funny vid

Performing at St. Marys College!

So.... we're dancing at St. Marys College all next week (Tues-Sunday)

We're presenting 25 mins of material; I'm pleased with how the work has continued to develop. This piece of protest and inquiry has led me down a very personal journey as I uncover and reclaim some personal patriotism.

Objects of Hope: The America Project



This dance concert opens in the Bruce Davis Theater of Montgomery Hall on Wednesday, December 5, at 8 pm. Show times are December 5-8 at 8 pm and December 9 at 2 pm. Tickets are $4 for students and $6 for the general public. Tickets for the December 8 benefit performance for the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association are $10. For reservations, contact the theater box office (240-895-4243) or boxoffice@smcm.edu. The event is produced by the Department of Theater, Film, and Media Studies and directed by faculty member Merideth Taylor.

Mother/Daughter Tango

The space beyond:
caring
desire
need
love
support
anger
apathy.

Beyond apathy

How did I get here?

NO MORE:
acceptance
explanation
justification
compromise
enabling
fear.

The space beyond:
weightless
wordless
timeless

complete and whole
within my own nature
and the moments shared
with loved ones
who love me.

FREE

floating, soaring, turning, seeing;
drinking in a new tomorrow.

I made the piece below about my own relationship with my mother. That relationship is in tatters as I write. In my history, this is a cycle. A cycle that includes vicious words, long silences, and one-sided warmth. I choose to exit the cycle. What lies in the space beyond?

Hear me ROAR...

My garbage disposal has been broken for a while now. I got sick of getting $300 estimates for a plumber to come look at it. I decided to use the extra time I have on this day (no dancing work over the holiday) to investigate plumbers on craig's list. Initially I got $200 estimates instead of $300, BUT THEN....

I called a very nice person who helped me help myself and save some much needed cash. He had me use an allen wrench to manually twist the grinders from underneath. Picture this: me, sprawled on my back under the sink, wrench in hand, working on my garbage disposal. :)

IT WORKED! I feel so handy and accomplished. Today garbage disposals, tomorrow...

a nap.

NEED A HANDYMAN? I recommend:
Washington Group
703.204.1242 email: washingtongroup@verizon.net

pictured, my fabulous niece: Eris jumping like the magnificent person she is!

Wishes...

My dear friend Arianna is getting hitched tomorrow. I am her MOH... kinda scary business! She's a wonderful, wonderful person and she found her compliment in this world; her husband is a blessing to her and she is to he. I wrote this thinking about their marriage - and many other people in my world right now.

I see so much beauty and possibility all around me; with people, art, ideas, solutions, and unity. However, I am forever tempered by the darker side of my reality: I've seen much fruit wither on the vine; untasted, tested, harvested, and tried. Possibility is like ripe fruit waiting to be picked; the effort of the climb is the greatest deterrent.

I'm encouraged by Arianna's bliss: happiness is, after all, contagious.

CHERISH
thinking of you and only of you. I find myself once again confused.
why do i miss someone I see almost everyday?
I am not without your attention, affection and love;
yet, I am filled with longing... not only desire,
that's there too, but a longing to be
closer
to set myself free within the glow of us.
let me release:
relax, breathe and be still
this unsettled feeling distracts me
I have other things to do,
thoughts to think,
dreams to turn into reality
ah, but a long-forgotten dream so nearly fulfilled:
happiness with another so like me
yet,
so different.
you are not tormented this way.
my love does not sit on a shelf and wait
it is alive;
needing food, water, & shelter from
all storms
I found home in your arms,
nourishment in your lips, hands, eyes, and smile
your honey voice is a cool balm on a tired, old soul
the younger spirit within me leaps and twirls
with joy
long
forgotten
my heart given freely, but certainly without ease;
you see,
my soul is older than it appears
worn and weathered by lives past
I've known love like this before;
a rare seed to be planted and tended with the greatest care;
fragile? no,
it can withstand trials unimagined
but, precious, wonderful, and often mistreated
cherish.
us
we
me
you
cherish me as I do you

Our Favorite Bartenders...

Okay... so Shallom & I have a few favorite bartenders. They keep us smiling and they know how to entertain! Luis & Andrew, for your pleasure... we have yet to capture casey.

