On October 9, 2004, dancers, writers, and the general public came together to share both words and movement as part of the Full Circle Dancers and Writers Project. All members of the audience joined students from our workshop and a group of professional writers in putting on paper their thoughts about the dances they saw that evening. Some wrote a little. Some wrote a lot. Some who were too young to write drew pictures of the dancers.
Here are some of the moving words on movement we received that night.
About “Inner Rites”, choreographed by Travis Gatling, music by Mickey Hart
“What moods this piece created! At first, I felt one with nature—hearing the rain, then watching the dancer become snake-like, animal-like. Then other dancers appeared and it became lively, about community, about humanity. I loved how it evolved.”
“From a mist of rain she emerges like a deer, quick and sharp. I remember her crouching to her right and her head is off-vertical, and then back, stretching back and then tearing out. Her hands seem to be massaging her self in meditative thought. The group comes out and the light changes. The same movement is used in wonderful group work. The original, animalistic origins of the ritual, where it came from in its relation with nature and animals, is transformed to a world of people, cities, relationships, and the original prayer feels copied, institutionalized.”
“I felt the soloist’s presence was surreal. As she moved with extreme peace throughout the first section, I felt her to be the spirit of peace in the group. As they all joined her on the floor, I felt a transition had been made within the other dancers and then a celebration and reflection of the evolution.”
“The opening solo felt like the haunted hour before dawn. Later it became angular, disjointed, and kinetic…Unexpected lifts added real feeling (a literal touch).”
—Dominique Tamburrino, 23
“Dawn is precious. Why is waking up so full of enormous
reverence and promise? Perhaps it is the potential of a new day. Or, in the
very motion of waking up, when the body recognizes its own awareness and its
slowed pulse, it is the sensation of the body’s awakening from silence
into sound, from stillness into standing. Yellows, lighting, and quirky sounds
that penetrate the ear all made this dance one which all of us can biologically
and psychosomatically relate to and understand.”
–Anna Minkowski, 24
“Moments of beauty and grace interspersed with
pulsating pain, agony, and strife. Through it all perseverance and strength
as a testimony to women’s character….A theme of building each
other up—support through the sisterhood of women. A celebration of female
creativity, power, and sense of self.
This dance invoked feelings of sadness, strength, sisterhood, celebration.”
—Marissa Larma, 25
“I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Inner Rites’! It accurately portrayed the magnitude of a mother’s responsibilities, and the way in spite of her own discomforts she must cater to the needs of her family, community, and her fellow sisters!”
“Suddenly I remember: I am prey!”
“Nocturnal
Steadily Moving
Antiphonal
TOWARD THE LIGHT
Fetal position
‘Re-hearing’ what I see moving
TOWARD THE LIGHT
What I hear is brighter
I am still focused on the light
Perhaps I can keep it in my circle of life
TOWARD THE LIGHT
In my own time
Time belongs to me
And yet it moves
TOWARD THE LIGHT
Within and around other creatures
How can my time be their time?
It is time to rest
To be still
To listen to time
Moving in individual unison
TOWARD THE LIGHT
Common time
Extensions of time
Syncopated time
Pulsing with scats and riffs
of another
Time
Pulsating
Pulling
Pushing
Gliding Above
Measured extensions of time
I SEE THE LIGHT…
—Linda C. Wharton
About “Sin Shakers and Shouters”, choreographed by Travis Gatling, music by Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, T. Bone Walker, Mahalia Jackson
“The performance ended far from its mournful beginnings, engaging the crowd with touches of relationship humor hilariously displayed through dance. Women had the power all right, especially in how they handled the men. The raucous religious revival ending was a fitting finale for a night of dancing that explored the whole of the soul. Bravo!”
“The ‘Strange Fruit’ section was powerful and disturbing. And its emotional gravity was intensified by the mother-daughter partnering. At the end, when the mother pushes her daughter forward on the stage, it’s almost like she’s sending her off into a difficult future—perhaps bitter—but one she faces with strength and determination.
“Strange Fruit. Too true. Too sad.”
“One of the couples reminded me of me and my boyfriend. I loved it all; the story it seemed to tell, the emotion it gave off, everything!”
“Freedom—hip swaying, spine sliding, shoulder rolling freedom!”
