One Year Wissahickon Park Project

I’m signing off!

2009-06-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

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!

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

2009-05-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

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

Performance tomorrow

2008-10-11T04:47:00.000-07:00

Its fall! The leaves are turning, the park is glorious!

I invite you to join me tomorrow Sunday morning, Oct 12, at 10:30AM in Wissahickon Valley Park for a spontaneous branch dance performance with Noemi Segarra, Toshi Makihara, and anyone else who wants to and is able to join us. (just planned yesterday in honor of the changing season and in celebration of the anniversary of the first performance of the One Year Wissahickon Park Project). I know its way early, but consider how invigorated you will feel when you exercise your skeleton walking in the woods, breathe crisp fresh air, and reconnect to nature!

Now here is where you have to pay close attention: We will be working in a sort of new new site, off the main paths, but easy to find if you follow these directions. Enter from the East on Mt. Airy Avenue (directions to Mt. Airy Ave entrance below). Walk down the path. You will see the pond on your right and below you will see the bridge. Just beyond the pond there is a path on your right heading north. Walk along the path to the first left cross (not very far). Turn left. The path winds up and back and leads to the bridge. Past the bridge there are crosses both left and right that lead you back to the Mt. Airy Ave path. Or you can walk enter Mt Airy Ave, walk down the path past the pond to the next cross on the left. Go up that path, turn right at the first cross and cross the bridge and keep going. We will be along that loop.

As has been the format of the One Year Wissahickon ParkProject the performance will run for 45 minutes, and will take place rain or shine. Cancellations only in extreme weather which is unlikely for Sunday since the forecast says it will be about 76 degrees and "nice". Check the project blog: www.meriansoto.blogspot.com for last minute updates. Of course there is no charge.

What to wear/bring: Wear good walking shoes. Depending on the temperature bring a light sweater as the temperature is slightly cooler in the park than elsewhere. You may want to wear sunglasses and insect repellant ( although the bugs dont seem to be to bad at this time of the year). Bring water.

Email me w/ any questions: msoto@temple.edu. Hope to see you
there! Peace, Merian

Directions to the site:
By car from Center City: As Kelly Drive is often closed during the summer its best to take 76 W to Lincoln Drive. Make a left on McCallum. Make another left on Mt. Airy Ave. Take Mt. Airy Ave until it dead ends. Parking along the street.

By bicycle from Center City: Take Kelly Drive North to the end. Cross Ridge Ave and enter the park. Follow Forbidden Drive along the Wissahickon Creek. Turn right on the Mt. Airy Ave Bridge. Cross the bridge and go up the path to the overhead bridge.

Photo of Noemi Segarra by Pepon Osorio

Judy Williams on OYWPP: An Audience Member Looks Back

2008-09-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

Judy Williams attended all 16 performances of OYWPP! What a wonderful gift to us for her to have participated as witness of this process! Following she recounts her experience of OYWPP, adding to the levels of documentation to this performance experiment.

One Year Wissahickon Park Project
Upon first hearing about the One Year Wissahickon Park Project, it struck a chord in me. Back in 1999 I did a piece for the Women’s Theatre Project which came out of my walking to work every day, noticing the world around me and how every block had a different character, dressing appropriately for the changes in weather and temperature throughout the seasons, zooming in on the sounds, the traffic, the people, the buildings, the trees and flowers, the birds, the air. When I read that Merian’s intent was “to shape a number of performance experiences in nature in order to experience their evolution over time, the seasons, temperature, and weather,” I felt a kindred spirit and knew I had to check it out. My boyfriend, Charles, has many fond memories of growing up exploring, mountain biking and rock climbing throughout the park, so I thought it would be a wonderful experience to share with him.

So, on a summery Sunday morning in October, Charles and I drove to see the first installment of OYWPP, at Livezey Falls. He knew where to park so that when we got out of the car the dance was right there. The dancers were situated on and around a stone wall across the creek that had broken away in the middle, so that some dancers were on one side and some on the other, but even though they were separated by the creek, the dancers were all a part of one whole. I immediately felt myself slowing down, listening, concentrating, giving in to the sensations of being out in nature. Charles and I walked alongside the creek, down a ways, and sat for a few minutes on a downed tree lying partway across the creek, talked for a few minutes to the couple who were fascinated by the unexpected scenario in front of them. Then we headed back the way we came, passing the dancers and walking up a ways, getting another view of them from a different perspective. Though I wasn’t working with a branch, I felt connected to the dancers because I felt like we all were observing, listening and being open to our surroundings.
I knew I would have to go to more performances of OYWPP. My curiosity was aroused. How would each location change the dance? How would the weather affect the dancers? I liked that the performances were all on a Sunday morning. I felt like I was going to church, was participating in a sacred ritual, connecting to God/myself/others/nature/the universe.

The second performance, in November, was along Forbidden Drive. It was definitely fall weather now. A lot of people were out and about, walking/running/biking/riding horses. Some looked confused, others looked amused, some paused for a few minutes before moving on, mostly I got the sense that the performance added a little extra something to their day. But there was one obnoxious woman on a horse who insisted that the dancers move out of the way, which they did slowly while continuing the dance, and then she complained the whole time she was riding through. And then she was gone and the dance continued to the end.

There were two performances in December, still part of the fall cycle but they both felt like winter. The first one was at Blue Bell Meadow, a very different space than the previous two, much bigger and open. The cold really kicked in, with a light sprinkling of snow on the ground and slight sleet-like precipitation in the air. I marveled at the dancers’ focus and concentration throughout the piece and felt connected to them through the challenge of trying to stay warm. Shavon afterward said icicles had formed on her eyelashes.

The second December performance, along the Mt. Airy Ave. path, was also cold and damp, though no snow. A friend joined Charles and myself. First we heard Toshi’s music, then we saw one dancer, then another and another, by the pond, at different spots along the path, high up on the bridge. With them being all spread out, there felt like more layers to the piece, more surprises. I got a smile from Merian – she realized I’m a regular.

The January performance started the winter cycle at Livezey Falls again. It was cold with some ice (Merian’s son was sliding around on it). This was my first time by myself; I was on the opposite side of the creek this time. Started up top on Forbidden Drive, slowly zigzagged down the steps. It was cold, but wonderfully sunny. At the bottom, I maneuvered around Toshi, then carefully made my way on the rocks downstream. Slowly, slowly, centering and balancing myself with each step, I didn’t want to slip and fall in the water. When I stopped to listen to the stream, feel the breeze and bask in the glorious sun, I felt connected to the dancers and at one with the environment around me.

The first February performance was on Forbidden Drive. Charles and I were running late. There was no parking in the closest lot so he dropped me off and went back to another lot. I hurried along the Drive, heard Toshi’s bells before I saw the dancers. Oh good, I didn’t miss it. I rounded a corner and they were slowly, slowly walking towards me, I slowly, slowly walked past them, turned around and ended with them. Though I missed most of the piece I felt at one with them for those few minutes.

A week later we were back at Blue Bell Meadow. It was another cold day made bearable by the sun. The light was bright, the sky was blue, the openness filled my spirit. There was an inch or so of snow that crunched with every step. It became part of the piece.

The winter cycle ended on a March day along the Mt. Airy Ave. path. Charles dropped me off, then went to look for some coffee. I meandered around, loving the different layers, checking out the dancers from many different angles, inching past Shavon high up on the bridge, then making my way down the steep, steep incline while holding onto the fallen tree to keep myself balanced. A little later, I looked up and there was Charles making his way towards me, down the hill among the trees. There were so many special moments.

Next, Livezey Falls again, the beginning of April. By myself again. It was starting to feel a little like spring in the air. I parked at Pachella Field off Henry Ave., had a good run down, down, down the long path to Forbidden Drive, then walked north to the site. It was a rainy day so I wore a poncho, so did most of the dancers. A fisherman on the stone wall was part of the dance – he was in purple, Noemi in red was next to him, they were a great contrast to all the subdued colors around them. As before, I zigzagged down the steps, past Toshi, south along the creek, then cut across the woods back up. Up top, I saw a large, single goldfish swimming down by Noemi and the fisherman. Another magical moment.

The end-of-April performance was along but not on Forbidden Drive, on the rocks at water’s edge instead. Last time I had offered to videotape; today Merian offered me a camera. Now I had to really slow down, I became part of the dance more intimately than before, slowly, slowly, slowly moving around and among the dancers, breathing, centering, every step a balancing act on all the rocks. When I neared Noemi, what a surprise, there was a little cove hidden behind her. A little later I was focusing on Olive when Toshi started throwing different sized rocks and stones into the water with great splashing sounds, but by the time I slowly turned the video camera to him, he was done. Darn. Charles had wandered off, later he told me he had run into Jumatatu, who was nowhere in sight during the whole piece.

There were two more spring performances, both in May. Charles and I biked to the first one, at Blue Bell Meadow. It was slightly chilly and gray at first, but then became sunny and warmer. I walked around, taking it all in, listening to the birds accompanying Toshi. The sound of the bat hitting the ball from two guys playing baseball nearby became part of the piece too.

The last of the spring cycle was along Mt. Airy Ave. path. The foliage was vivid and lush, I felt filled with the promise of spring. The anniversaries of both my parent’s deaths were within the previous week, so I meditated on them, felt their presence in the earth, trees, air. Afterwards, we visited the cemetery. It all was part of the dance.

The summer cycle took place four Sundays in June. Each of the last four performances was an ending. The last performance at Livezey Falls was on one of the most humid and hot days of the year, but it felt refreshing at the falls. I was on the far side of the creek (like the first time), never saw Merian because she was on the other side up on Forbidden Drive. Shavon and Olive were like goddesses, standing powerful and tall and full on the stone wall, welcoming and challenging the sun at the same time. I walked along the creek, talked to two young tattooed fishermen, they showed me a snake sunning on the rocks. I hadn’t seen a snake in years. Later, down by the water, I stuck my feet in – ahhhh… exquisite. I walked around in it, trying to keep my balance on the slippery rocks. Then, goodbye.

The next week, I brought my friend Cathy. The performance was along Forbidden Drive, on the rocks again. A lovely day, not so hot and humid as last week. We heard Toshi first (I always got a thrill when that happened), before we came upon the dancers. Juma and Merian were up on Forbidden Drive. Cathy & I talked briefly to a curious Asian woman who slowed down her walk to watch for a few minutes. I was telling Cathy about how slow the movement is and all of a sudden Merian made a sudden move, another, and then ended up moving a few feet away, that hadn’t happened before. I found out later some bugs were biting her. We walked down to the rocks where the other dancers were, took our shoes off, got our feet wet and walked around on the rocks and in the water. Again, Shavon and Olive stood out, this week they were water goddesses. The cutest curly-haired little girl was playing with her dad in the water. Little by little all her clothes came off as they had more and more fun. We were all part of the dance. Then, goodbye.

The following week at Blue Bell Meadow had the biggest audience yet. I had four people with me. The grass felt so good I walked around barefoot. There was an annoying car alarm that kept going off, but Toshi incorporated it into his music. He always amazes me. Then, goodbye.

