I have often been told that when I perform, the singing sounds effortless, as if it was possible to just open my mouth and have the dulcet tones ring out perfectly in tune. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Recently I was asked to take on the responsibilities of production manager for an exciting project involving dance, the environment, a doctoral dissertation and the opportunity to be involved in research on the evolution of environmental awareness and interpretation through dance. Dianne Eno (standing on the left in photo), a force in environmental dance and education, has worked on her ideas of interpreting and understanding the natural world in part by performing annually on the summit of Mount Monadnock, one of the most frequently climbed mountains in the world. Located in New Hampshire's Cheshire County, on clear days the apex of Mount Monadnock offers a view of the Boston skyline.
The 25th-annual production this year will consist of two performances: the first is this coming Saturday, May 21st at 1 pm on Mount Monadnock. The second will be July 22nd at 8 pm at the Colonial Theater in Keene, New Hampshire. I urge all of you to make the trip and come see one or both shows.
But what is the process to a performance like this? Does the magic just happen? Do these women just wake up knowing how to move harmoniously? Perhaps the musicians who provide the score for this just open their mouths and sing with abandon, playing instruments by ear. Or is there something else to this, something more behind the ease and joy we see. The process of rehearsal, the re-hearing, practicing movement, training muscles to know where, how and when to move changes the form of the dance as well as the dancer. Each of them grows, changes, develops a new and intimate relationship with the rocks, the trees, the water.
This evolution is seen in the gradually emerging experience that can be felt by seeing the dances performed. Where once there were jetés managed with technical perfection, there are now leaping tree limbs being tossed by the wind of a thunderstorm, the gentleness of granite and the strength of a bending birdfeather.
The transformation of dancers into interpreters of rocks, trees or clouds doesn't happen over night. Like erosion on the mountain, the process is a gradual wearing away of movements that are unnecessary, replacing them with fluidity, meaningful gestures and poses that cause the women to disappear.
Sitting in Dianne's living room, the rain added its drumming cadence to the recorded music, it was possible to see the humans changing into denizens of the natural world: trees, rocks, branches, mountains.
Clouds float above and settle, thunder crashes and the lightning bolts arc through the sky. Small animals scuttle for shelter. Breezes waft through the room carrying the gentle scent of alpine flowers. The mountain begins to take shape inside the house, and within our imagination.
Once the dances are over and the reverberations of music fade, the discussions of what works and what doesn't begin. Journals are consulted, costumes are tried on and the mundane machinations common to any rehearsal begin.
Rehearsals for this project are grueling. Unpleasant. Sometimes painful. They take dedication and a willingness to hike in snow and ice, document what is seen, heard, touched, smelled and felt. Weekends are spent away from family, from children, partners. Make no mistake. Rehearsals and research involve long hours of sacrifice.
Those who are fortunate enough to make the climb and be in the audience at the summit on Saturday will be surrounded by the beauty of nature's home while they participate by their presence in the message of conservation and harmonious living delivered by Dianne and her dancers. A few weeks from now, those who come to the Colonial Theater will experience first-hand the magic of having the mountain brought to them, channeled through a year of contact and observations directed by the vision of one extraordinary woman.
If you enjoyed this post and would like to know more or make a donation to help support the MountainDance project, please visit the Dianne Eno Fusion Danceworks website.
To purchase tickets for the July 22 performance of MountainDance, please visit the Colonial Theater website or contact the box office at 603-357-1233.
Text and Photographs Copyright © 2011 CoyoteOldStyle.
All Rights Reserved.
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The Salon Pop Up read exactly this`
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"something went wrong" I sigh out loud.
But. I then got a notice ad Pop Up to buy.
I was offered a Salon Tote bag and a magazine.
Then - The pop up read the comment no exist.
Coyote Old Style. You are 'Perfect' for challenges.
Good on You. Ya as like one of those wild women
West Virginian Mountain Woman. Mid June Time.
You are refined, folksy, and talented as a red hawk.
No scratch with those red tail hawk talons. It hurts.
Oops.
I best go hush up.
Np more pop ups.
Ya got great talent.
Kent, I hope for that audience appreciation as well but more than that, I'd like this to raise consciousness about the environment. Dianne is busy not only writing her doctoral dissertation about this but also developing a method for teaching youngsters about the beauty and importance of caring for the blue marble we live on. Thanks for stopping by.
Kudos, and it sounds like it will be a magnificent show.
Owl, that's exactly right. On the infrequent occasions that I see ballet, it amazes me how the dancers seem to float as if held up by invisible wires. And they are! But that invisible means of support is developed through years of training musculature. I know you would enjoy this.
Candace, thank you. The commitment is unreal. They've been up and down the mountain almost every week in all kinds of weather, enduring injuries and also having some people drop out of the project because they became disillusioned. These women are just amazing.
Rated with hugs
Linda, it's been a 25-year journey for Dianne and her dance troupe. Most of the dancers in this incarnation are based in NYC so their commitment involves really a lot of travel since there is no direct route between this area and anywhere else. It's certainly a community with far-reaching roots.
Mary, it's unsettling to me that we are surrounded by artists who go mostly unrecognized and largely unpaid while so many corporate CEOs reap hugely inflated salaries. We need to embrace the arts as the enrichers of our society.
Christine, take a few moments to visit the Dance Fusion website and watch the videos of some of the dances. You'll be even more amazed!
Nikki, I'm certainly doing whatever I can to make this live beyond the performances. Dianne is developing a pedagogy for use with schoolchildren that will help them relate to the natural world through dance. Part of the theater performance is slated to include tree planting in a park built by private citizens. Hopefully, there will be a groundswell of activism.
Trudge, I think you're right. Because both have to hike up the mountain, they share a common bond right from the start. I find it incredible that the dancers hike up, dance for an hour or more and then hike down. Having dinner with them is a blast!
bike, it would be a long road trip followed by another long trip up the mountain. And no bicycle trails up there! If you're in the Monadnock Region this July, there will be a performance in the Colonial Theater on the 22nd that we hope will bring the mountain to people who otherwise would not be able to climb. I'll pencil you in for two tickets.