LICK - rehearsal

This is rehearsal footage from a duet Shallom & I performed last weekend. It's part of Echo Park Contemporary Ballet's rep. Artistic Director, Cedric Tillman. Think Fedoras, white button-downs & bootie shorts. Enjoy.

Poetry on a bar-nap: Tangents

My students were psyched that I used the word tangent in a sentence today; apparently, they had just learned the word at school. Shallom and I needed food and down-time after rehearsal this eve... did it up at Tryst in our usual poetical fashion.



Topic: Tangent

TANGENTIAL

Sometimes words spin out of control
Especially when the music is so loud
I can't hear you
I smile and nod
And say the first thing that comes to mind
Completely unrelated, but important,
nonetheless.
- Shallom

TANGENTIAL EXISTENCE

A tisket,
A tasket,
A penny for your tangent.
This straight line doesn't fit
my curves.
Does yours?
Loop around my thoughts
and caress my thighs?
Perhaps together we'll adjust the size
of this sloping, slippery
tangential existence.
- k.k.

I'm Performing THIS SATURDAY Nov 17 8 pm

So... getting psyched to perform this weekend. It's been a good rehearsal process, wonderful people, some of my favorite dancers on the planet, and it's yummy movement that I haven't asked this body to do in a while. All in all, a fab experience. If you can make it, I'd love to see you there!

Echo Park Contemporary Ballet
Presents
On the Outside… Looking In

Artistic Director:
Cedric Tillman

Featuring:
Rasta Thomas • Oscar Hawkins • Shylo Smith • Shallom Johnson • Kelly Mayfield

One Night Only! RSVP TODAY: 202.246.1099

Saturday, November 17, 2007
Down Dog Yoga Studio, Georgetown
1046 Potomac Street, NW (Behind Dean & Deluca)

An excellent costume...

This is my friend Karla. She's doing the Rockette Christmas Show. Isn't she fabulous?

Class Combo... Weeps

So, I'm working on a solo, perhaps duet for Reggie... some of the movement is starting to materialize. Here's some Dance Exchange Company Class students, including company member Cassie Meador & a father/daughter team from another class.

Poetry on a bar-nap: Tryst Word Challenge

Shallom & I went to Tryst the other night for beer, tea & food. We'd had a very long week from extra rehearsals, my mother's venom toward my dearest guest, waiting to get paid far too long, and just being girls in the city. We were inspired to have a topic challenge... here's the result of our labor!



Topic: People Watching

A room full of crowded
Strangers
And here we sit, on the inside
Looking out
Searching for hidden stories
In clouded, distracted faces

The hooded lady, alone on the couch,
Waiting for a lover that never comes
She leaves, to drink alone in her home,
spotless and sterile
The maid has left smudges on the
Mirror.
She will be fired in the morning.
- Shallom

All that's distracting.
I can't see his face.
What is he hiding beneath that hat?
Who gives a shit if you get
tea instead of a drink?
Not the woman you're speaking to -
She's not interested.
Faces reflected in the eerie
glow of a computer screen -
green, sickly and sad.
Socially anti-social
Bizarre breed, indeed.
- k.k.

Topic: Temptation

Bound by words
Spoken in love.
In Lust.
Just in.
To him, to you, to us,
to lust.
For love,
For need,
For curiosity.
For...
Well, sometimes I'm not sure.
The words are there.
Whether carefully crafted, or thrown away.
Either way,
They're powerful.
Watch me step,
Step up or down,
my timing's correct.
In this life of love,
with you.
-k.k. :)

Sly glances from across the room
Few and far between,
But potent as
Triple-strong drinks at the Mill
On a Saturday night
Slide by, brush the small of my
Back with electric fingertips
Wink
Blush
Are you ready for this?
No, I didn't think so...
-Shallom

Topic: Words

He needs time, he says with a smile
Time to think, to prepare...
Spontaneity overrated or merely
Uncultivated?
Waiting only increases my expectations
I don't need brilliance, just a smile
Words are words,
Whether carefully chosen or thrown away
And, napkins are disposable
Combined, they find a way to my heart
A window to my soul
But, only if you're willing to step up and take a chance and
Try..
-Shallom

Her writing,
not the words,
but the script itself says,
"Jaded, a tad by life... Perhaps."