The final performance was along the Mt. Airy Ave. path. As I walked down the path and neared the pond, I looked ahead, scanning for dancers spread out along the way. I didn’t see anyone and Shavon wasn’t at her spot atop the bridge. Then I saw everyone around the pond and the audience standing on one side watching. Oh, no. I felt disappointment, the piece felt changed, more static and presentational. Then I saw Jumatatu on the other side of the path and up the hill a little ways. Ah, that’s better. I decided to still do my exploring, down the path, up and over the bridge, saying my thank you’s along the way. I came back to the pond the back way and watched the audience watch the piece. When I got back to the path, Jumatatu started moving towards the others. As he was crossing the path, a woman on a horse stopped short. The horse’s nostrils flared. Instead of getting upset like the horse woman at an earlier performance, this woman got off the horse and calmly and firmly led the horse away. Jumatatu kept moving, and then the others joined in. They were all making their way to Merian, to honor and thank her for her vision and her grace. Then, goodbye.

Every performance was like a journey, an adventure. I was continually fascinated with everything. Always starting out by slowing down, feeling the elements, wondering if the dancers were experiencing their surroundings in similar ways. Finding my own challenges along the way. Feeling connected to the dancers and a communion with nature. Concentrating within and without. I loved it all.

Photos: Pepón Osorio

Lisa Kraus on OYWPP

2008-09-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

This article was written by Lisa Kraus choreographer, writer, educator, and dancer extraordinaire. Originally published in her blog: http://writingmydancinglife2.blogspot.com/

Merian Soto’s One Year Wissahickon Park Project

The Wissahickon Creek in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park is where my family comes for walks in all seasons, dog in tow. I have images of my then-six year old fording the creek, arms raised overhead for balance as the current buffeted him and sun glinted through massive foliage. We have caught falling golden leaves, and tramped over the covered bridge, passed joggers and mountain bikers and the occasional horse and rider. How enticing then to see this place anew through the lens of performances by Merian Soto, a series of performances that is, inhabiting the park through the course of a year. Of the sixteen performances in four locales, I chose to come to one performance each season in a different locale each time.

Like one of the parks grand trees, Soto herself is wizened now, from her years of creating and performing semi-improvisational scores, springing from dances from her Puerto Rican heritage and her coming of age in the 70’s and 80’s when contact improvisation and release work were the crucial languages to master. She is seasoned now; unafraid of risk, even the risk of going s-l-o-w.

Speed is what shifts most on entering the park. Ordinarily, in the kind of life where too many events and obligations are crammed into too little time, the park is a refuge for timelessness. Native Americans dubbed it the Wissahickon which means Yellow Creek or Catfish Creek and I can easily picture them still. Mills used to dot the banks, and a main thoroughfare, Forbidden Drive, was so named because it was decided in the 1920’s never to let cars drive along it.

November 2007
The first Sunday morning that I made my way to the One Year Wisshickon Park Project was in late fall. The rusty brown of fallen leaves contrasted with dark upright tree trunks. Strong as trees themselves, dancers were fanned out on and nearby a stretch of path far enough away from each other to each be in their own sphere but close enough to be linked visually. You could stand at one high point and see them sprinkled through the landscape – one by a small pond, one on a bridge and one sometimes hidden behind a tree. Five altogether, with caps and mittens and coats.

The shift of speed from the watchers who amble through, pausing for a time, then walking in a hushed, but still pedestrian way, contrasts again with the dancers who are in a super sensitized slow mode. This is how to place a human in this landscape and not have them be dwarfed I think – let their energy spread and pool by settling.

Layers of speed are multiplied – there’s the slow geological time of the evolving landscape, the faster time of the seasons’ progression, the stately, planted stretchings and balances and shapes of the dancers, the hushed, ordinary walk of the spectators and then the speediest layer - dogs galumphing through and mountain bikers whooshing along.

It’s this way all the time I think – everyone is on their own trajectory, some faster, some slower, all set to vanish eventually and make way for more, just as the trees eventually fall, and my little children fording the stream are now grown into tall teenagers, soon to be adults themselves. Other children will ford the stream too, and more leaves will fall next year. Soto’s silent meditation invites all these thoughts, anchoring us in this place to consider its meaning, and to be refreshed by remembering our own actual place.

January 2008
The snow I remember from childhood was frequent and welcome, and the chill sufficient to freeze skating ponds for months at a time. Though Philadelphia is just a couple of hours drive from where I lived then, global warming has eased winter; days of blinding snow on sun are too few. So finding the five dancers of the One Year Wissahickon Park Project stretched along a tree line in a wide snow- covered meadow was heart-quickeningly joyful. Knowing I would be watching a 45-minute performance meant “taking up residence” in this part of the park I’d never before seen.

There was the same “downshift” on first encounter. The figures barely move. It’s easy to do a quick glance and think one has it, the lay of the land, the way the dancers are evenly interspersed with trees, the way they use branches, some wonderfully crooked, as support for tips off balance or stretches that seem to extend infinitely. The glacial pace of their transformations forces the viewer to disconnect from whatever momentum they blew in with, to settle.

Time being our most precious resource, how powerful to craft a dance that gives it back to us. Soto frames this meadow with her dance. We see the movement of trees, the entrance and exit of dogs, the radiance of winter sky through the simple mechanism of staying put and being attentive.

Choosing vantage points becomes playful – do I want to see the line of dancers stacked up on each other from the side, or spread along dotting the space from the “front”? I hang my head low, stretching my back and remember that looking from upside down used to be a frequent childhood game. Seen that way, the dancers hang from the sky, miraculously attached, not falling.

Toshi Makihara’s incidental percussive sound score in a similar frequency to “natural” sounds weaves almost indistinguishably with them. It likely provides cues; this installment of OYWPP looks to have more coordinated actions shared between the dancers. At one point they all commit their weight heavily to their branches, at another they stand fully on two feet. The ending is a slow trek away from the tree line, an expedition to new ground that ends as just an indication of a new direction.

In one part of Dreams, Akira Kurosawa’s 1990 film was of men caught in a blizzard. The scenes were full of white, and men bundled against deadly cold. These dancers, in hats and gloves and toasty clothing had little to struggle against – entropy, aging, gravity perhaps. But they reminded me of the powers and beauty of nature. And the deep delight of a clear wintry day.

April 2008
Although it’s near April’s end, Sunday brought a chill. This time the dancers of the One Year Wissahickon Park Project were stretched from Forbidden Drive, the main thoroughfare through this northern section of Fairmount Park, down toward and across the Creek. Merian Soto was smack in the middle of the road, an invitation to unwitting passers-by to stop and look. She moved at a glacial pace compared to the horses (with black cowboys in chaps on them!), dogs, packs of riders on mountainbikes that passed. This performance of the Project inserted itself more obtrusively into the life of the park than the others I’ve seen, but for passersby it was still take-it-or-leave-it, some staying to take it in, others moving bemusedly past.

Noemi Segarra and Olive Prince were below the main drive in an arc on the wide expanse of the stones that edges the Creek. A cluster of small children played on the stones by the water’s edge for the duration with their mothers who watched, rapt.

My mother, visiting for the weekend, took one look at Neomi’s big backward arch with deeply folded legs and said “You’ve got to have knees for that!”

I explained to her that usually there were five performers plus Toshi Makahara making music. For the longest time we could only see three. Their clothing - brown with touches of green – melded almost completely with the surround. No wonder we nearly missed Shavonn Norris on the other side of the creek - her brown skin and hair and brown clothing rendered her nearly invisible. We never did spot Jumatatu Poe who had secreted himself somewhere among the bushes.

I come to these Sunday morning events full of inner chatter only to have it drain away like air seeping out of a balloon. I settle to watch, to listen, to feel wind and the slight touch of chill. Dancers move slowly, time moves slowly, the Creek rushes past. Shapes in the dancers’ bodies are stretched out to the max, full of energetic attention. Torques, twists, bends, morph from one to the next with the same simplicity as a plant moving toward light, it’s just the next way one needs to go.

The more I see this work outdoors, the more I experience it as a platform for viewing and contemplation. I thought about my elderly mother whose step walking down a slope is if-y as contrasted with those little 2 and 3 year olds bursting with life and adventurousness. The Creek has continued to flow past settlements and industry (there used to be many mills along it), past generations of Native Americans and later Europeans. Soto celebrates place, and the slow pace of evolution.

My mother noted the correspondence to T’ai Chi in some of the moves. Soto responded that the work is something she feels she has discovered, that moving in nature in this way is something she is tapping in to rather than “creating.”

June 2008
Hot. It’s the first time I’ve seen the dancers without their jackets and gloves. Noemi Segarra, on the far side of the creek, wears Kelly green – a top and leggings with bare midriff. The others lean more to softer greens and browns. Jumatatu Poe in his camouflage pants and brown skin and partially hidden by tree branches melds so much with the surround that I don’t pick him out for some time.

June is active at Livezey waterfall with the rushing sound of water, leafed-out trees tossed by wind, sun throwing sparkles across the Creek surface, ducks floating downstream. Just as air molecules move faster in the heat, summer picks up the pace around the Creek. Rather than the five slow-moving dancers being animators of a tranquil scene, they are stable anchors in the vividly alive landscape.

Watching from Forbidden Drive I can simultaneously take in the dancers below and Merian Soto, who, in the middle of the path, is like a someone with an old-fashioned sandwich board ushering us in to see the wares on offer. Soto looks planted, receptive, as though she might have been on that same spot for many years already. Later, descending the stone steps to place myself right at water’s edge, I slip my feet down along the rocks to rest with water lapping up to my ankles. Toshi Makahara, just above me on a wide rock, seems to bring more power to his sound than I recall. Rather than an occasional soft bell or percussive thud or rattle, he opts for stronger clangs, more piercing strikes.

I wonder again how much of the forty five minute sequence involves concrete instructions for the dancers. Each holds a strong branch and tests their weight on it, “hanging”. Is there a progression toward deeper more perilous hanging off their stout branches? This incarnation of the Project doesn’t seem to involve displacement or development that I can perceive.

The usual relationship to performance in a proscenium space involves a basic separation of audience (in seats) and performers (on stage). In the One Year Wissahickon Park Project audience and performers share a vast space: our park and by inference, our planet. Each time watching my attention has been brought to thoughts on the nature of time, the vastness and beauty of nature, and our place in it. This is dance alludes to the big questions gently, as contemplation rather than diatribe. How mature. How generous.

Even on Sundays my to-do list may loom and getting out the door can involve a rush. Arriving in the park and settling in to observe means automatically down-shifting several notches. The dancers who have participated in the Project have told me that the “meditation” of the movement is powerful; Soto has said that she wants to give the practice away, to have a wider circle of people experience it. In a world that leans increasingly toward the virtual, increasingly unravelling our connection to the environment, the One Year Wissahickon Park Project has been a tonic.

It takes being on the planet for a bunch of rotations before an artist would conceive of something with the scale and depth of the OYWPP. While there’s always an appetite for what’s youthful and fresh in dance, I am deeply sustained by the vision and choices some of dance’s elders, Soto among them.

One Year Wissahickon Park Project
Performers: Shavon Norris, Jumatatu Poe, Olive Prince, Noemi Segarra, Merian Soto
Musician: Toshi Makihara

OYWPP is awarded a ROCKY!!!

2008-09-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

Dance USA Philadelphia and the Live Arts and Philly Fringe Festival hosted the annual ROCKY Awards last Monday Sept 1, at the new Festival Bar. What a fun evening! Megan Mazarick and Jamil Kosoko kept us laughing all the while moving the show along.

Silvana Cardell, creative artist extraordinaire, presented a ROCKY to me for the One Year Wissahickon Park Project!!!!!! I am grateful and honored to receive this important recognition from my peers.