About “Kinetic Edge”, choreographed by Travis Gatling, music by Peter Jones
“Taut, controlled, they move like springs. Jumping, turning, twisting, moving, up, down. Spinning crisply until at long last they are silent.”
“I like the purity of the dance ‘Kinetic
Edge.’ It doesn’t try to tell a story, just explores the excitement
of movement. The red light highlighted the effect by creating ‘trails’
of the moving bodies.
—Carol Horne, 54
“I felt the color red; I felt anger; I felt urgency.
Pounding movement, pounding heart.”
—Erika Niedowski, 31
‘“Kinetic Edge’ seemed kind of violent, especially with the red lights and the war call of the drums. Elbows jabbed suddenly, bodies tumbled over each other…All seemed part of a terrible but patterned beat of battle.”
“Very dynamic and energetic. There was a star on that stage.”
“An archer draws a bow with the right hand, as the
long and sinuous length of the arrow slides by the left. A drop shapes like
a balloon as gravity draws the tethering tension tenuous. The dancers’
taut poise starts with the music.
Then the arrow, released, flies. The drop breaks from the trickle. And the dancers scatter across the stage like sparkles scatter across the vertices of a sapphire.
The arrow flies silently. The drop falls as a sphere. The dancers wheel and gyre as a six-pointed ring, then in groups, symmetrical or otherwise.
The arrow strikes with a woody brang. The drop splatters into a thousand progeny. And the dancers freeze in a kneeling lattice.
The music stopped.”
Suite Sweet Honey
About “Suite Sweet Honey”, choreographed by Donna L. Jacobs, Garry
Dunn, and Travis Gatling, music by Sweet Honey in the Rock
‘“Suite Sweet Honey’ showed the strength and energy that can grow from sorrow. It’s a blues suite—but it’s expressed with muscle, speed, and power. The sound system in the theater is exceptionally good, and that lent the piece more vividness. The dancers, dressed in costumes the color of an overcast sky, are seemingly blown by a strong wind of grief. But they are together like a flock of birds, gaining strength from each other, not isolated. The words are harsh and cruel, ‘This is a mean old world to try to live in,’ and the dancers’ faces are also stern, but their soldier-like discipline gives the dance hope, force, and therefore meaning.”
“In ‘Chant,’ the first movement of ‘Suite Sweet Honey’, a group of dancers in drab gray garments relayed the plight of women in the world. Anyone who was raised by a single working mother could not help but be moved the message in the movements. The dancers moved in sync in lines resembling factory assemblies. They gathered strength in their motions as they continued, though they looked tired individually, with limp, exhausted limbs. They bowed to the uniformity imposed on them, yet never faltered as they continued to run up against a glass ceiling and a wall.”
“Only when you take words away does it become clear
how important movement is to communication. I felt the emotions really came
through, especially in ‘Suite Sweet Honey.’ It’s amazing
how powerful a solo artist can be, but it’s also pretty amazing that
a group of dancers can contribute to a cohesive whole and remain distinct—in
style and personality. The use of color, lighting, and costumes really heightened
the drama. There was a lot of anguish and pain but also some rejoicing and
a lot of solidarity among women.” –Anonymous
“The third section was so dynamic! A large
group of bodies twisting, circling, kicking. Although their motions were well
in sync, each dancer seemed like an individual with her own personal emotion
and characteristics. Watching facial expressions of the dancers was especially
interesting.”
—Amelia Wiggins, 18
“Left me with a warm feeling. Even though this can be a mean ole world, TOGETHER we can help each other make it through troubled times.”
“The dance was trying to tell us what life is like when you die and what it is like without a mother. It made me a little sad.”
“The dancers felt an emptiness or lonesome feeling. The movements sometimes seemed to show the dancers falling or not having anything to hold on to.”
“Seemed to express the different ‘prisons’
women can be in and how alone they can feel.
—Rachel Atkins, 30s
“I enjoyed ‘Suite Sweet Honey’ because
it symbolized the struggle, oppression, and ultimately the triumph of women
in the world for decades. The choreographers vividly portrayed the obstacles
women face through society and the manner in which they overcome them. The
dancers performed the choreography in such a manner that their movements leaped
from the stage and into your heart! This piece was nothing short of phenomenal
and enhanced my pride in being a black woman tremendously!”
—Erin Rigsby, 14
“What a tribute to all women in all walks of life.
The dance took on a crescendo effect. The pace quickened. I found my heart
racing ….The ending—one breathtaking moment—a simple but
elegant motion, the look upward, the move toward each other to symbolize—we
are not alone. This is my first experience with you but hopefully not my last.”
“Such original movements. As a former modern dancer,
I am amazed at the ‘firstness’ of this piece.”
—Janet Bailey
“Represented our feelings of struggle and the loneliness that come with trying to make it in life. Sometimes we feel like ‘motherless children’ when there’s no direction in our lives, but through it all, we women climb out of our situations and thrive.”
“Ahh, women—in all your ecstasy, your breaking out of your gender roles, your nurturing and suffering the loss of those you nurture.”
“The choreography was truly inspired, especially in the part with men and women and men alone. Great humor and unexpected moves.”
“Women are of a common struggle. Though different in backgrounds, wants, and paths, they share and bond in heartache, happiness, love…This performance was a powerful exhibition of women’s spirit, bondage, love, sisterhood, and passion.”
“The gray costumes reminded me of prison uniforms. We are prisoners of our own mortality. All we need to do is set ourselves free.”
“A movement that stood out for me was when the dancers bent over and went around in a circle until they stood up in a pair. I believe the choreographer wanted to let us know that we all need at least one person to help us in life to carry out our journey. This dance made me feel connected and appreciative of the friends and family that I have and share.” –Francine, 29
“It made me feel lonely and brave and strong. The shoulders lurching forward carried the weight of the world.”
“This dance describes my own struggles with life
as a mother, wife, friend, dancer, free-spirited woman.”
—Shannon Madden, 35
“Here are the boundaries you’ve set for me.
Now I will set myself free
And disown the world around me.
I choose my own limits and boundaries.
I plant my own soul seeds
And watch them bloom
I have to birth myself.
Walk this road with me.
We can keep each other company,
And I have to birth myself,
Pull the knife out of my heart.
—Diane Finlayson
About “Deep Bayou”, choreographed by Donna L. Jacobs, music by Nina Simone and Roberta Flack
“Extraordinary and great memories for me. Loving
the artistry of Nina Simone and Roberta Flack, it reminded me of the late
1960s and 1970s when I had the opportunity to see them both live in concert
at the Hampton Jazz Festivals. The dancers selected were just right. The choreography
definitely told the stories of many people from the Deep South and some of
the struggles people experienced.”
—Billy Best, 48
‘“Deep Bayou’ was a reflection of
the many feelings of being a woman. It was particularly good at communicating
sadness that feels like you are holding your breath until the sadness passes.”
—Carol Horne, 54
“I want to know more about these four women, how
they got to where they are. I felt power, strength, resolve. This dance seemed
like a celebration of independence—four women whose separate and very
different lives have overlapped on this stage, if only for a moment.”
—Erika Niedowski, 31
‘“Deep Bayou’ made me feel very melancholy. How sad to miss someone so much that you just want to be gone yourself.”
“There was a great image of a flock of birds feeding in shallow water when the women were dancing in ‘Deep Bayou’…. Fantastic.”
“Just as a guitarist uses a solo to get at the essence of the blues, each dancer used a solo to interpret the blues.”—Sean Madden, 30
“Backbone slide in pain; collapse of a melting pyramid of ice; blocks slide frictionless, doublejointed; is there pain in such an unloosening?”—Ned Oldham
Willow
About “Willow (Excerpt)”, choreographed by Diedre Dawkins, music
by Nancy Wilson, performed by DISHIBEM Traditional Contemporary Dance Group
Soloist Diedre Dawkins
“Beautiful woman…masculinely powerful yet even more femininely beautiful. … Her body moved so fluidly, along with the expression and gaze of her eyes.”
“The dancer was caught in the exact balance
between attraction and oppression that tears those who both fear and crave
love.”
—Amelia Wiggins, 18
“Exhibited great strength and grace. Her arms moved so fast, at times, that they were out of focus. When she rose from the floor, it was as if a string pulled her up like a puppet.” —Janet Bailey
“The physical laws,
The laws of nature are absolute, impenetrable.