Words can be deceiving,
but the action they are written with
speaks volumes.

Sloppy/slashing
tired strokes
Or, are they bubbly and
effervescent?

What is in-between the lines?
-k.k. :)

To Be Posted in Adam's Morgan...

My friend Johnboy posted this on myspace :)

Anyway, I was thinking this should be posted outside every giant pizza slice place in Adams Morgan:

Ten Reasons You Should Call It A Night, Girl

1. You have absolutely no idea where your friends are.

2. You have absolutely no idea where your car is… wait did you bring your car??

3. You've become convinced that dancing with your arms overhead, shaking your ass, and yelling WOO HOO is truly the sexiest dance move EVER.

4. You've suddenly decided you want to kick someone's ass and honestly believe you can do it (bitch…i ain't playin…).

5. You start singing 80's songs at the top of your lungs and showing off your dance skills to the car next to you.

6. Your bladder becomes amazingly full every 10 minutes.

7. You sit down and the room and people around you start spinning profusely.

8. Your slurring your words so bad, that nobody can understand what your saying and then when they say what, you can't even remember what you were talking about.

9. You've come up with the brilliant idea that you can create less hassle on your friends by just "sleeping over" at a your guy friend's house.

10. You see beers all over a table so you lift each one up until you find one half full and chug it when no one is looking.

For Ed...

My mentor, teacher, choreographer, and (most of all) friend Ed Tyler ended his battle with bipolar on this day one year ago. I spent much of today insanely busy, perhaps in defense of the looming sadness in the back of my mind and in that spot between my shoulders.

Ed made me laugh deep and hard with wild abandon. I miss laughing with him. I miss his unique outlook on life. I miss his art. I miss his hugs. I miss so many moments that will not happen again. They have passed with him. I could not mourn with the group that met today to remember. I was in a rehearsal; and, somehow that was appropriate. Ed always pushed me to make art and to live my life within it. I have cried many times this day; something I rarely do. I feel a sense of acceptance I didn't allow last year. Now, I suppose I am able to truly and genuinely miss my dear friend.

Ed taught me so many things about art, dance, teaching, and myself. The lesson I carry with me daily is how it FELT to be loved unconditionally. He loved me unconditionally, and in the moment I was in; it's the best gift I've ever received. In a world where people have many expectations of who I was, am or will be; Ed loved me without reservation in every moment we shared. I do my absolute best to pass that gift forward. I can do so simply because I KNOW how wonderful it feels to be loved that way. Thank you, Ed Tyler.

Poetry on a Bar-Nap at Kramer's w/ Shallom:

Commitment to Breathing

Presenting itself in many forms,
The greatest temptation is silence.
To not say the words pouring out of my soul.
Not make the dance unfolding in my head.
Not teach what I know.
Not tell you how I feel.
Not hold you close to my soul the way I do.
Not even to breathe.
Exhale.

Running...

Running is my freedom.

Love, the ultimate trap.

NO.

I’m running to a better me,

Finding freedom from the trap.

Running into your love…

No walls,

No borders,

No boundaries.

Just trust.

Contact.

Running to you, I am found.

6 May 2007

Halloween on a bar-nap...

Shallom, Meghan, Sam, Ilya, & k.k. wrote some words...

Two members of the waking dead,
Two pimped out 70's throw-backs,
And one pricey pussycat.

A night to remember...
All Hallow's Eve.

The freaks are out tonight!
- Shallom


THRILLER!!
Heeee-Heeee!

p.s. I'm supaFly's Ho & Kelly is her Pussy.
- Sam

Ode to Ho
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia...
Bitch, where's my money?
- Meghan

Une fée morte
sur les granits de metro
And I was hitchhiking...
(something in Russian that I don't know the keystrokes for....)
- Ilya

To be a cat...
Pussy, if you will.
Sexy, Powerful,
with fluid grace enhanced by
the mystery of feline ways.
Cross me at your peril.
Love me and perhaps...
I may scratch-
or, purr.
You must take the chance,
Pet me.
-k.k.