Powder-Bib Dance

I went to Tahoe last weekend for vacation! Nanny nanny la la la! (Am I rubbing it in? hell yes! After years of listening to other people speak of their great ski trips to Tahoe, I finally had a fun-filled one of my own so rubbing it in is well deserved!) Of course I had to seize the incredible opportunity to dance in the midst of all that beauty and snow.  Needless to say I was limited by the “snow puffy” effect of my powder bib. After about twenty minutes of hilarious video in which I slid around limbs flying I finally opted to stay seated and this little hand dance happened.

It is interesting to me how the many layers of creation unfold when working with film.  At the time of moving I was just playing with my hands, following my creative impulse and what my body sort of wanted to do.  Later I came across this piece of music from Swelling Meg (I danced with them in the Edinburgh Arts Festival over a decade ago – aren’t they cool?) which gives the piece some nice edge, I think.  Add in the title and this dance begins to actually say something – whether or not I was consciously or unconsciously thinking about it already, I’m not sure.

Jammies

There are many great things in the works for me lately that have sort of taken up the space in which I usually film and edit videos.  Editing videos takes a lot of time, you know? Anyhow, I wasn’t going to post this video since it is a work which is actually a duet that I have plans to film in a couple of weeks, but since I have nothing else I’d like to post at the moment , I decided to go ahead and give you a little preview.  Here is some movement I’ve been working on.  This was filmed during a lovely morning in the studio when I was feeling just so warm and joyful and wanting to experiment a little bit.

Performing from a Different Place

I am really enjoying trying out different ways of being when I perform.  Instead of trying to push myself out to the audience, last night I was experimenting with just “being” with them.  I was partially successful (in how I felt about it).  On the one hand it feels more genuine, on the other hand, sometimes you have to push a little in order to raise the energy which I didn’t do as effectively at the show last night.  But I do like the part when I drop my fan and shrug at the audience.  Acknowledging it made everybody laugh and put them at ease. It was what I like to call a happy accident:)

Doing Sevillanas with the magnificent, Clara:

Generating Ideas

My friend Illy has got this talent show “gig” coming up.  She asked me if I wouldn’t mind helping her generate ideas.  At 8:30 on Saturday morning she came over to my house so we could get some work done.  She is 8.  Luckily her mom brought coffee.  Naturally, what followed was a very serious dance session.

My Flamenco Love Affair

You can complain all you want that I haven’t posted enough videos recently.  I agree. It sucks. There is a reason. (Notice I said “reason” and not “excuse” because I still think that excuses are bullshit as previously stated near the beginning of this blog) Let me explain:

Next week, Wednesday, January 25th to be exact, I am performing flamenco at Disco Volante in downtown Oakland. For the past several weeks I have been working on what I would like to perform.  Now, this may get you wondering.  Every day? you wonder. . every day you have been working on just flamenco? for this one performance? Well, in a word, yes. 

Working is the perfect word. Before working on this gig, a lot of what I’ve been doing every day has been play, fun, imagine, following my trail of interest.  This flamenco gig has been work.

It is really my own fault. Flamenco is supposed to be fun. I was at a Misión Flamenca show  in San Francisco last Saturday night and fun was exactly what I saw and was reminded of.  Dancers performing their hearts out and community supporting them and people enjoying themselves. Yes, this is what flamenco is supposed to be, I think. But for some reason knowing I would be doing a flamenco gig again with live musicians and the whole bit which I haven’t done for quite some time got me really anxious.   You see I have had a long love affair with flamenco and it hasn’t always been pretty.  Like many love affairs, there was the initial dreamy eyed falling in love part, followed by the harsh realization that there was work involved.  After putting in years of work, I have often almost given up on it. Several times.   Sometimes I think that dancing it makes me angry. Or more aggressive than I want to be.  It churns up emotions which can be uncomfortable. I can feel frustrated like I’m never good enough. Sometimes, it feels like an inter-racial relationship.  Like there is something about me that doesn’t fit in the culture.  Flamenco doesn’t want to take a white girl home to mama.  I have let other people get too involved in my love affair and put too much importance on what people think of my relationship instead of listening to myself.  There are times I’ve felt like my love was unrequited. Un-returned.  I’ve turned my back on flamenco, pretending not to care. But secretely I do care. And I love dancing it. And lately with this blog, I’ve watched all those videos of me doing contemporary this, “modern” that, salsa this, and saw . . . underneath everything. . . a flamenco dancer. 

Luckily going to watch Misión Flamenca saved me from my anxiety about next Wednesday. It was a blast and reminde me to have fun with it again.  Thank god! I am having a lovely warm swim in the music of Guajiras.  I am relishing the coyness of the fan movements, rejoicing in my curviness, and feeling the excitement of crisply executed footwork. I am falling in love again.

For those of you interested in seeing me perform live, without the luxury of editing, I will be dancing next Wednesday night, January 25, 2012 at Disco Volante (347 14th St., Oakland, CA) 8:30 p.m., $7 cover, 2 sets. I am very excited to be working with such supportive and stellar artists: featuring singer Azriel “El Moreno,” David McLean on guitar, and Clara Rodriguez, dancer. Delicious food and drinks served late, all ages. Support flamenco in the East Bay — hope to see you there!

First Stages

I should have posted this awhile back, but if you read “My Flamenco Love Affair” post you’ll know that at the point when this was filmed, Jan 13th, I was in the throes of performance anxiety.  Now I am feeling more in control of the situation and have vastly improved on the dance below.  It is a nice little sneak preview however into the guajiras I will be performing this Wednesday night. 