The text of Silvana's short speech follows:

Forests, tress, branches, skin, bones and muscles changing shapes
the human body
adapting to the environment,
blending into the landscape
landscapes
changing very slowly

following time
accepting time

making me stop my mind clutter
and my body
to feel
to smell
to remain
to be part of the environment created
in order to contemplate our forever-changing physical form

Those were my impressions as an audience of The Wissahickon Park Project

I want to pass along my Rocky award to the one of the most generous, risk taking and committed choreographers that I know: Merián Soto. Rain or shine - at every designated performance date- Merián and her committed dancers performed, transforming the landscape of the Wissahickon Park.

Thank you for your contributions as an artist to our Philadelphia Dance Community.

Thank YOU, Silvana, and everyone else involved for the recognition. It means a lot! Thanks especially to the artists who joined me in this endeavor: Shavon Norris, Jumatatu Poe, Olive Prince, Noemí Segarra and Toshi Makihara. The honor is shared with them.

Olive Prince reflects on OYWPP

2008-08-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

1. From your experience, what is the branch dance performance practice? What does it entail? Are there any techniques that you practice regularly? Describe.

OP—The branch performance practice is a meditative state of being in my body, mind, and nature. I sink into a trance-like place where I am hyper-aware of my body and surroundings, but simultaneously “lost” in the movement of my body. I feel successful when I find a connection with the branch and travel on a journey that it takes me on. I usually try to feel the physical connection with the branch, the weight of the branch, or an intention that guides me to make movement choices. I become connected with my body from the inside out. Some days I approached the practice as working and noticing the detail of my anatomical form and releasing tension or holding patterns while I was moving fluidly from the branch. I felt like the branch was my partner and that I had a duet with an object that became “alive” to me.

The practice entails listening, authenticity and letting go. I have to listen to my body and the surroundings to discover how I can balance my body in the unique set of problems that develop. I also listen to the branch. I listen for weight, energy, and intention from the branch and from the inside of my body. Sometimes, the surroundings inspire me as well. I listen to other dancers, I listen to the sky or the trees and I find ways to dialog with them. I listen to my body in a very deep internal way. I move from sensing the muscles, bones, and internal energy within my body.

I absolutely have to be authentic in the practice. I cannot pretend to be present. I have to be fully committed to the movement, the space, and the challenges within the construct. My authenticity relates to moving slowly and stopping. It helps me to stop, drop my weight, and wait to listen for what needs to happen. I try not to look for or predetermine the movement. I attempt to let it find me. I let go of predetermined ideas and let go of the idea of “dancing”. I feel like I simply move through space and time without having to go to the performative dance place that becomes part of many performances. This is deeper - this is the most real sense of performing because I cannot hide behind structured movement. I cannot hide behind choreographed movement. It is about trusting and being vulnerable enough to simply exist and respond to the space.

I found so much power in existing in this authentic place. It’s beautiful to shed the dancing persona to simply exist as a moving body in nature. I dropped into the basics of my moving body and self. I existed with only the essentials in the present moment.

The people I dance with are part of my experience. I genuinely feel like I am pouring energy out to the environment and the people I dance with. I feel very connected to them through the practice and in my life. We became this community of movers that was more about being in the space together. I felt supported and enhanced by the artists around me.

Techniques I practice regularly. Hanging, dropping my weight, body scanning, letting the body stretch itself, vertical/horizontal plane with the branch, shaping or highlighting (based off of others movements), balance mode, stopping myself, softening my connection with the branch, breathing, opening up parts of my body, seeing others and seeing the space (being fed by it)

2. What happens during the performance? Can you describe the feeling of the performing/ a particular performance? Is there a pattern you can describe?

OP — It begins with me settling into the time and space that I am in. It begins with me getting really quiet and almost hallow. I try to empty my mind so I can sink into my body and the space. From there I try to see or sense the space and environment that I am in. With each season we had different challenges (and the different locations as well) and I had to move from this place. These challenges become part of my movement construct and I generally found an intention in my practice from the environment (or from a structure Merian assigned). For example, I remember being on the large bridge and my work became about balancing in the wind and cold of that space. I was working with the elements rather than trying to move against them. I loved the challenges that developed for me as a mover! Rocks, logs, bridges, and water . . . I wanted to be on them all to discover something new with my body. Where would this particular journey take me? What can I do with this problem I have to solve? How do I get off of this rock slowly? I discovered the answers within the dance and they always surprised me. It took a great deal of independent and collective trust for the performances to happen.

Within the performance practice once my body and mind are “warmed up” to simply slowing down and sinking into the space, I generally feel led by the branch. I try to find new things and I get inspired through the journey. I can honestly say that after every performance I felt better than when I started. I felt more alive, more in tuned and connected to my body and myself, I felt more connected to the community that we created. I felt aligned with nature. That was something I hadn’t anticipated. Overall, I became grounded in my body and nature. I had the time to wonder and wander through my body and this beautiful place. I noticed the trees, the clouds, small debris in the water, a bug that sat on my arm while I moved, sounds of people walking through the woods. I became a piece of nature and a part of something larger than me.

3- How do you experience your body in the branch dances? Where are you in your body when you branch dance? Who are you, who do you become in the dances?

OP — I might have already answered this, but I’ll give a little more detail. I become very aware of my body (from the inside out) while doing the branch dances. There is the time and space for specificity in the form but room for spontaneity and creativity. My body feels alive, full, and responsive to nature. My body generally surprises me in the construct of the work. Often times I felt like I became a tree, the water, the wind, or the sounds that I heard.

I noticed during the last few performances that I had the desire to return to the studio to do movement research because I felt like I was falling into a movement pattern within the work. There were fewer surprises for me and I began to wonder what else could be found in the work. How can I continue surprising myself?

I am always myself when I am doing the branch dances, but I feel like a smaller more connected version of myself. I feel miniscule because the nature around me feels so expansive. At the same time I feel this interconnection to the environment and the people within it. I feel like we are influencing one another in small, subtle ways.

4- Is there any change in you from before beginning the performance and after it ends? If there are changes, what do you think in the practice triggered those changes?

OP — This performance practice always made me feel more whole. It gave me the space and the reason to become quiet, still, and internal. In many ways I believe it saved me from spiraling out of control this year. In the crazy schedules that I lead, dance became another task on my to-do list. The freedom, creativity, and spirit of dancing became lost in my need to achieve certain things. I was occasionally disconnected from why I dance. This performance practice reminded me that my moving body and my artistic spirit needs time to be quiet enough so I can actually hear myself.

In the practice (and in life), I had to sometimes force myself to go slow and stop moving from one thing to the next. I had to find the space in my body/mind to breath into being still. The practice required discipline and endurance. The practice also required detailed and specific movements. I began to notice how the subtlest shifts changed my entire body. The practice also required patience and listening to the connection I had with the branch. Why was I moving with a branch? I had to answer that question and find a way to relate to the work every time I entered it. There was no hiding. It became a sacred space for stillness and internal shifts.

5-Can you name/describe specific moments or experiences in performance where something in you or your experience shifted? Do you have a sense of why? Does it carry over into the rest of the experience or other performances? How, why? Please be descriptive and give specific examples.

OP — There were specific points throughout the process of the practice where something shifted for me. I remember doing the first performance on the waterfall and having a moment of fear that people where going to actually witness this practice. I had, of course, always realized that people where going to watch us, but I hadn’t really taken the audience into account until that moment. I suddenly felt very vulnerable. And I shifted. I approached it as a performance rather than a practice. I suddenly could trust the structure, my improvisational skills, and my body’s practice within the work to let it move beyond my personal experience. It became a dance; a movement journey that always found its own beginning, middle, and end.

The winter was difficult. I don’t like the cold and my body always feels tight in the winter. How was I going to open up and move slowly in the elements of winter? The worst was when we rehearsed in the winter and I wasn’t dressed warm enough – I don’t know if I could have been. My fingertips were frozen, but we all found a way to sustain through it. This prepared me for the actual performance in that space. I was shocked by how much heat and energy my body generated. The stillness and small movements made me warmer than then when I walked to the park. I trusted the work more and I knew that my body was shifting within it. I felt more open.

I realized in the spring that I missed the park in the winter. It was comforting to be in the barren space and see the trees still standing tall. There was nothing extra (in nature or in my movement). I felt very connected to what was essential in the practice and the space.

On father’s day I danced on the rocks and dedicated that dance to my father. I set my intention for him within the practice and followed it through. This day moved me emotionally and made me realize that the dance was larger than this practice. My artistry was not only allowed into the work it was wanted and needed. As a dancer this is not frequently the case. Here it was necessary. My story, my history, my knowledge was appreciated. After this dance I acknowledged that the more I brought to the work, the more it was going to grow and the more I would receive.

Overall, the performance practice has also seeped into my own creative work. I’ve worked with Merian throughout graduate school and her improvisational modes have greatly influenced my process in choreographing and performing. It has become a part of who I am as an artist. I began working on a structure that required moving slowly and shifting the body’s relationship with gravity. I utilized the skills I’ve acquired throughout the practice and began expanding and adapting them to discover new ways of moving.

The branch dance performance/practice brings to mind the quote from Henry David Thoreau, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

I danced in the woods and I am grateful for what it had to teach.

Photos: Pepón Osorio

The last performance -- 6/29/08

2008-07-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

I am writing about the final performance of OYWPP 10 days after it took place. Life happens with all the responsibilities and distractions that take up all our time. I also needed some time to soften. There was much intensity around that last performance, building up in part because of the frequency of performances in June (this would be the fourth week of performing every Sunday), and the anticipation of the end of a graceful and fulfilling process. We were already saying our goodbyes and beginning to feel nostalgic.

This performance was to be quite different from the rest. The fairy performances along the Mt. Airy Ave trail were designed to be spaced far apart, each artist in her/his own space with the audience moving freely through the park, approaching from any direction. However, knowing that the project was ending we wanted to stay close today, to work as a group. We had also talked about repeating the structural ending of the previous performance, a pilgrimage where we walk away from the performance area together.

So we chose to gather around the pond. Jumatatu chose to work across the path, high enough up the hill to maintain visual contact with all of us. I chose to balance on a downed tree among a bunch of logs and branches on the NE edge. Noemí stood under her familiar tree on the SW edge of the pond. Toshi worked by the gravel and rocks along the eastern edge, and Olive and Shavon worked along the northern edge. We chucked the idea of a pilgrimage; I thought it would be too difficult to walk slowly among branches and shrubs without losing our balance. Instead we would do a slow rise from low to high. Simple, uplifting.

We each set our cameras and took our places around 10:20, beginning before the "beginning" (cued by Toshi at 10:30 sharp) to center ourselves. As soon as audiences began to gather I regretted the chosen set-up and structure. Audiences walked a bit off the path and remained on the southern edge, watching as if on a set, never venturing further into the park. The set-like quality of our positions around the pond invited the audience to watch, not move. Oh no!

How I wished we had followed the fairy structure! I imagined that this was looking almost operatic! I am well aware of the theatrical potential of the work ( which I exploit somewhat by the waterfall) but I have been focused on developing structures that involve a more active stance for the audience, the placement of artistic practice within the everyday. There is an ego element in presentational structures that I am trying to steer away from in this work. And sure enough, ego came a calling! As I realized my "mistake" I was filled with doubt, embarrassment, disappointment, and a desire to fix this.

