New Notes

Spent the morning finding sounds for the soundscore to "January Night." I went to a playground. It was cold, so I had it to myself. The playground has one of those intricate metal structures with bridges and tubes and slides and many toeholds for climbing. Many of the metal parts make bright, resonant sounds. I clanged and banged on that playground equipment until I thought someone would call the police because I was disturbing the peace.

I guess a little clanging on a gray winter day is not such a big deal. The gentle wind brushed the windchimes. I spent 20 minutes just recording this delicate tinkling. I found sticks under trees and used these to tap out rhythms on metal parts with different tones. I hope these new notes will layer together in a satisfying way. Some will, some won't: this is how it goes.

I often wonder whether to start using electronic tones instead of finding every sound from the environment. Yet, I like the authenticity of my scratchy recordings. My soundscores are the sounds of my life: cars, construction equipment, birds, ambulances, rain, playgrounds…. Just as my dances reflect my experience, I want my soundscores to reflect that particular time in my life. This time, it reflects that I frequent playgrounds with Maya, and that they are lonely places in winter--so lonely that the windchimes stand out. Another portion of the soundscore comes from a solo drummer playing on the balcony of his apartment in Northwest DC. Such a lucky find for a composer/choreographer! Maya and I stumbled below his balcony on our way back from a splashpark in the summertime. Serendipity exists.

The new duet with Alex and Amanda looks luscious! Amanda sleds against, across, over, and under Alex, eyes closed as a sleepwalker. It's such a nice complement to the sledding on the ramp that comes before. Sometimes I feel so grateful! Beauty sometimes comes my way.

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!