Perspective

This question came from my friend David, who recently watched “El Salvadorian Coffee” regarding filming perspective and I thought it might be of interest to others:

“Although I liked the dance itself, I found the perspective a little odd – did you have no option but to put the camera on the floor, or was that for a desired effect?” -David

 ”Oh thanks David. It’s funny you would mention shooting from the floor only on this video. Almost all my videos shoot from the floor or from a low perpspective or looking up at the dancers. In the beginning it was due to ease and necessity. I’m not always going to have a tripods with me when the mood strikes to make a dance somewhere. Also I don’t relish the idea of having gear to lug in order to film something. But then as time went on and I tried some shots with a tripod I decided I actually like the perspective from the floor best. It enables you to see the feet of a dancer without being too far away from the camera and it gives each film a certain larger than life quality. When viewed straight on with a tripod life looks flat. From below feels more like it engages a sense of the other-worldly and fantastic to me.”  -Holly

2011 Year in Review

My brother in-law, Tim Pratt, recently wrote a 2011 retrospective article on his blog and not only was I blown away by his productivity and dedication to his craft (the dude is super-inspiration), but I was also inspired to write my own retrospective. If I may quote my fabulouse and prolific brother in-law: “A year is a good unit of time: short enough to be measurable and memorable, but long enough to get a sense of trends and developments. It’s a time to make course-corrections, and to see if my life is where I’d like it to be — and, if not, to figure out what actions are within my power to bring my dream life into line with my real life.”  So here is a look back at my trends, developments, trials, and achievements. Since I am not the professional writer that Tim is I have supported my sparse writings with some large pictures. heee

In 2011:

I started writing this blog. I’ve made 121 dances, or rather, 121 of what I like to call “sketches.” I’ve made 81 videos of these sketches, filmed in 29 different locations around SF, Oakland and greater CA, 21 of which are posted here. I’ve posted 36 blog entries (not so good:). My blog has been viewed 1600 times by people from all over the world including Egypt, Latin America, Australia, Sweden, and Czech Republic (lots of fans in these last two for some reason hmmm, old travel friends perhaps?)

My family grew double in size. . . well, technically anyway.  Aleister and I adopted two guinea pigs over Christmas: Sophie and Miss Suzie.  They are ginger-haired Absynnians and I am surprised how much I love them.

2011 was a year in which I let go of a lot of relationships because I was like, huh, this person makes me feel really awful when I’m around them. I let go of “the love of my life,” and a “best friend,” to name a few.  My close friend list is much smaller, but I am happier than ever with myself and with my life.

I’ve been salsa dancing more this year than in all the other years of my life combined. (Thank you Kirah, Bernadette, and Eliseo) I’ve become enamored with the combination of surrender and present awareness that salsa demands.

In 2011, my son’s father moved back to the Bay Area, and also moved away – Again. 

I’ve begun to allow more into my life by focusing more on what I want and less on what I don’t want.

I began to really like myself better without any make-up.

In 2011, my son started taking Ballet lessons, played two more seasons of soccer, gained a belt in Taekwondo, grew 5.3 inches, and went from being someone who I could pick up while he was sleeping to someone who, not only can I not pick up anymore, but writes full length short stories now, knows more science than I do, and actually makes decent and challenging arguements when he wants things. Drat!

This morning he told me, “I don’t know why mom, but I just feel good inside.” Watching his inner freedom and joy, I am in many ways, his student.

To read Tim’s retrospective article, click here.

Nutcracker

How many belly-dancers out there have ever watched the Nutcracker and wished they could “re-do” the Arabian Coffee number?  Plenty, I’m sure.  Elegant and beautiful for what it is, there is very little anything that is Arabian about it.  The waving of the arms, the leotard over pantaloons, a short unusual floor sequence – these are all supposed to elude to something Middle-Eastern.  Don’t get me wrong.  I actually really love the original and am always especially awestruck in those first few moments where the girl is carried out in a veil and then ceremoniously unwrapped.  It is a ballet interpretation of Arabia. I can appreciate that.  Which is why I decided to do my own version.  At first I had plans to make it wholly Middle-Eastern (well, as wholly anything I could do which we know how that goes), but what kept stumping me was that it is such a duet.  It really calls for a man.  So, I was keeping Arabian Coffee in my back pocket.

Then I met Eliseo one night while I was out salsa dancing.  He has the perfect combination of grace and masculinity all rolled into one.  So what resulted is sort of a salsa-esque version. I hope I get to come back to this one.  The music is so dreamy and there is so much more we could have dove into had we had more time in the space.  (I got very lucky sweet talking some security guards to let me sneak into the pavillion and use this space yesterday.  Luckily it was the day after Christmas so the Financial District was quiet and I had been scoping out this marble-lined hall for many months.)  I hope you enjoy this brief artistic sketch on this holiday favorite.

Lil by lil

For the past few weeks, I’ve been working with the widely known Bay Area flamenco dancer (formerly of L.A.) Clare Rodriguez.  What riches! An incredible mover and energetic dancer she is also just really open to new ideas and pushing the movement sphere of flamenco.  Committed to traditional flamenco since she was a teen Clare is really dedicated and knowledgeable about flamenco (she also sings flamenco cante, which is something many of the more seasoned dancers learn to do because it enhances their ability to dance to the flamenco letras, or verses).  So I was thrilled when she said she was interested in working with me in order to expand her vocabulary to more modern and contemporary movement.  What has resulted is a weekly workshop and exchange of ideas.

Here I have posted two videos from our workshops – filmed a week apart.  I thought it might be interesting to see the development of one simple idea into a greater piece.   This will be developing even further in the coming weeks. Clare is gracious enough to allow me to post these videos even though the material is obviously unrehearsed and rather raw.

A week ago:

And then today: