The Path to Sleep: Notes on a Philadelphia Dance Premiere

I get self-conscious about my dances sometimes. Looking out the window, I see a smattering of sunset leaves dangling tenuously at the ends of thin, black branches, tossed, curled, shaken--yanked upon by November wind. If art is everywhere, what is the point of making dances?

I continue nevertheless. We are at a transitional point now: a change needs to come here, but I don't know what. The new section is developing well. Amanda tosses and turns fitfully with Alex as a blanket. Florencia breaks in downstage of them, pacing in her sleeplessness. Soon, Alex becomes active: Amanda pries her way over, around, or under him. They are lovers who, wanting sleep but unable to find it, try sex instead. Florencia, having decided to get up out of bed, is cold. She shivers under her shirt, closes it more tightly about her, rubs her neck to relieve tension. All of the movement has become focused around the neck. Amanda fashions pathways around Alex's torso in order to reach his neck, only to slide away. The neck serves as a metaphor for the whole body. Each dancer seeks relief by renewing connections with their bodies.

This is my method of relieving anxiety. It is 11:47am. I have just finished my dance practice in the gym. It took me most of an hour to tune in to the subtle music of my body. I moved, but was not present in the moment until just at the end. It is so hard to let go of my thoughts sometimes! If there are any crossroads approaching, a class I have never taught before, a mistake that I have to clean up, a night of much work and little sleep…I get locked into a cycle of thoughts that run and rerun down the same paths. The body is the author of peace. The body feels, the spirit heals, the mind connects.

But what to do now? How does the pattern change? Now that I have established a theme of neck, do we rotate to other body parts? Do we drop everything for an abrupt switch to a new section? Do we break up the groups?

What do I do when I can't sleep? I fuss and I fret, then I get up and read, then I go back up to more fussing and, finally, sleep. Then I wake in the morning with a fuzzy head and heavy eyelids.

Human Landscape Dance and Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co will perform in The Philadelphia/Washington DC Exchange May 29 at 7:30pm and May 30 at 3pm at the Painted Bride Arts Center, 230 Vine St in Philly. Come join us!