The dancer mocks those laws.
The silent laughter of flesh, bone.
Every step is another thought.”
—Don Willett, 41
“The pieces which affected me most had music
I felt close to: Nancy Wilson and Sweet Honey in the Rock….. I loved
the supple choreography executed with such strength and grace by Diedre Dawkins.”
—Corinne, 42
“An extremely powerful piece. Each movement was
so strong, bringing with it equally powerful emotion. It conveyed a sadness
about love (for people, for life, and for the world) while still building
into a deep hopefulness. Each powerful movement seemed to convey the intensity
with which this woman (and many women) viewed life. The movement fit the music
so perfectly, the bending and fluidity of her body much like a willow tree
being pushed by the wind. The combination of grace and power with the tenderness
of the music made me feel such intense sorrow mixed with equally overwhelming
hope. (I cried!)”
—Anonymous
“Every movement seemed so precise and expressive, at the same time, full of the pain and desperation the song was talking about.”
“Ms. Dawkins’s movements were exceptional. The dance made me feel like this 63-year-old wanted to get up and join her.”
“The mood of the ‘Willow’ song was felt in her free moving body as she covered the whole floor searching and searching.”
“Watching ‘Willow’, I was attacked soothingly by the jazz, then surprised by Deidre Dawkins’s interpretation of lonely fragility and pain.”
“Relevant to anyone wanting to say something but it is out of reach.”
“Dancer’s Haiku
tension with muscles
rippling, leap flexed, back arched
she flew across the floor”
—Becky Thomson
Hold Fast One Time
About “Hold Fast One Time (Excerpt)”, choreographed by Kwame Opare,
music live drums, performed by DISHIBEM Traditional Contemporary Dance Group
soloist Kwame Opare
“The live drum piece ‘Hold Fast One Time’ was powerful and electric. I wished it could have gone on for an hour longer, and that the drums—and the cool, funny musicians—could have added their engine to every dance. The soloist, Kwame Opare, at one point kicked the drums behind him—perhaps a mistake but also a metaphor for how he kicked the audience into an energised frenzy. My favorite move was when Opare spun around, and the two drummers also spun, pounding their feet and swinging their drums around with them. Opare’s formal attire—with his vest and tie—contrasted vividly with the bass drummer’s sunglasses and the flipped drumsticks at the end.”
“The fierce energy in ‘Hold Fast’
was very exciting. It makes a person realize that controlled fierce energy
is often denied to us in our lives.”
—Carol Horne, 54
“Wow! ‘Hold Fast One Time’ was such a powerful and moving piece. It made me feel like getting up and moving—letting all my stress and worries out. I enjoyed watching how Kwame let the drums guide his movements.”
“Strong, clean, different, and outstanding.”
“The drum piece made me feel happy…Interesting and exciting.”
“I felt like I was actually in Africa watching them play the drums.”
“Percussive movement at its finest!!!That man can move!! Absolutely amazing.”
“Very powerful. I related to every move. The brother
was a natural and commanded the stage.”
—Billy Best, 48
“Wow. The music and movement were as one. I loved
the handkerchief before they started and the drum sticks at the end.”
“It made me excited and glad.”
‘“Hold Fast One Time’ made me want to dance!”
“These guys have attitude! Their confidence, their energy, and their fun came through and connected with the audience until we couldn’t help but clap our hands and tap our toes with them.”
“Exhilarating and challenging to my physical body—the limberness and the sweetness of soul expressed in cultural rythms that caused even the drums to dance.”
“A pure display of synergy between artistic creativity and soulistic energy.”
“OMG(oh my gawd)!!! Kwame Opare was awesome. I loved traditional African dance[combined] with today’s culture. The best of all performers.”
“All I have to say is FANTASTIC!”
“Dancing reveals the soul. It’s the most visible way I know to express what’s inside.”
“This is a great dance group. It has great dancers and also makes dreams.”
“The dancers made all of the movements seem very light and free! The landings of the leaps were weightless.”
“Generally it is impossible to watch dancing without thinking about sex, or the power of the pure body as it flexes, contorts, thrusts. …The power of the body in its purest form: no voices, no strings, the only noise being the percussive shushing sounds of feet hitting and sliding across the floor, the exhalations and grunts of the dancers.”—Jack Carneal
“The dance touches my heart.”
