Strike

For the last three days, many of us walked over an hour to get to where we needed to go - sometimes in freezing temperatures over the Williamsburg Bridge. It actually wasn't that bad. I felt a calmness in everyone walking across that bridge. Everyone seemed more present, curteous and strangely connected by fate. Sore hamstrings and hip sockets could not prevent this city from functioning. I am constantly amazed by New Yorkers and how they can adapt to any situation. Imagine if you took away all of the cars in suburbia for three days. I'm sure we would never hear the end of it. The people walking with me on that bridge just enjoyed the view and looked as though they were saying "it could be worse" and it has. Having had no transportation for over half a work week, I think, made us appreciate all of the things that we are so fortunate to have as Americans. It certainly put a new perspective on Christmas shopping. The media immediately reports all the financial losses from the retail sector. Maybe they should question the essentials of life. Do we need to express ourselves with how much we possess? This week definitely made me appreciate what I am so lucky to have and for the profession I am in, one that examines the experience of living.

Gerald's NEW Holiday Teaching Schedule

Friday, December 23, 2:00-4:00
Saturday, December 24, 1:00-3:00
Monday, December 26, 2:00-4:00
Tuesday, December 27, 10:00-12:00
Wednesday, December 28, 2:00-4:00
Thursday, December 29, 10:00-12:00
Friday, December 30, 2:00-4:00
Monday, January 9, 2:00-4:00
Wednesday, January 11, 2:00-4:00
Friday, January 13, 2:00-4:00
Saturday, January 14, 11:30-1:30

DANCE NEW AMSTERDAM
451 Broadway, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10013-2510
Tel: 212/625-8369

Naked Much

Lately I've been seeing so much work with nudity. It's like I woke up from a nap and suddenly everyone has been stripped bare. All four shows I saw last week had nudity - Miguel Guttierrez, Pascal Rambert, Roseanne Spradlin, and even a tiny bit in Sasha Waltz. Why does everyone want to take their clothes off? I mean I get it but it just seems like the shock value is gone if everyone does it. Are we getting desensitized to it? I wonder if it's what most people walk away with when they see these pieces? I know it definitely leaves an impression on me and I have to work harder to get to the heart of the piece. Sometimes it works really well and sometimes I just don't get it. Maybe I'm not cool enough. Perhaps the thought of performing naked scares me. Would anyone like to elaborate on how it feels to be naked on stage? - the preparation, the feeling of dancing naked and do people look at you differently like "Oh, he's not a nudity virgin anymore..." hmmm...

Working With Actors

I've had the pleasure recently of working with actors since Alexandra, who teaches regularly at the Atlantic Theater School, needed a sub. What I experienced inspired me as a mover and as a viewer and teacher of dance. These actors, in general, move without hesitation or fear that they will look silly. I'm sure they are overwhelmed and daunted by the fact they they are expected to move as dancers at all. But the approach they take to movement surprised me. I led them through a warm up that would be tricky for anyone who has never worked with dance. The theme of the class was improvisation and, since I have never really taught an improvisation class, I took the spirit of what improvisation meant to me. I tried to be spontaneous in my preparation as well as in the presentation of ideas and materials for the class. I can see how movement improvisation can create a freshness to any work, dance or theater or dance-theater but what interests me is how real their bodies moved. There was no pretense to perform or an external trajectory of shape or line in space. All things flowed from an authentic place generated by simple tasks such as mirroring, sharing a plumb line or responding to touch via an outside stimulus. I can see how by being present, in every moment, they can translate the sensation they feel in their bodies to their intention as an actor. The use of text and language then becomes supported by a more organic physicality from which they can draw.