Monday, June 29, 2009

I’m signing off!

The One Year Wissahickon Park Project OYWPP was an extraordinary experience. After it was over I sort of yearned for it, looked for ways to come back to it, made up new projects based on the OYWPP concept. Olive and I performed in the fountain on Logan Square in July and at the Green Festival in September. Jumatatu, Toshi, and I went back into the park for a reunion in October. But life and work keep taking me into other directions, to The Bronx, to Madison, WI, to the stage…

So today, exactly one year after the final performance of the OYWPP series, I leave this blog as a record of a remarkable project. There will be more to come as I continue to work on the video documentation. Laura Zimmerman has edited a fine piece that covers the summer cycle and she is working on editing winter documentation. Excerpts will be posted on the OYWPP youtube site. http://www.youtube.com/OYWPP

AND I have a started a new blog about current branch dance investigations. Check it out! http://branchdances.blogspot.com/

And check out my web site:
http://meriansoto.com/



Hasta la vista! Hasty lumbago!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

NEWS---Upcoming workshop and Performances at the World Dance Alliance Americas Assembly in Madison WI May 28-31


Jumatatu, Shavon, Toshi, and I are delighted to participate in the the World Dance Alliance Americas Assembly at the University of Wisconsin Madison May 28-31. The 2009 World Dance Alliance-Americas General Assembly is a conference and festival which will bring together an international cohort of dance artists, educators, and students from over 15 countries and throughout the United States. This year’s Assembly investigates What Moves Us today as participants in dance. This theme emerges from one recent trend in the discipline of Dance: a shift from an exclusive focus on high art and theater dance to the investigation of contemporary movement practices and the cultivation of global accessibility.

We will be conducting a Branch Dance Choreographic Project/Workshop Thurs-Saturday from 3- 5:30 which will culminate in a performance (a la OYWPP) in Muir Woods Sunday May 31 from 12:45 to 1:15. This workshop is open to ANYONE who is willing to move SLOWLY. Just show up! And bring brown and green clothes for the performance.

We will also perform an excerpt from my new work-in-progress Postcards from the Woods at the university’s Lathrop Theater on Saturday May 30, at 8PM. For general questions about the Assembly, please contact Ereck Jarvis by email at jejarvis@wisc.edu.

A note for WDA Assembly participants interested in joining the Branch Dance Choreographic Project--- checkout the How to Dance with Branches entries to become familiarized with the work:

How to dance with branches -- Centering, Point of Contact
http://meriansoto.blogspot.com/2008/02/how-to-dance-with-branches-centering.html

How dance with branches-- Hanging
http://meriansoto.blogspot.com/2008/02/how-to-dance-with-branches-hanging.html

Photo: Bill Herbert