Roots & Dreams

As I lay thinking…

Thinking of you.

I wonder what dreamers like us shall do?

Do when the tides of change rush in

And the winds of necessity blast across our conscience?

I dream with my feet planted firmly in the ground…

Where are your roots?

I see others succumb to fear and doubt,

What path shall we walk -

Other than the path we have chosen?

What of the path that chooses us?

Are we victims of circumstance, traitors to our path, or

Simply taking the road less traveled by?

I wonder what dreamers like us shall do?

Will you…

Walk with me? Or, I with you?

Is there a path we both may tread?

Together and alone, beyond fears unsaid…

Simply, in love.

Poetry on a bar-nap, second installment...

Oct 25, 2007
Jazzy, Shloms, & k.k. at a Sushi place that failed to meet our expectations. We decided to write about lust and longing. Below is the result of our efforts... Enjoy!

From Jazzy (Jasmine Artis):

What good is lusting without wanting?
What good is wanting without having?
I don't want to guess,
I want to know.
Is it me, or is it she?
Towards whom you are leaning?
Either way, my perspective is shifting
and if you ain't puttin' in the work,
I ain't entertainin'.

From Shloms (Shallom Johnson):

Lust and longing for something more than this.
More than you and I...
So far,
so far away -
Lust, longing for proximity|closeness|touch
Lost in this absence,
each day feels longer, more distant.
Each day away from you -
a thousand hours
more
than
I
can
bear.

k.k. (Kelly Mayfield):

Frustrated.
Impatiently waiting
for you.
The music fades... the tables empty.
My thoughts drift again
to you.
Body aching, spirit worn.
My soul seeks rest
in you.
Lover, where? When? How?
I must
have you.

new quote...

"Wanting is good. It's packed with possibilities. It often defies reason, logic, and rational thought. It is an undeniable feeling, a flash of how things might be. They are the secrets of the soul. The real challenge is trusting ourselves enough to act upon what that inner voice is telling us."
-- Grover Dale

Pride Video

Girl Friends Video

From the June Concert...

Memories of a Berimbau

Memories of a birimbau,
one year ago.
I hear it tonight, fast and low.
Before it was mournful and dense,
asking difficult questions.

Tonight, the questions are no simpler,
but the pace has progressed.

Written 30 August 2007

From Shallom...

I love this girl! We are performing a lot together and she is staying with me right now. I can't imagine not having Shallom in my world. She simply must stay! I mean, I understand needing to branch out and see the rest of the world, but damn! I adore this lady :)

In the pic: k.k., Shallom, & Jazzy (down front) at a gig last week.

http://allthesmallthings.wordpress.com/2007/10/24/once-were-strangers/

Bliss...

"Shall we turn in?" He asks.
"Turn into what?" She replies.
The place where the volcano
meets the tide and all the elements
combine.
Where Angels really do have wings
and everything flies but
Time.
Stands still.
Breathing in the harmony of the moment
where two souls found perfection in a kiss.

burned out...

Feeling a bit burned out w/ it all. Dance is fabulous... many new opportunities on the horizon and the current work it coming together nicely. It's the rest of life that has me breathless, tired, and wishing for... something else.

I am exhausted by people demanding more of me than I can give, expecting me to create time where it doesn't exist, or simply wanting me to be someone I am not.

Most notably, my mother is living with me for a short while. It is terrible. We are very different people with very different desires, lifestyles, and needs. I might lose my mind before I find a solution to this paradox. On the one hand, she is a built-in baby-sitter; on the other, she is killing my peace & happiness.

I normally keep my home in a basically spotless, but lived in sort of way. She does not. I am accustomed to my friends feeling welcome to come, eat, stay, play and be. She treats them poorly and is rude.

I am venting here and sick of the situation.



What to do?

Poetry on a bar-nap

Perplexed with the realization
That yes, yes there are sweet
temptations in life.
Coming in all shapes & sizes,
Tan or khaki even.
And, yes there are jealous ones
looking, lurking in the dark.

A challenge is raised.
She said, "He's mine."
Yet, who is he sitting next to, huh?
That's right.
Stay back,
Step off,
Watch me step to you.

k.k. & Jazzy at Kramers

Contradiction Dance: Mother/Daughter Tango

This piece is dear to my heart... thanks jazzie & Aysha for bringing it to life.

Interlude Video

And another one...

Contradiction Dance: Casual Contact

From the Perspective/Shift Concert
June 23 & 24, 2007

Video: America Project

Finally, it's here. Thanks Boris!

I feel like a choreography chameleon, this Friday we perfrom a Broadway Jazz piece at the Ritz; Saturday, another version of the America Project. Hmmmm.

Enjoy!

Performing outside...

So... there's been much written in the dc dance blogs, particularly DCDANCEBLOG, about the recent improv festival. It's all fab stuff and very much on my mind... crafting a work for a typical stage w/ proscenium is completely different. This season, all of our concerts are on very different stages - the only true proscenium we'll experience is in December. Making dance is a huge challenge; crafting it to fit the space has magnified that challenge in wonderful ways... below is a quote from Amanda Abrams:

i strongly recall, during the festival, being drawn to moments in a few performances where the dancers were doing something you never ever see on the street. once, it was tony and ilana covering themselves, methodically and slowly, with thick white paint. another time, it was one of kelly mayfield’s dancers getting hit with four full buckets of water. both were simple, physical acts that startled me and pinned me to my spot.

I'm so glad people really saw the work and felt the need to stay... it's a huge compliment and part of the purpose of the work: how do you keep a mobile audience engaged? I hope to answer that better and better over time. :)

Here's Maida Withers' video collage from the festival. You see the moment Amanda referenced.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HilaHJ2I3YY

Onward.

Boris Birthday...

In the tradition of poetry on a bar-nap, usually at Kramer's...

"What are you doing?" she asks.
"Celebrating Boris' Birthday." we reply.

We sing, we dance, we drink.

"What's different?" he asks.
"Lordy, Lordy, he's turned Forty!" he replies.

We laugh, we sing, we dance some more.

9 Oct 07
kem