“The dances were thoughtful, eclectic, and moving. These are stories told through rhythm, speed, grace, and emotion.”
“I liked the way they seemed to be so many separate, differentiated individuals and at the same time one body, all moving as a unit.
*Complete text of review by Doug Donovan, a reporter for the Baltimore Sun who participated in the Dancers and Writers Project:
“The Full Circle Dance Company performed a moving number of soulful,
evocation dances to a large and appreciative crowd at the Baltimore Museum
of Art Saturday. The group began the performance with brute, floor-banging—yet
playful—movements. The dancing resembled wild animals at play.
The second dance, called ‘Willow’, took a much more introspective,
solo look into loneliness, loss, and recovery. The woman began on her back,
down and out, bathed in a melancholy blue hue. The movements to follow resembled
a woman determined to shake free the sadness of, perhaps, a lost love. She
fell to the floor again, but continued to fight, undeterred by the darkness
surrounding the spotlight on stage, which represented the seed of her strength.
She lumbered around the stage, weighted down by the despair of being alone.
A woman alone must fight society’s preconceptions, must break through
the stereotype that she need define herself by marriage, or children, or a
husband. In the end, she broke free and stood strong—and alone—back
at center stage, in the light.
In ‘Chant,’ the first movement of ‘Suite Sweet Honey’,
a group of dancers in drab gray garments relayed the plight of women in the
world. Anyone who was raised by a single working mother could not help but
be moved by the message in the movements. The dancers moved in sync in lines
resembling factory assemblies. They gathered strength in their motions as
they continued, though they looked tired individually, with limp, exhausted
limbs. They bowed to the uniformity imposed on them, yet never faltered as
they continued to run up against a glass ceiling and a wall.
The night’s performance, which packed the theater, took a delightful
and powerful turn with the emergence of men—with live drums. ‘Hold
Fast One Time’ was a fast and fun interlude and marked a more joyous
second act for the show.
The performance ended far from its mournful beginnings, engaging the crowd
with touches of relationship humor hilariously displayed through dance. Women
had the power all right, especially in how they handled the men. The raucous
religious revival ending was a fitting finale for a night of dancing that
explored the whole of the soul. Bravo!
Writers Project Jump Menu
Inner Rites
Amelia Wiggins
Andrew Suseno
Kerry Birch
Dominique Tamburrino
Anna Minkowski
Marissa Larma
Erin Rigsby
Ned Oldham
Linda C. Wharton
Sin Shakers and Shouters
Doug Donovan
Strange Fruit
Tom Pelton
Anon
Collin Allen
Diane Finlayson
Kinetic Edge
Maria Blackburn
Carol Horne
Erika Niedowski
Amelia Wiggins
Kendra Kelone
A. de Jean-Ornes
Suite Sweet Honey
Tom Pelton
Doug Donovan
Amelia Wiggins
Anonomys
Bernard Fogg Jr
Morgan James
Nicola Daniels
Rachel Atkins
Erin Rigsby
Carla Du Pree
Rhonda Simms
Pat Palmer
Joyce Wolpert
Mia Clapp
Rebecca Davis
Francine
Elizabeth S. Hostetler
Shannon Madden
Diane Finlayson
Deep Bayou
Billy Best
Carol Horne
Erika Niedowski
Lacy Grumbine
Anonymous
Sean Madden
Ned Oldham
Willow
Kendra Kelone
Amelia Wiggins
Janet Bailey
Don Willett
Corinne
Anonymous
Julia
Dorothy Lawson
Jyothi Pradap
K. Sennaar
Caroline Rodgers
Becky Thomson
Hold Fast One Time
Tom Pelton
Carol Horne
Lacy Grumbine
Bro. Kauna
Rashard Hopson
Kayla Marie Simms
Kendra Kelone
Billy Best
Erika Niedowski
Christina Fox
Ana
Amelia Wiggins
Debra
Glenn James
Malaika Cooper
About Dance
in General
Floyd Lawson, Jr
Betsy Yeomans
Danielle Du Pree
Amy M. Rey
Kisha Hopson
K. Sennaar
Mary
Doug Donovan
