Saturday, May 10, 2008

A Dancer's Life (2)


This text and the text for a previous post on "A Dancer's Life," are from a widget, created by my daughter, Sophie. If you'd like the widget, go here.



So, in case any of you didn't know, last week was NATIONAL DANCE WEEK, here in the U.S.A. National Dance Week was started by a grassroots movement of choreographers, dance suppliers dance companies, and dancers, to gain more recognition for dance in America. Their coalition for a National Dance Week was formed in 1981, and in 1991 the holiday was officially named. Though it does not have very much emphasis on ballet, focusing more on Broadway, Ballroom, Tap, Jazz and Modern dance, ballet dancers can still celebrate this holiday as one truly earned. I know you ask me, why did you not tell us before the fact? Well, I wanted to post this afterwards so you could see what sort of events went on, and possibly consider being a delegate yourself next year! Some 2008 events were: *In San Diego, San Diego Ballet presented a small, in-studio workshop titled, "Choreographer's Creations for National Dance Week." The workshop showcased choreographers from the San Diego area and SDB dancers. * In Kansas City, Kansas City Ballet did a production titled, "Romeo and Juliet; a celebration for national dance week" *In New York, there was a production titled, "Four Artists Celebrate National Dance Week with the Rites of Spring," choreographed by Ramona Candy. *In Cleveland, there was a "National Dance Week Open House" sponsored by Cleveland City Dance. This included free performances by the Cleveland Chamber Ballet and a free jazz class. *in Spokane, WA there was a "Dancefest for National Dance Week in Spokane 2008" sponsored by Inland Northwest Dance Association. The event was open to anyone and encouraged all forms of dance in any person who wished to. Included classes, a silent auction, a health fair, art gallery, and more. *In Washington, DC, there was "Dance is the Answer with National Dance Week sponsored by Dance/Metro DC The photo is from the Miami Beach Dance Festival 2008.
• by Sophie Lewis

Posted by Suzanne at 11:25 PM

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Dumbstruck by the Mystery

...our temptation is always to impose our prejudices or our measure on reality -- except when we are faced with a fact that leaves us dumbstruck, and instead of dominating the fact ourselves, we are dominated, overcome by it. If there were no moments of this kind, the Mystery could do anything, but in the end, we would reduce everything to the usual explanation. But not even a Nobel Prize winner can stop himself from being dumbstruck before an absolutely gratuitous gesture. If there were not these moments, we would find answers, explanations, and interpretations to avoid being struck by anything. It is good that some things happen that we cannot dominate, then we have to take them seriously, and this is the great question of philosophy. If the conditions for the possibility of knowledge (see Kant) impose themselves on reality or if there is something that is so powerfully disproportionate that it does not let itself be "grasped" by the conditions of possibility, then the horizon opens. If this were not the case, then we could dominate everything and be in peace, or at least without drama. Instead, not even the intelligence of a Nobel Prize winner could prevent him from coming face-to-face with a fact that made him dumbstruck -- instead of dominating, it was he who was dominated. Here begins the drama, because I am called to answer. It is the drama that unfolds between us and the Mystery, through certain facts, certain moments, in which the Mystery imposes itself with this evidence. These are facts that we cannot put in our pocket, which we cannot reduce to antecedent factors.
-- Julian Carron in "Friends, that is, Witnesses."