Week 10 was our dress rehearsal at our usual Thursday meeting time. Some people arrived a little early and I had the group start an improvisation to warm up and get connected. I was playing Brian Eno’s Music for Airports, a lovely, soft, slow piece of music that set the tone for a sensitive improvisation. As the middle school students arrived to the space the dance was in motion and they added in one by one. I let them improvise for the whole song, 16 minutes of it, as I took pictures, seeing through the camera the comfort and ease they had in dancing with each other. I could have watched this for hours but we did have dress rehearsal to get to. We went over some of the changes to the blind leading section and talked over details and then had a very smooth rehearsal. On Friday and Saturday we had full audiences of parents, family and friends and were warmly received both nights. On Friday night we had special guests John and Ruth Waddell make an appearance joining us in the improvisational section. John and Ruth had been a part of the original Choreography in the Community project, Growth Rings, that happened ten years ago. They wanted to revisit this time in their lives and jump in with the current group of dance. The performance felt magical, everyone gave fully of themselves, the focus of the performers was strong, and they were relaxed enough to improvise with confidence. They did a great job with the choreographed pieces and I think blew the audience away with how far they had come. I heard many comments that people were moved to tears by seeing the different bodies, ages and genders all sharing the stage as equals. Two performances were over so quickly, leaving the sweet sadness of a job well done and the end of very special time together. Seeing the sense of pride everyone had about what we had created and how warmly it was received was one of those times that I just wanted to slow way down and soak up the feeling. I have big gratitude to my class for hosting this event and for each person who gave their unique beauty to the mix. Tomorrow we have our closure with the group, meeting at a park to have a little relaxed time together and say our goodbyes. » IMG_9955