But there was/is no turning back. The present is one. The awareness had/has to be refocused. Be here now! Slow down, stay connected, release judgment. I am responsible for this work. There are no mistakes, just opportunities. And so I/we stood, and slowed down, and opened the joints to move into balance and alignment, harmonizing with the place and each other.

The place: The pond is low but not too dry as there has been rain recently. Its green and lush, summer, hot and humid, the occasional clouding accentuating the play of light and shadow. There's not much of a breeze, its quiet, still like us. The bugs are out; I can feel them around my legs and arms but I can't hear them, they are staying away from my head generously doused in insect repellent. A small white butterfly plays near me. I harmonize with its flutter. I respond with tiny rapid shifting in the torso.

I look out to see everyone, the dancers, Toshi. I recognize some audience members. I shift back to the inner space. The process then takes me to a place I had not explored in the project-- down, way down to the ground as I am drawn to lay on the tree trunk I was standing on. Another voice of oh no! Why am I trying something so new in performance when there are so many people out there? Will I be able to find my way up again gracefully, grace being such an important part of the work, a close cousin to balance? Again I had to remind myself Be Here Now! Stay with where you are. Have the courage to stay conscious of this particular moment even in the face of doubt. Believe in the work. Know that the body will find a way. It can be such a scary place riding the edge of the will, yet thrilling, like being on an Outward Bound expedition inside your own body.

I stay down allowing my body to release into the tree trunk. Unlike the previous performance which was about saying good-bye, the theme of this performance for me is trusting, owning, and standing with the work. These are essential elements of the practice, the starting place really. So in the end it was back to the beginning for me as the work and I (as performer) were put to the test. I spent much of the performance stilling the inner chatter filled with judgment, insecurity, and disappointment. Maybe this is the theme of "struggle " that Annie Goldenberg, in the audience, experienced.

When Toshi played the bells signaling that the end was near, I felt relief. I had held my space, but it had been a struggle and I was tired and sad. As I made the slow rise I connected with each of the artists, I was surprised to see that Jumatatu was making his way to the pond. Shavon too was on the move. Are/were we doing the pilgrimage? I started to move towards them but realized I had not the energy or inclination to pursue this somewhat impossible task of performing a slow pilgrimage among all the downed branches and logs. I would hold the space and remain connected until we found an ending.

Shavon was moving faster now, passing Olive who had been standing on a rock, and moving closer to me until she was facing me. She took the branches up, like wings. The moment she began to lower them laying them down on the ground like tracks marking a path between us, I knew she was honoring me. For a brief moment I felt another oh no! coming. Something in me wanted to run away — self-defeating thoughts rushed through me, I wish she weren't doing this, this is way too dramatic, the audience won't understand.

But I would not dishonor Shavon or the work by giving into my negativity. In a flash I understood that this was our moment, that this moment, these actions belonged to the dancers and were specifically meaningful to the artists and friends who had participated in the project throughout the year. Its not to say that we were wanting to exclude the audience, but who and what mattered most in that moment were each other, honoring each other and the work, and this for me this meant honoring Shavon (and later Olive, Noemí and Jumatatu) by receiving her offering of love, respect, and admiration. As she lowered herself to bow to me I joined her, bowing to her. We hugged and cried and thanked each other low to the ground, to the earth, the source.

As we separated and she moved away I looked to find an ending only to realize that Olive was approaching with the same intention. Behind her were Noemí and Jumatatu. What a phenomenal and dramatic ceremony of honoring! I knew I could not move from my spot. I would receive and return their love, their hugs, and their tears. How does one stay open to an open heart?

We have been co-travelers on a phenomenal inward bound adventure of the body and spirit through the seasons, the weather, and the elements. It has been beautiful. It has been a gift. It has been an honor.

Photos: Pepón Osorio

Good bye! We will be back!

2008-06-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is fairy day. Look for the “fairies” along the path from the Mt. Airy Avenue entrance to Forbidden Drive. (Directions below) The performance as always will start at 10:30 AM and end at 11:15. The path is inclined and rocky so wear good walking shoes. Sunglasses and insect repellent are also a good idea. Its hot, so bring water.

Photos by Lindsay Browning
http://www.myspace.com/flywheell

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank-you!
Its been a wonderful year performing in the park. As I prepare for the final performance tomorrow it is appropriate to give thanks to all who have participated and made this possible.

The first rehearsal of OYWPP was June 30, 2007. Our final performance in the series will be tomorrow, Sunday, June 29, 2008. This year and project have been a gift. After having worked alone in the park for many months its been wonderful to share the work with a remarkable group of artists and to experience its widening influence with friends and audiences.

I want to thank each of the artists for their extraordinary presence, commitment, and contributions to the process. Noemí, my longtime collaborator of 13 years, I owe you so much. Your support has fueled my creative process and helped me to grow artistically and personally. Your transformation as an artist and woman continues to be an inspiration to witness. Your friendship has filled my heart and helped keep the loneliness at bay. I am excited and look forward to the new areas for collaboration that are arising from this project.

Olive and Shavon were the first to dance with me in the park, before the branches, when I was exploring gravity on inclines and hanging of downed tree trunks. Close friends, they have become my good friends and trusted collaborators. I am touched by the fullness of their artistry and humanity; wise Shavon, guardian and keeper of ancient wisdom, like a priestess aligning physical and spiritual realms; Olive, always ready for a challenge, like one audience member described her, a human rubber band, always pushing her body and spirit (and fellow artists) to the edges of gravity and balance.

Jumatatu, always present, always real, always deep, always soft, generous; willing to share a deep sadness from time immemorial.

And Toshi, so willing to work under any condition, your music is a glue through space and time, through the inner realms of experience and the physical world.

Thanks too to Pepón, who has so lovingly photographed us and fed us delicious meals after every performance. And to Gabe and Marcelo for helping carry equipment and branches and making the process a family affair. Thanks to Laura Zimmerman for videotaping and Lindsay Browning for your beautiful photos.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to the audiences who have come back again and again, especially Judy, who has been to every single performance, dancing around the edges, reflecting back love. Bill, I can’t thank you enough for your support. We have missed you the last few performances and wish you and your mom peace and health. Brenda and Lisa, your kind and wise words of appreciation have lifted my spirit every time. Ken G, Laura F, Karen B and Lucky— your presence over time has been wonderfully supportive.

And I want to thank the enlightened funders who have supported a creative research project (what in heaven's name is that?) allowing for the inclusion of other artists in the work: Dance Advance, premier funder of dance in the region; National Association of Latino Arts And Culture NALAC Fund for the Arts for supporting my work even as I move away from Salsa; and Temple University whose Department of Dance, the Esther Boyer College of Music & Dance, and the office of the VP fro Faculty Affairs have contributed to the project allowing me to fully invest in the process of creative research.

Adios, ciao, au revoir, farewell, sayonara, hasta la vista! Its good-bye for now, but we’ll be back. I will continue my practice in the park; maybe you will run into me. I also plan to continue the blog at least for a while, as I spend time reflecting and working on the documentation. Noemí has been editing videos and has posted them on you tube. Check them out http://youtube.com/OYWPP

If you aren’t on my mailing list and want to be send me an email to the effect. We love feedback, you can post it here, or send and email: msoto@temple.edu

Directions to the site:
By car from Center City: As Kelly Drive is often closed during the summer its best to take 76 W to Lincoln Drive. Make a left on McCallum. Make another left on Mt. Airy Ave. Take Mt. Airy Ave until it dead ends. Park along the street. Look for us along the path.

By bicycle from Center City: Take Kelly Drive North to the end. Cross Ridge Ave and enter the park. Follow Forbidden Drive along the Wissahickon Creek. Turn right on the Mt. Airy Ave Bridge. Cross the bridge and go up the path. You will find us along the path.

More reflection from Noemí

2008-06-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

Noemí has been writing up a storm. This entry is extracted from an entry published in her blog which references Patanjali’s yoga sutras in relation to the branch dances . For the full text visit:
(http://intransiton.blogspot.com/)

Photos of Noemí’s June 8 performance by Lindsay Browning.
http://www.myspace.com/flywheell

i confess. if there is anything i have learned from branch performance practice is: FAMILIA/COMUNIDAD. i have learned the practice of community and consistency and process and patience and negotiation. FOR THIS I WILL BE ETERNALLY
GRATEFUL.

THIS IS THE DEEPEST AND MOST INTEGRAL aspect of the practice: ultimate connection/communion.

requirements for this to happen:
discipline
dedication
patience
listening
disarming [the mind = with it ego, held beliefs that get in
the way of functional communication, operation and/or
negotiation]
surrender
vulnerability
sensitivity
abundance
sharing
the more you give the more you receive
trusting = LOVE

branch performance practice guides me into experiencing - my "self" as well as what surrounds me- in a more comprehensive way, rounder than what "i think i know." it is
a most humbling and grounding practice. branch performance practice reveals multidimensionality and the joys of being one with. it is a shared experience: with a branch or branches. out in nature this equals the practices of observing and balancing all the information from the environment and a myriad of sensations. it is like yoga, branching out, taking the focus "away from you" but engaging that one minded focus of full absorption to be with - the branch/nature.

the work, "takes off" from a grounded point of departure -the point of contact with the branch and the skin. the practice/the work/"IT" opens up by "zooming in" all the senses gradually inviting the mind to become attentive to a feast of concentrated yet expansive experiences.

in my understanding, my body + the "so-called" physical, perceived as the concrete or "real" surroundings and environment, get shifted "out of focus" in the practice from a one dimensional "face value" to multilayered and entwined possibility/ies. i call this an entry point into flying while standing on this "concrete plane." what i experience with this practice is absolute immersion in the moment and in what i’m doing. because i am with the branch it seems/feels easier to drop ego. this i think might be what we read or hear about "being one with." what happens is that everything as "i know it" stops from being experienced in a "so-called sensical way" and instead a fullness -more than "three dimensional"- reveals itself. yes, "i" get lost or like erased...

in my understanding, this practice entails:
sensitivity
openness
creativity
willingness
curiosity
patience
generosity
TRUST
connection
sublime articulation
the ability to SLOW DOWN
open lines of energy
CONCENTRATION/FOCUS
silence
waiting

perhaps as a consequence of the practice itself comes a LOVE + AWARENESS OF NATURE / the ENVIRONMENT.

these are a few "techniques" that i find myself repeating
over time

1-centering:
usually at the beginning or opening of the practice
this translates in my experience to aligning or invoking all elements and forces
tuning into breath
slowing way way down

2-holding the space:
this relates to "listening" and/or harmonizing which are indeed other techniques.
basically holding the space is waiting for "IT" to guide me into movement, when not framing -- framing is holding the space for something else to be seen or reveal itself.

3-listening:
basically dropping the guard or ego = ability to respond, not will or react

4-harmonizing:
"taking in" or being one with
also has to do w/"peeling the onion"
letting the guard down
being absolutely vulnerable and naked
not having the mind and ego dictate what to do but
moving from deeper layers of "knowing" and muscles....

5-kneeling/squatting:
is grounding
+ doubles up as an offering
has to do w/ going up and down through the articulations (below)

6-going up and down though the articulations:
following the curves, spirals energy of the branches
for this to happen one must be available at all times to breathe into articulations
alertness at all times

7-"allowing":
allowing elements -other than the branch- to guide in + out of movement
this has to do w/ harmonizing + "zooming in"
this has to do with sound, at times
or the wind itself
or water
or anything else that is around

8-"zooming in":
is like yoga's "pratiahara" or withdrawal of the senses.

