Dance with Feeling
I’ve often felt that my own definition of "art" is simply "the communication of emotion." Whatever medium, art is what makes you feel. (In my opinion, and there are stacks of books of art critique to refute me written by people much smarter than me).
That is kind of the theme of today’s links, both of which I enjoyed more than I can say. First, there is the charming Dance Diary of Ying, where she writes about a different kind of dancing – that is, the ritualized movement of Chinese drumming. I tried to get the neat Google video of the performance to go on this blog, but failed; you’ll have to go and click to see it. But I love the way she describes her relationship with the drum:
"Even though I am bad at it, I can still learn it and do it, and have fun with it. When I see Karen drumming, I understand that it is not good or bad, it is PLAYING with the drums! The hollow space inside the drum draws you in, bounces you back. It is between you and the drum. It is so wonderful. It communicates with you, with your energy.
If I can see my qi(chi), I would like it to look like these Chinese drums. red, round, empty inside, and right in front of my center."
Second, Shan wrote reviews of two dance performances in Toronto. The reviews themselves are well-written, from the heart, and both evocative and descriptive (and frankly, make me wonder why I bother trying when people like her are able to describe the things so much better). Her own experience as a performer really lends a nice twist to her descriptions:
"The whole time I watched and listened, I couldn’t help but think he sounded like a city slicker talking about something he’d never experienced. It just did not ring true. Then again, I grew up on farms and in forests, living off the land, so go figure. If I were to dance city living, I’ll betcha it wouldn’t ring true, either."
That was about Tedd Robinson’s REDD, by the way.
Tags: dance, tedd robinson, shan, shanmonster, ying, dance diary, drumming
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