Letter to the Editor

So, the Jan 22 edition of The Point News (the St. Mary's College newspaper) printed a letter to the editor regarding a piece Contradiction Dance performed in December. I can't find an electronic version or I'd have posted it long ago... below is my response.

The weeks have flown by since first reading Nicole Chaplin's letter regarding my choreography; however, my gut reaction is the same, "You go, girl!" You see, Ms. Chaplin did exactly what I hope each of you will do often: she thought about her stance, she spoke her mind, she asked questions of her audience, and she did so in a public way. It takes courage to do so, it is freeing and wonderful; and, it is a right we have in this country. Some would say, a right AND a responsibility; I agree.

As a dancer/choreographer, I dance my mind, pose questions through visual imagery, movement and text, and (when I'm lucky) get to perform for the public. The dances I make are meant to create dialog, and ultimately to effect change. Even in one person. Thus far, the piece presented in "Dancing on the Earth" has been a forum for quite a bit of dialog, which leads to change. We first performed the dance outside the Washington DC Public Library at 9th and G streets downtown as part of the 9th Annual Improvisation Festival. That particular library is a pick-up location for the Homeless population in the District. In fact, many homeless and homeless veterans were a part of the audience that day, as well as the week of on-site rehearsing we did in preparation. Ms. Chaplin, you missed the point.

The piece, titled, "Objects of Hope: The America Project" began in the Spring of 2007 as I was asking family, friends, and strangers about their objects of hope. Through the process I discovered one of my own: this country. Defending my country while on travel abroad created a deep sense of ownership mixed with resentment, anger, pride, and confusion toward the United States. I was heartbroken by my own government. I made this dance out of the need to reclaim my personal patriotism. A paint splattered and water-soaked dancer seeking comfort by wrapping herself in an American Flag is hardly destroying a national symbol. Perhaps we need to take a closer look at our symbols and rediscover the moral fiber that binds them to our collective psyche. I wrote several entries in my blog about the performance week at St. Mary's, if anyone is interested in continuing the conversation, feel free to do so: http://reportreflectquestion.blogspot.com/2007/12/dancing-in-protest.html

As for Ms. Chaplin's friend, I hope that by the time she graduates from high school in 2011, she will have had many concert experiences that challenge and motivate her to seek art beyond her current understanding and comfort zone. When the time comes for her to choose her college home, perhaps St. Mary's will be a better fit.

"These people" have names. I am Kelly Mayfield. I teach modern and jazz dance at St. Mary's. I invite you to come take class.