9-twists:
following the spiral dance of the branches
i have three working versions of these:
- w/points of contact: following the energy of the branch
branches have circular or spiral energy still present and circumventing in them
pick it up and let it move or guide

-w/the branch on the ground
at times the branch gets anchored in the ground
then i can move into subtle tension to follow or
move "against"
the spiral of the branch

-w/branch in the air, aka, hanging off the branch into a spiral –
its like flying

10-hanging:
my takes on hanging have expansive tendencies
upward bound
back bending

11-backbends:
w/ the branch as a prop it is easy to drop into this practice
and be supported. it might come as a consequence of
contemplating up

12-"flying in standing":
related to hanging off a branch off the floor in the air
or having 1 or 2 branches as wings
it also refers to the light sensation when you are
completely immersed in the work

12-contemplating:
taking in all that is
removing one self from the pic
getting absorbed by the bigger pic
also when in the openness of a backbend it is easy to fall
into this realm
or when from "zooming in" the focus opens to receive

13- swaying:
like a tree
rooted yet responsive
capable of miniature movement
allowing give
as to be able to receive

in the stillness or silence there is always constant movement
or some kind of sound
and viceversa

14-rooting to thrust up:
giving to receive
& viceversa

what goes down must come up
what goes up must go down
complementation
balancing
always
ongoing
in motion
like breath come and go
or else there is no life!

often i come "out of balance" in to a "performance"/practice;
i come out of the practice extremely quiet and vulnerable,
feeling very kind and with an open heart or naked, rejuvented,
centered, in tune, calm and serene.

my natural preference or tendency is to start clearing out "noise" and "busy-ness"
a few hours before the practice. [lately i wake up and find myself wanting to relish in the experience of emptiness/full silence, desiring not to talk atall; but instead hold the space. i consider a sacred space that of transitioning from dream on to waking state. enough time to relish in the space and silence right after dreaming is a very comforting practice. not having to rush to do anything is also a very satisfying practice. also i find reconnecting on to the sacred practice of doing nothing as healing.

i love doing nothing. i have a time/space during my day that is devoted to doing absolutamente nada. just like i have a sacred time and space to dance - without having a creative or choreographic, compositional endeavor attached - but instead dancing for the sake of dancing: the extreme pleasure of it as it releases endorphins! i now engage in this dancing practice for at least for two hours. in that space i vent and balance a lot of stuff without mind and/or words. in this personal practice i also relish in moving fast or moving in an extremely physical manner up to the point of exhaustion. i love getting tired and sweaty! i think this is a balancing, self-regulating technique that complements branch dancing that has come as an organic stem off.]

while branch dancing and in my personal dancing practices i am in all of my body and i think and dance with all of it! while branch dancing i feel many architectural and archetypal figures resonating: moving through me. i am a vessel, a channel. i do not become attached to anything. while branch dancing "i" fade out: dissolve and become what envelops surrounds or shows up through me.

while branch dancing i become what I AM. not "me."
while branch dancing I AM WHAT I AM.

i wish i could expand this clarity on to living....

work in progress...

yet i do notice some changes overtime that stem organically from branch dancing: -as stated previously, it is NOW after more than a year of practice, that i access the entry point and the work itself consistently and immediately, thus giving or immersing -
dissolving or erasing myself- on to IT.

-i look forward to sunday's performances as i know they'll do the magic of healing or balancing whatever is out of tune... [while in puerto rico the last few visits, whenever i would take a walk out in nature and i would run into a branch, i would pick it up and a "dance" would emerge inevitably... i hope this becomes then a regular practice for balanced living...]

-at first my mood would get in the way of what was about to unfold in the practice
now it happens the other way around, my mood gets either transformed or released as a consequence of the practice.

Reflecting on OYWPP- Noemí Segarra

2008-06-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

as a yoga instructor and practitioner, i grasp how the work that merian has started with OYWPP has much vision and relevance in the world we live today. her work opens various venues and channels of possible mending of apparent fragments that have been segregated and that need to come together to heal and bridge communication and negotiate in another manner looking for viable solutions to repair our home: the earth. the need of heightening our senses as to notice the impact that our tiniest of actions and movements have on the integrity of our ecosystem, is a dance we all need to engage in.

i started branch dancing w/ merian soto way before the one year commitment, as i collaborated on some proscenium performances. the investigation has had more than a year long impact on me; at this point it has made its way on to my living, thinking, organizing, feeling, etc…

i am very grateful for this experience. if there is something huge i take from it,
it is: SUBTELTY.

the refined capacity to fine tune, harmonize, surrender, let go attachments— ego being a massive one!!!!!

in my experience branch dancing is a most humbling and disarming experience

my first encounters w/ branch dancing proved much resistance from me!
i sensed right away branch dances are totally "anti-hero" dances.
with this i imply that the "normal" focus or intent -whatever that means- of "dancing" "as we know" [it gets more complicated by the second] gets absolutely shifted to ANOTHER REALM OF CONSCIOUSNESS and with it another set of priorities and intentions.

if there is something i know now "for sure" is, that a result of being a participant and collaborator in La Maquina del Tiempo, Merian Soto work 2004, i became a full time improviser with "no go-ing back" to formal dancing. now as a result of branch dancing i have become a "non-dancer" dancer full time = there is no going back to other priorities and ways of immersing and thinking, creating and doing work.

in my understanding and undertaking of this work, what had been stirred and woken up in La Maquina just got magnified and immersed into a way bigger panorama to tune in to. with this massive shift something gives, gradually, inevitably.

harmonizing is word that can help describe the nature of what happens. the you as you know and think of yourself gets peeled removed or transmuted on to possibility

you become one with

you become "other" stuff

you become the air
you become the branch or the former tree where the branch came from

you become water

you become an animal

you become something else

it is a big huge relief = extremely healing!!!

at this point, after more than two years of practicing, i can zoom in
(which is part of the work, the technique) right away - as soon as i come in contact with the branch. this is fabulous! i can drop everything and just connect: nothing else to do! no more multitasking! balancing comes as an immediate outcome of the focus. it is one pointed mind. nothing else. just present with.

i do not question or doubt what unfolds as soon as i hold the branch.

i get into challenging postures and situations, yet my mind stops working as i experience it on a regular basis. i trust. i know, without "knowing" as we know...

excuse my redundancy but it is [what happens...]

to be continued...

Photos of performance 6/15/08

2008-06-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

These are photos of our most recent performance. A lovely day, a bit cloudy and damp but not too hot. The creek was flowing rapidly as it had rained the day before. I think all of us are realizing the project is coming to an end and are saying goodbye. Some of us were thinking of our dads.

Photos are by Pepón Osorio

Performance this Sunday 6/15 on Forbidden Drive

2008-06-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

The next performance will take place this coming Sunday, June 15, along Forbidden Drive, just north of the Mt. Airy Avenue Bridge. As always it begins at 10:30AM and ends at 11:15 and takes place rain or shine. Cancellations only in extreme weather. I am happy to say NONE of the 13 performances to date have been canceled.

The easiest way to get to the site is to enter on Mt. Airy Ave., walk down the path, cross the bridge, turn right on Forbidden Drive and walk for one or two minutes. You will see us.

Driving Directions:
From Center City: Take 76W or Kelly Drive to Lincoln Drive. Turn left on McCallum. Turn left on Mt. Airy Ave until it dead ends. Parking along the street.

Photos of performance 6/8/08

2008-06-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was glorious sunny and and hot day. One really felt the change of the seasons from just a couple of weeks back, a great beginning to the Summer Cycle. The waterfall as always was a great refuge from the heat. Thanks to everyone who joined us.

Next performance will be this coming Sunday, Father's Day. The site will be Forbidden Drive just north of the Mt. Airy Avenue Bridge. Enter the park on Mt. Airy Ave, walk down the path, and cross the bridge. Turn right and walk a short ways.

Photos are by Gabriel Osorio-Soto

Top left: Noemí Segarra
Top right: Jumatatu Poe
Above: Olive and Shavon
Right from top to bottom:
Toshi Makihara
Olive Prince
Shavon Norris
Merián Soto

Alternate driving directions

2008-06-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

The Philadelphia International Bike Race will be taking place tomorrow. Kelly Drive will be closed. Audiences driving from Center City can either take 76W to Lincoln Drive or drive up Broad St. Give yourself a little extra time to get to the park. Remember that once you are at the park it will take another 15 to 20 minutes to walk to the site.

It will be a hot day, a perfect opening of the Summer Cycle. The waterfall is cool and inviting but please prepare for the heat as you will be walking to the site. Bring water; wear light clothing, sun glasses, and a hat; and use sunscreen and insect repellent.

Alternate directions to Valley Green from Center City:
Via Route 76: Take 76 W to Lincoln Drive. Take Lincoln Drive to McCallum St. (1.2 miles past the first light). Make a left at McCallum Street. Follow McCallum until it dead ends on Wolcott St. Make a left on Wolcott, follow it until it dead ends into Valley Green Road. Make a left on Valley Green road. The road will drop you off in the Valley Green parking lot.

Via Broad St: Take Broad St north. Make a left on Venango ( across Temple University Hospital). Take Venango until it ends (theres a bus depot on the right). Stay on the road as it curves to right. Cross the traffic light, the road widens and becomes Wissahickon Avenue. Stay on Wissahickon, cross Lincoln Drive and continue on Wissahickon until it makes a sharp curve to the right. The road is now Allens Lane. Turn left at the second stop sign-- McCallum.
Follow McCallum until it dead ends on Wolcott St. Make a left on Wolcott, follow it until it dead ends into Valley Green Road. Make a left on Valley Green road. The road will drop you off in the Valley Green parking lot.

For more directions to Valley Green check their website: http://valleygreeninn.com/directio1.htm

Summer Cycle begins June 8 at Livezey Waterfall

2008-06-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

The final four performances of the One Year Wissahickon Park Project will take place the next four Sundays, June 8,15, 22, & 29. Performances begin at 10:30AM and run 45 minutes. I want to encourage folks to come out and enjoy the park and the lovely weather and partake in some art as well!

Next Sunday, June 8, we will be performing at Livezey Waterfall. Its a man made waterfall. I believe it was part of one of the mills that used to line the Wissahickon. Its broken and it breaks the gravitational flow of the river into myriad flows and songs. Its a lovely site; the steps make for good seating close to the water.

Directions: Livezey waterfall is off of Forbidden Drive, just north of the Pachella Field entrance (off Henry Ave), or the Mt. Airy Ave entrance (off Wissahickon Ave); and south of the Valley Green entrances. It should take 15 to 20 minutes to walk to the site depending on where you enter. Don't worry about being late. We will be there 45 minutes.

Suggestions:
Clothing-- Depending on the day you may want to layer as the park is considerably cooler than the city. You will also probably want to wear sunglasses and/or a hat. Definitely wear comfortable walking shoes.

Travel light! Bring only the essentials; bottled water might be a good idea if its a warm day; also insect repellent and sunscrean.

Take advantage of your trip to enjoy the park, take a leisurely walk, or make this a stop on your walking, biking, or jogging program.

Its up to you how you want to engage with the event: stay a long time or leave quickly; go away and come back; see it in passing. Its up to you.

