmented relationship with that which made us?
This all-male trio was each asked individually what it has been like for them to return to the studio for live rehearsals. To close the creation process an intimate showing/discussion will take place at Green Space on November 30, 11:30am.
(c) Walter Wlodarczyk
Richard Scandola: “When everything closed in March, we didn’t know it would be for that long, and how difficult it would be to go back to what we used to call normal. I took this as a chance to have a break and do the things I usually don’t have the time for— reset myself and reboot. Until I realized that the situation was becoming pretty serious and uncertainty our routine. The lack of space and motivation did not allow me to dance from home. A dance class, for me, is to be shared with a teacher and other dancers in the same room. I need to feel the energy around me. Dancing in front of a screen was a different experience I had a hard time adapting, so I decided that I would do yoga and exercise to maintain my body. I couldn’t stay still for too long anyway, but dance had to be put on hold. When the opportunity to go back to rehearsal in person at the studio rose from the ashes, I jumped on it. I was going to take the subway to go to work, something I haven’t done in 7 months, something I didn’t think I would ever miss, 1h and 15 minutes of commute from Brooklyn to LIC, wondering if I’d remember how to get there. For real…I was missing moving my body, moving through space, creating, exchanging ideas, collaborating with others, and being with others. Being back in the studio, dance is not the same as it used to be. We can’t be close to each other, touch each other ’s body or partner. We can still use our bodies, the space, the music and create together. We can livestream our performances. Yes, I know, watching a dance show on a screen does not procure the same pleasure as the live one, I hear you, I’m a preacher for realness, but the screen is the only contact remaining between dance, live art in general, and the audience, while waiting for the good days to come back and use the outside. Maybe 2021 will be the year with the most outdoor performances, and festivals.”
(c) Stehan Delas Heras
Jonathan Matthews: “When the pandemic hit, I un/fortunately managed to keep rehearsing, albeit remotely. In September, I resumed rehearsing in person with my creative partner, Holly Sass, as well as with some other groups, to varying degrees. Working within everyone’s safety guidelines took a variety of forms, including outdoor rehearsals in Central Park, or strict studio reservation parameters that understandably required a post-rehearsal deep clean of the space per renter. Rehearsing now with Valerie at Green Space has come the closest to feeling like how things were. Yes, there is an air filter. Yes, we wear masks. Yes, we keep our distance. The difference now is that we’re no longer scrambling to figure it all out as we go, allowing a sense of homecoming, one that is generating a whole new way of working for this particular group of artists.”
(c) Alex Lopez
Fumi Kikuchi: “It has been a while since I last danced in a studio. I am simply happy to dance again without the limitations that I have at home. As a dancer, in Valerie Green/Dance Entropy, I restarted rehearsing with Valerie, an artistic director, and other company dancers in the studio for an upcoming performance and an opportunity in the future. Of course, all of us have to wear masks and follow the guidelines to protect us. So, it does not feel exactly the same as it used to be, but it feels rewarding, to me, that I can rehearse again with a specific goal in mind.”