The photos are from previous performances at the site:
Top: Olive Prince and Noemí Segarra on the rocks October 7, 2007. Photo: Donald Rothman
Middle: Olive Prince & Merián Soto on the wall Jan 27, 2008, Photo: Pepón Osorio
Bottom: Shavon Norris on the wall April 6, 2008, Photo: Pepón Osorio

Yesterday's Performance

2008-05-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

Change is in the air.
Yesterday's performance was the last of the Spring cycle and the twelfth of the year. Even though the performance practice remains the same we all feel the change that comes with the seasonal change, with the warmer temperatures, with the denser foliage. The sound of the park has changed as well. While still relatively quiet the silence was punctured by the
playful scampering and barking of dogsand their master's calls.

Yesterday was fairy day. The fairy performances in the series are distinguished from the other
performance structures in that the performers are spread out over a large area. Most of us can catch glimpses of only one or two other
performers, but no one can see
everyone else. In essence then,
the fairy dances are five solo dances performed simultaneously with Toshi's music and performance uniting all.

In the fairy dances the performer's isolation and distance from each other accentuates the dancer's subjective experience in performing the branch dances. As we reconnect after the performance each artist has a different story to tell, yet as always, certain themes run through all the stories. Yesterday we all spoke of the change in the air; and we all spoke of the dogs.

Toshi, Noemi, and I were by the pond:
Noemí was in the Southeast, right at the edge of the path by the pond, Eleggua's messenger greeting audiences and animals at the crossroads.

I chose to perform on the Northwest side of the pond balancing on a downed tree.

Toshi was midway between Noemí and me, as always making music with tree trunks, branches, and rocks. Later he moved down the path, a pied-piper with bells.

Juamatu chose to work along the South side on the side of the hill high among the trees.

Olive was on the other side of the path , also high, but balancing on a log that hangs along the edge of the path.

Shavon performed high on the bridge, connecting earth and sky.

Photos: Pepón Osorio

Today's performance is on!

2008-05-18T04:37:00.000-07:00

Sunday 5/18 in fairy day!

2008-05-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

Its time for fairies again! The next performance of the One-Year Wissahickon Park Project is coming up this Sunday May 18. Look for the “fairies”--- performers Toshi Makihara, Shavon Norris, Jumatatu Poe, and Olive Prince, and me--- along the path from Mt. Airy Ave to Forbidden Drive.

Enter the park on Mt Airy Ave , just west of Wissahickon Ave., (parking along the street.) As always the performance is at 10:30 AM and will run for 45 minutes. It will take place rain or shine. Cancellations only in extreme weather. Check the project blog for last minute updates. FREE!

These are photos (by Pepón Osorio) from previous fairy days.

Yesterday

2008-05-05T04:26:00.001-07:00

The weather cooperated with us yesterday. After a week of gray weather I was hoping for it to break. As if on cue, a few minutes before beginning the performance, the sky cleared allowing sunlight and warmth.

There were two giant thorny branches waiting for us when we arrived at the site. Where did they come from? They were not from any nearby trees, someone must have dragged them there from the woods, maybe they intended to cut them up for firewood. Jumatatu and I were the first to arrive to the site. We claimed the branches.

It was exciting to work with these giant branches. I wanted a new challenge. What dance would emege from working with this branch? For me working with the added length and weight anchored me, slowed me down. The dance that emerged was simple, slow, and dramatic.

The sun in my eyes sent the vision inward. The thorns on the bark made it difficult to grip the branch, I would have to hold it lightly. The weight made this a challenge-- don't grip the fingers or the shoulders; find a way to counterbalance the weight; balance the effort throughout the body.... BALANCE.

Mine was a dance of a lot of outward stillness and dramatic breathing. Not so for Juma who worked with with two branches, like a nomad carrying his home on his back.

I was struck with how often when I would look out from inner awareness I would notice a common theme moving through the group.

Shavon worked with a long forked branch. Here we see the delicate fullness of the gesture in this balance on two points.

Olive worked with three branches-- aligning, framing, designing, harmonizing.

Working by the trees and with multiple branches added layers of triangulation.

Noemí and Toshi were farther away.
Toshi's music was a wonderful connector bringing the group together but also coonecting to the sounds of the birds and even the metal baseball bat cracking every so often, as if in response to Toshi's playing.

Branch Yoga

Photos: Pepón Osorio

Audiences:

Tomorrow's Performance-- Bluebell Meadow

2008-05-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

Unless the weather changes drastically tomorrow's performance will surely take place. It looks like it will be mostly dry tomorrow, although a bit chilly. Hopefully the windy will keep the clouds moving and we will see the sun.

The performance as always will be at 10:30 AM and will last 45 minutes. The entrance to the park is on Walnut between Henry and Wissahickon Avenues. From Center City take Lincoln Drive to Rittenhouse, take a right. Left at next traffic light-- Wissahickon Ave. Cross Lincoln Drive, next traffic light turn left-- Walnut Lane. Go around the traffic circle so that you are heading back towards Wissahickon Ave. Entrance to the park will be immediately on the right.

This is the one site that you can drive up to. Its a dog run so if you have one, this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to share art with your dog!

Hope to see you there!

Forbidden Drive on the rocks- 4/28/08

2008-04-27T13:13:00.001-07:00

At the water's edge

Motion in stillness

Always shifting into balance

Multiple loci within and without, shifting connections across distances

Riding the edge of balance

Hold the space patiently, present, solid as the rock I stand on, ancient as the rock I stand on. Steady. High. The water rushing below sweeps everything with it, a formidable challenge to the balance. I sing the flow within me as I move into stillness.

Challenging the balance

All the elements intersect in me.

I recognize the power at the crossroads,

the delicate shift that opens other worlds

whirlwinds of power

Bells, rattles, sticks and stones

Rhythms resonate in the bones

Music singing with the stream, the wind, and the songs of the birds

Can I maintain the dance of balance in the everyday world of people?

Will they let it be?

What does my presence speak to you?

Will you remember?

Working on the far side of the creek with Shavon, high along the path, Jumatatu saw all of us, but was invisible. I never saw him. This reminds me that my first explorations in the Wissahickon involved trying to become invisible through harmonizing with the environment. So much of the work is about moving into resonance, fine-tuning energy, focusing in.

Jennifer Morley joined us. Like Jumatatu, she was working towards invisibility. Pepón has captured her image--- tall as the trees, reaching, grounded, resonant.

Photos: Pepón Osorio

Today's Performance is ON!!!!

2008-04-27T06:48:00.001-07:00

Next Performance Sunday April 27

2008-04-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

The Spring Cycle continues this coming Sunday April 27 on Forbidden Drive just north of the Mt. Airy Ave Bridge. Come out and enjoy the park and Spring! The easiest way to get to the site is entering the park at Mt. Airy Ave.Walk down the path and turn right (north)onto Forbidden Drive. We will be along the path to the right.

Or ride your bikes from Center
City and get some exercise and fresh air! Performing with me will be Shavon Norris, Jumatatu Poe, Olive Prince, Noemi Segarra & Toshi Makihara.

As always the performance will be at 10:30 AM and will run for 45 minutes. It will take place rain or shine. Cancellations only in extreme weather. When in doubt check back here for last minute updates.


Photo: Pepon Osorio

Feedback and photos from our friends

2008-04-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

I am happy to publish these pictures the April 6 performance taken by my friend and colleague Karen Bond along with a spontaneous response poem from dancer and choreographer Leah Stein. I am grateful to Karen and Leah for witnessing the work and contributing to the blog. The personal responses are much appreciated.

From Leah:
Thank you for inviting me, in the Sunday rain,
to the waterfall this morning.
Ducks; big-billed and happy.
Thank you for the sounds of
rivers thinking.
Water circles, glimmer stone,
trunk shining wet.

Thanks for the moving stillness of tree-tempo,
poncho in the wind fluttering with the force of
flight,
branches curved and divided & solid and long
talking of fish and battles.
Careen. Triumph. Yield. Cast.

Casting into geological time.
Arching back and body deeply.
Stick stories emerge.

Purple fisherman! Standing tall.
On the wall above the river.
Catch. See the stick bearers.
That’s ok. He’ll keep fishing.
Far and near together.

Sunday morning glitter stone.
Shining wet ducks.
Purple fisherman unjostled.

An offering to endurance.
A song to awaken calm.
moving in between the everyday.

Yesterday's Performance

2008-04-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

April 6 performance. Its spring. Warmer than its been for our performances, but still cold. Wet. Windy. I turn around the minute I step outside my house; I go back in for more clothing. It slows me down but its OK. Its important to protect ourselves, no use pushing the edge too far. I have been performing a lot the last few days. I have loved it, but I'm tired.

Other things slow us down. Its OK, its that kind of day. There are very few people in the park. We smile at the familiar faces. Its great to be out here, so quiet, so solitary, peaceful . I choose to stand on the the Drive today. Its self-preservation at work. I need to be quiet, simply holding the space, finding balance.

Noemí, Shavon, Jumatatu and Toshi perform by the falls. They share the wall with a fisherman, Mike.

Jumatatu works with a spectacular branch. Its like a small tree.

Toshi's music connects us across the distance.

Its interesting how the branch dances and fishing are alike in the stillness.

Mike seems to have caught a mermaid!

I find out later that the wind has knocked the dancers off their feet!

We are all dancing with the wind.

Photos: Pepón Osorio

Today's performance is on!

2008-04-06T04:25:00.000-07:00

10:30 AM. Livezey waterfall. Its a bit damp; best to wear a rain poncho and shoes with grip.

More branch dances this weekend

2008-04-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

Anyone interested in seeing branch dances developed for the stage is invited to attend the the Temple University Department of Dance Faculty Concert this Friday and Saturday April 4 & 5 at 8PM in the Thomlinson Theater on Norris and 13th Streets. Tickets are $15 general admission/$13 students and senior citizens/FREE for students with OWLcard .

Toshi and I will be performing Balancing Acts, a duet created originally for the 2007 Philadelphia Live Arts festival. Reviewing the performance for the Philadelphia City Paper Janet Anderson wrote: “Best is Soto herself performing with Toshi Makihara, a human musical instrument, who prowls around her shaking rattles, ringing bells, banging gongs and beating the floor. This is primitive, adversarial and odd, and yet quite beautiful all at the same time.” http://flirt.citypaper.net/fringe/2007/show.php/id/95/

I am excited to again be performing with Toshi in a theatrical venue. We open the program so if you are planning on seeing us be on time.

Also on the program are works by Kun-Yang Lin, Kariamu Welsh, and guest artist Lisa Kraus.

Photos by Alan Kolc.

Its Spring!

2008-03-26T04:43:00.000-07:00

The first performance of the Spring Cycle will be April 6 at the Livezey Waterfall. 10:30 AM. Rain or shine. Come out for fresh air and sunshine, witness the blooming of the park, each day a new experience!

I've begun to upload project videos onto YouTube. Difficult to fit a landscape in such a small screen. Still, they are there to share. The following were edited with a mirror effect that highlights our work with balance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmERSHZHYCQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8God3eLkCd0&feature=related

Today's Performance

2008-03-09T10:54:00.001-07:00

Lately, every time the wind picks up I feel a longing to go to the woods. I have been wanting to dance with the wind in this project. Today was the day. The wind was everywhere. Cold, very cold, yet the brightness of the sun warmed the spirit.

Today was fairy day. Each of us chose a space along the path to work in.

I chose the pond. It was clean, shiny, filled with fresh water from the recent storm. The water rippled gently with the wind, a myriad patterns and reflections filled the stillness and quietude with movement and sound.

When I saw these pictures I was surprised. I had no idea one could see my reflection in the water. From my vantage point I only saw the sunlight sparkling in the water! Its as if the water reflects back my inner world focused on and honoring the dead. I am reminded of African traditions for which the spirit world is the inversion of the living world. The dead live on in us; they are reflected in us.

Toshi started near me by the pond and then moved down the path. His sensitive music traverses distances and unifies the group.

Jumatatu worked high on a side path, Lazarus among the trees.

Olive chose to work on top of a rock along the main path. Here she is, pushing/ riding the edge of balance.

Shavon , high on the bridge, was a beacon welcoming the sun and the wind.

open the body
open the heart
open the mind
open the spirit
honor life
connect

dedicated in loving memory to
Henry Soto
and
Joan Goldenberg

Photos: Pepon Osorio

Today's performance is on!

2008-03-09T05:48:00.000-07:00

Mt. Airy Ave. 10:30 AM --- Remember daylight saving starts today.

Its very windy. We may cut the performance to 1/2 hour if the cold and wind become unbearable. For your comfort and safety please layer up and wear skid proof shoes as the ground will probably still be wet.

Dedicated to the loving memory of Henry Soto and Joan Goldenberg.

Dedicated With Love

2008-03-07T14:38:00.001-08:00

Just got back from a funeral. My friend Kenny's mom passed away. It was lovely service, sad and moving.

Couldn't help thinking of my dad. He passed away 12 years ago on March 9, 1996. I miss him. I miss my mom too. She's still here but she's old, so old — 90 years old and very forgetful. The aging, the dying; "life goes on, I forget just why."

Sunday's performance is dedicated to the loving memory of my beloved father Henry Soto, and to Joan Goldenberg, a wonderful spirit, mother, and friend.

And to my mother, Andy Soto, still hanging on, still here.

Its Fairy Day Again! This Sunday, March 9, Mt Airy Ave.

2008-03-06T12:53:00.000-08:00

Its time for fairies again! The next performance of the One-Year Wissahickon Park Project is coming up this Sunday March 9. Look for the “fairies” along the path from Mt. Airy Ave to Forbidden Drive. Enter the park on Mt Airy Ave, just west of Wissahickon Ave (there is parking along the street).

Check the map:

http://www.fow.org/documents/map.pdf

As always the performance is at 10:30 AM and will run for 45 minutes. It will take place rain or shine. Cancellations only in extreme weather.

This is the final performance of the winter cycle. The weather forecast is for sun and wind. It should be a glorious day, but cold, so layer up!

AND: remember to switch your clocks; daylight savings begins at midnight.

Performing with me on Sunday will be Toshi, Shavon , Jumatatu and Olive. Noemi is in Puerto Rico; she will performing on the beach ( and documenting it) at the same time as us! That should be quite a contrast!

Photos: Pepon Osorio

Yesterday's Performance

2008-02-25T13:27:00.002-08:00

What a difference the sun makes! The cold was bearable even though the temperature was in the twenties. And the light — it was so bright as to be blinding, but mostly it filled the spirit! The sky, an infinite expanse of blue.

We worked along a single line of trees, each relating to one in particular. Several themes emerged.

The reaching up to the sky and the trees.

The leaning into the trees.

The snow was hard and crunchy giving way under our feet and interrupting the flow in weight shift.

No use fighting it. We incorporated interrupted flow into the movement and the crunching became part of the sound.

Staying present to the moment something new is revealed.

Connected. Satisfying.

Photos: Pepón Osorio

2/24 performance is on!

2008-02-23T18:59:00.000-08:00

The forecast for tomorrow is for sun! It is still quite cold so layer up! See you at Bluebell Meadow....

How to dance with branches-- Hanging

2008-02-22T15:53:00.000-08:00

One of the first actions I investigated with the branches was "hanging" off the branch. Hanging is an illusion, one cannot really hang off the non-attached branch, at least not in the way one hangs off of a jungle gym, for example.* But you can sort of hang. You can set up an intention for action (I will hang off the branch), or pose a question or an investigation (Can I hang off the branch?, How can I hang off the branch?). These can open entry points into a particular somatic experience that is born from the idea or intention of hanging. In this play of of the imagination and action the work "branches" into the realm of meaning. (More on that at another time.)

For your first attempts you will want to use a fairly long and sturdy branch , one that you can hang most of your weight off of when vertical to the ground (although after a while you can do this with almost any branch you wish to handle). Its easiest to work outdoors on soil or grass or other surface that can anchor the end of the branch into the ground so that it doesn't slip, but you can also work in the studio and play with the delicate balance of the unsupported branch or with supporting the end of the branch with a body part, for example a hand or foot. You will want to work slowly so as to sense the angle(s) and position (s) of the branch and body, and amount of weight you can release and the force of the grip at any given moment in your journey.
Place the branch vertical to the ground. Hold branch gently with one or both hands sensing the shape/line/flow of the branch. Sense the vertical line of energy moving into the ground. Test dropping your weight into it as if using a walking stick to support your weight. Let your elbow (s) drop and s l o w l y start to hang off the the branch. Follow, experience, the pathways of movement the hanging initiates in the body, allowing other parts of the body to hang: the head, the legs. Don't rush. Notice the giving into gravity move sequentially (branching) through the body.

As you work, you will find multiple ways to hang. You can hang forward as if supporting yourself on a walking stick. You can hang back using the vertical branch to support the arch. You can hang from different stances, lunges, squats, even sitting. You can even "hang" off the branch while at the same time lifting it vertical or horizontal to the ground.

You can use two branches to hang. You can even hang from the branch while resting on the ground.

Each approach poses different opportunities for exploration, understanding, connections, and meaning.

Try not to get ahead of yourself. Stay in the moment. As you begin to hang off the branch find the sense of the weight dropping through the legs. Let the feet open to allow the energy of the legs to move back into the ground, into the earth. Receive, sense, the upward thrust of gravity through the legs. Shift the balance by moving between the action/sense of hanging off the branch and/or off your skeletal structure. Notice the potential dance/drama that lives within the shifts.

Go back to the hand, top the point of contact. Where does the grip end and the hang begin? Can you soften the grip? Can you balance the energy in the rest of the body to match the energy of the grip?

Stay with whatever you are feeling at the moment. Feel the emotional content or potential of the action. Magnify it. Let this inform your dance.

This work is a marvelous aid for releasing the joints and sensing the bones as support structures from which muscles can hang. There is a way you can release the joints of the hips and legs and drop into the bones that heightens the action, sensation, and experience of the bones holding you up while the muscles release. As we use upper body strength to lift off the the legs we can allow them to "hang", an experience that supports the exploration of dynamic alignment in weight shift, and which increases efficiency and fine articulation of movement and our ability to "fold" the legs.

* You may want to try hanging off different surfaces such as a jungle gym, or different body parts ( for example hips off the sofa) to experience the sense of clearly supported hanging before moving into the illusion.

Reflection on today's performance

2008-02-17T17:08:00.000-08:00

This morning before going out to the park I doubted, why are we doing these performances? Yesterday's rehearsal had been tough, oh so cold! We almost ran back to our cars, our feet and hands no longer numb, simply hurting. Although unspoken, the doubting was palpable,

except for Noemí— she was happy, thrilled to be out in the winter sun,

and Toshi, as always quiet and present.

So today, upon meeting,
it seemed appropriate to
try to remember why
we were there.
No good doing this
without loving it.
How to turn the
doubting around,
how to reconnect
with the work?

The doubting is useless,
self-defeating. How do we
survive the hurting cold?
Move away from the pain;
use the walk to the site to
reconnect/warm-up to the
point of contact, to figure out how to
hold the branch through layers of gloves, how to move the fingers to keep the warmth flowing.

We arrive at the site, set
up the video cameras, and
begin. I so appreciate these
artists! The doubting was
discarded in the parking
lot; everyone tunes in.
Stillness. Listening. Patience.
Slow, slow, slow, shifting into
balance. Quiet, attentive, present.

The performance unfolds. Almost
immediately a woman jogging
by repeats over and over again,
thank-you! this is great! this is so
inspiring! have a great day!

Bikers and walkers pass us from all directions; they seem comfortable with us, as are we with them. We all are present, connected, calm, holding the space. The mood has shifted. No more doubting.

How to dance with branches-- Centering, Point of Contact

2008-02-03T11:59:00.000-08:00

This entry is for anyone who is curious about working with the branches and wants to try it for themselves. I will follow up with various entries on different practices we have developed in working with the branches.

Dancing with the branches can be a centering and aligning experience. Its really a duet between you (your awareness and experience of body/mind/spirit), and the branch, an inanimate object that was once part of a living tree and whose form is a solid manifestation of the tree's movement and flow connecting earth and light.

As with any partnership, you must be responsible for yourself. Before you start take a moment to ground yourself. Notice your breath. Gently shift your weight on your feet and sense the shift in balance through the body. Open your joints to allow energy to move through your body. Open the soles of the feet; sense the weight dropping through the legs and the feet into the earth; at the same time sense the upward thrust of gravity. Feel yourself gently poised in gentle balance.

The dance begins at point of contact.
Pick up a branch. Hold the branch. Connect with/to it. Sense it. Feel its weight. Receive its weight. Feel/see/sense--- the shape/line/flow of the branch. Allow the touch, the feeling in the hands, the shaping in the hands, the reception of the branch's weight and your awareness of line and alignment to resonate through the rest of the body. Notice how each action or response triggers a whole new set of actions and responses. Slow down. Soften the touch. How softly can you hold it? Cultivate awareness.

A dance emerges. Let your body shift as you balance your body to match the touch. Ride the shifting energy(ies). Ride the edge of balance.

Take your time. Stay with/savor/enjoy the experience. Allow the dance to take you where it will.

More photos of Jan 27 performance

2008-01-30T18:04:00.001-08:00

It turned out to be a glorious winter day! The forecast had been for cold wet snow. The day before had been overcast and cold. Knowing how slippery it can get when its wet, especially on the stairs down to the waterfall, and imagining how awful it would be if someone hurt themselves (even the most experienced outdoors people can slip and sprain an ankle in this sort of terrain) I sent emails telling people to wear water and skid-proof shoes. I believe I may have scared audiences away, as not too many showed up. I have to remind myself that this is OK., part of the process. Thanks to all who did show up! Your energy was peacfeul and attentive. We felt supported and appreciated.

As it turned out, it wasn't too cold. The temperature was made more bearable by the warmth of the sun. The light brightens the spirit.

Above & below: Shavon on the edge

Above: Toshi uses a fallen tree as his musical instrument.
Below: Toshi plays the bowls

Above & below: Jumatatu lunge and arch

Above: My son Gabe on the ice

Above: Olive in the foreground and Shavon accross the creek

Olive curls up

Balance

Photos by Pepón Osorio and Gabriel Osorio-Soto

Inconspicuous: Noemí Segarra reflects on the performance Jan 27

2008-01-30T06:17:00.000-08:00

Noemí Segarra posted this reflection on Sunday's perfomance:
http://meriansoto.blogspot.com/2008/01/todays-performance-is-on-1030am-livezy.html#comments

inconspicuous

today's performance

my placement

the gatekeeper

by the road

all about

containing

aligning

centering

observing & taking into account

the whole

the pathways

possibilities

the juncture

elegua

align

architecture in motion

minimal

sublime

less

hold the space

hold

wait

felt warm

cold permeates as soon as we stop

don't want to stop

don't want to end

the heat

internal

of the moment

of performing

of concentration

the flight of time

when all in de moment

bells & sounds intercepting

and containg / framing

giving us markers

immersed

inconspicuous

Thank you Noemí!
Photos are by Pepón Osorio

Today's performance is on. 10:30AM Livezy waterfall. Its dry but cold. Layer up!

2008-01-27T06:01:00.000-08:00

The Winter Cycle Begins Jan 27 @ Livezy Waterfall

2008-01-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

The next performance will be Sunday Jan 27 at 10:30 AM at Livezy Waterfall. The easiest way to get to the site is entering the park at Valley Green and walking south on Forbidden Drive. The site will be down to your left.

OR--- From Henry Ave enter and park at Pachella Field just across Livezy Ave. Follow the path into the park. Go north-left on Forbidden Drive. The site will be to your right.

I am looking forward to the performing challenges the winter dances pose. An important issue for us is always, what to wear? Audiences too should make sure you check the weather and or the blog first and dress appropriately as the cold can be very intense when you are outdoors for a long time. Waterproof and skid-free shoes are a must in inclement weather especially as you will have to walk a ways to get to this site.

Photos of yesterday's performance

2007-12-10T07:03:00.000-08:00

Olive Prince on the bridge across Mt. Airy Ave path. Photo: Deanna Bond.

Yesterday was the last performance of the Fall cycle in the One Year Wissahickon Park Project. Thanks to all who attended. The cold and rain make it less appealing for audiences to come out. We too long for the sun. At the same time dealing with the cold and dampness pushes us to go more deeply inward in the performance practice. One has to move into the center of the body, more finely and specifically.

Olive Prince and Shavon Norris. Photo: Pepon Osorio

Jumatatu Poe. Photo: Gabriel Osorio-Soto

Shavon Norris. Photo: Pepón Osorio

Merián Soto. Photo: Karen Bond

The Path. Photo: Pepón Osorio

Olive Prince. Photo: Marcelo Osorio-Soto

Noemí Segarra (center/red) and audiences: Photo: Karen Bond

Dec 9 performance is on!

2007-12-08T18:27:00.000-08:00

Sunday Dec 9 10:30 AM
Look for fairies along the path from Mt Airy Ave to Forbidden Drive.

Dress warm. Wear shoes with grip! See you there.

More photos of yesterday's performance

2007-12-03T10:08:00.000-08:00

Karen Bond emailed me these photos. I love how she is playing with the light! Her photos capture something of how it feels to perform these dances. She's named them:

Photos of Today's Performance

2007-12-02T16:19:00.002-08:00

Today's performance at Bluebell Meadow; cold, damp, challenging, surprising. There were only four of us there — Toshi, Noemí, Shavon, and I. The space is open. We begin along a single line of trees. We had planned to work on the other side of the trees but shift our plan thinking audiences who brave the weather might watch from their cars, a sort of drive-in performance. Many of the familiar elements of the site are absent: there is no wind, no blinding sunlight creating fantastic shadows, there are no dogs for the entire performance!

We begin. Don't question, just commit to the work and stay connected to ourselves, each other, and the environment; find ways to generate heat from the inside.

Photos are by Pepón Osorio and Gabriel Osorio-Soto.

Today's performance is on!

2007-12-02T06:10:00.000-08:00

10:30 AM
Bluebell Meadow

It looks like it will be COLD tomorrow!

2007-12-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

The weather forecast for tomorrow is cold with some snow and wind. Unless it becomes a storm we will be performing. If you plan to brave the weather make sure you wear protective clothing.

Its easy to get to Bluebell Meadow by car. From Center City, take Lincoln Drive to Rittenhouse Lane (1st traffic light on Lincoln Drive). Turn right. Go to Wissahickon Ave (first traffic light), turn left. Go to Walnut Lane (2nd traffic light), turn left. Follow Walnut Lane towards Henry Ave. Go around the circle on Walnut Lane so that you are heading back towards Wissahickon. The first right past the circle is the entrance to Bluebell Park.

From Chestnut Hill: Take Wissahickon Ave to Walnut Lane (last street before Lincon Drive). Turn right. Follow instructions above. Hope to see you there!

Dec. 2 performance at Bluebell Meadow

2007-11-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

The One Year Wissahickon Park Project continues Sunday December 2 at 10:30 AM. This performance, third in the series, will take place at Bluebell Meadow. This is the one site in the series that is easily accessible by car. The entrance to Bluebell Park is on Walnut Lane between Wissahickon and Henry Avenues.

Collaborating with Soto on this performance are dancers Danielle Kinne, Shavon Norris, and Noemí Segarra , and percussionist Toshi Makihara.

The performance is free and open to the public. It will run for approximately 45 minutes, rain or shine. Cancellation only in extreme weather.

Stay Tuned! The fourth performance
in the series will take place Dec 9
along the Mt Airy Ave
entrance to the park.

Photos of the 2nd performance

2007-11-09T18:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who attended the 2nd performance of the One Year Wissahickon Park Project last Sunday! Here are some photos of performance.

Also thanks to Louise Wright for the article which appeared in the Chestnut Hill Local.
Check it out!

http://chestnuthilllocal.com/issues/2007.11.01/locallife1.html

All photos are by Pepon Osorio

Today's performance is on!

2007-11-04T03:16:00.000-08:00

Good morning! It looks like we will have good weather today, so the performance is on. Its a bit chilly in the park so don't forget to layer and wear a hat and gloves. And don't forget to set your clocks back! See you at 10:30!

The photo, taken by Alan Kolc is of States of Gravity & Light #2 ,one of the branch dance performances for the stage. The video images were shot in the Wissahickon. The dancers are Noemi Segarra and Jumatatu Poe.

Nov.4 Performance will be on Forbidden Drive just south of the Mt. Airy Ave Bridge

2007-10-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

The 2nd in the series of 16 performances in my One-year Wissahickon Park Project will take plave on Sunday Nov 4, at 10:30 AM. The site is Forbidden Drive, just south of the Mt. Airy Avenue Bridge. If you are driving, the closest entrance is on Mt. Airy Ave — take Wissahickon Ave to Mt Airy Ave, go one block west on Mt Airy Ave to the end of the road. There’s parking on the street. Walk down the path, cross the bridge and turn left (south) onto Forbidden Drive. We will be a couple minutes walk from there.

Collaborating with me on this performance are dancers Shavon Norris, Jumatatu Poe, Olive Prince, and Noemí Segarra. Toshi Makihara and Danielle Kinne will join us again in December. The performance is free and open to the public. It will run for approximately 45 minutes, rain or shine. Cancellation only in extreme weather. When in doubt check the blog.

Please be advised that this is not a performance in the traditional sense; there are no “seats”. Because the performance is along Forbidden Drive, it is designed to be seen in passing. Audiences are asked to be mindful not to block the Drive.

Thanks again to all who emailed me photos of the performance on Oct 7. Those of us who were down by the creek may have missed Juamatu on the Drive. Denise Larabee sent the photo at the top.

These two are from Ronald Rothman. That's Shavon below and Noemí and Olive on the right.

Pictures Wanted!

2007-10-08T23:03:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who went out yesterday. It was wonderful to be able to share the moment and space with such warm and sensitive audience.

A special thanks to those of you that have emailed feedback and comments. Your feedback is most welcome especially since this is a creative research project. Karen Bond emailed me the following exchange overheard at the performance:

4-year old girl: They're not r-e-a-l!
Dad: Yes, they are real.
Girl: But, but, they're not r-e-a-l.
Dad: Well, they ARE real.
Girl: What are they DOing?
Dad: They're...practicing.

Ron sent the following feedback:

"I really enjoyed this morning's performance! I saw a meditation on strength, suffering, static balance, dynamic balance and peace, through which the central character mastered the forces which oppressed her (represented by the branch) and moved from near bondage to freedom and mastery. I will definitely come again, with friends and family."

On another note: I was unable to photograph yesterday's performance so I am now seeking photos of the event. I saw lots of cameras there. If anyone has photos they can give me I would greatly appreciate it! I will publish them on the blog with your permission only. You can email me at msoto@temple.edu.

These pictures were shot by Karen Bond. That's Toshi Makihara and audiences on the left and me below.

Clarifying Directions to Performance Site

2007-10-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who has emailed me with questions as to directions. Unfortunately I will probably spend the first part of the project refining directions; the maps I have found are not thorough. I appreciate your feedback on this.

The easiest way to get to the site of Sunday's performance is entering the park at Valley Green and walking south on Forbidden Drive. The site will be to your left. I think some people call the site the waterfall at Livezy Lane, the site of a former mill.

From Wissahickon Ave you turn west on to Mt. Airy Avenue. Mt. Airy Ave dead ends onto the entrance of the park. Go down the hill, cross the bridge to Forbidden Drive. Walk north on Forbidden Drive (right). The site is on the right. It will be easy to spot as one of the dancers will be on Forbidden Drive, marking the site.

From Henry Ave enter and park at Pachella Field just across Livezy Ave. Follow the path into the park. Go north (left on Forbidden Drive. The site will be to your right.

First Performance! Oct 7 @ the water wall

2007-09-16T07:13:00.001-07:00

The first performance in the One Year Wissahickon Park Project cycle will take place Sunday Oct. 7, at 10:30 AM.

The site will be the waterwall (my name for it). Its a wall across the river. I believe it was part of one of the mills that used to line the Wissahickon. Its broken and it breaks the gravitational flow of the river into myriad flows and songs.

Directions: The waterwall is off of Forbidden Drive, just north of the Pachella Field entrance (off Henry Ave), or the Mt. Airy Ave entrance (off Wissahickon Ave); and south of the Valley Green entrances. It should take 10 to 15 minutes to walk to the site. Don't worry about being late. We will be there at least 45 minutes.

Suggestions:
Layer your clothing as the park is considerably colder than the city. You may also want to wear sunglasses. You will probably want to wear comfortable walking shoes.

Travel light! Bring only the essentials. Bottled water might be a good idea if its a warm day.

Take advantage of your trip to enjoy the park, take a leisurely walk, or make this a stop on your walking, biking, or jogging program.

Its up to you how you want to engage with the event: stay a long time or leave quickly; go away and come back; see it in passing. Its up to you.

These photos of a performance on June 30, were taken by Pepón Osorio.

Welcome

2007-09-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

Merián Soto/Performance Practice
One-Year Wissahickon Park Project

Hello! Welcome to Merián Soto/Performance Practice’s One Year Wissahickon Park Project blog.

The One Year Wissahickon Park Project is a creative research project of 16 performances in Wissahickon Park spanning the four seasons. My intent is to shape a number of performance experiences in nature in order to experience their evolution over time, the seasons, temperature, and weather.

The project is part of my Branch Dance Series which has also included dances for the stage. The Branch Dances investigate correspondences between movement, the elements, physical experience, alignment, balance, consciousness, and performance. The work involves the practice of moving into stillness, the investigation of gravity as an essential force; the detailed sequencing of movement through inner pathways; and dynamic shifting into balance and alignment. Working with attention to connecting somatic, energetic, and mental processes, the dances with branches are centered on consciousness in action, in performance, and in practice.

Since 2005 I have conducted dozens of solo branch dance performances in the park as part of my investigation of somatic performance. These have been for the most part "spontaneous" in that they have been unannounced. The One Year Wissahickon Park Project allows for a more formal exposition of the work.

The first performance of the project is scheduled for this coming Sunday, October 7 at 10:30AM. Please check back for site information and directions!