Tag Archives: dance

Jul14

From a Sad to a Solo Symphony

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Last week I wrote about Cristian Mihai’s short story “A Sad, Sad Symphony.”

Thursday night I attended the opening performance of Solo Symphony. It features Peter Bay, the conductor since 1998 of the Austin Symphony Orchestra. This time, instead of conducting with his back to the audience, he faced us, and his movements and directions became a dance.

Has anyone heard of Trash Dance? Choreographer Allison Orr worked with trash collectors and their trucks to create a large scale “dance” on a huge parking lot at night. The workers and their movements; the trucks and their own long arms; turns and pivots. Extraordinary! Allison has also choreographed Venetian gondoliers, firefighters, and Elvis impersonators and highlighting their ordinary jobs as contemporary dance.

So it was no surprise when she watched Peter Bay conduct and saw  his movements as dance. The idea stirred within her: would he work with her to turn his craft into dance? Yes, indeed! In a collaboration with Graham Reynolds, musician, and Peter Bay, conductor, they transformed Bach, Stravinsky, Beethoven and Reynolds, with video by Stephen Pruitt, plus a 13-piece orchestra, we watched Peter Bay conduct. The small Rollins Theater made for a truly personal experience.

Loved it! Last performances today at 3 and 8pm at the Long Center, though it’s probably sold out. Perhaps a video someday?

Jan27

Kairos

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Kairos has found me at last in this time, this space, this moment of reflection. Cool morning, warm sun streaming through my favorite window.

Having moved non-stop it seems from holidays, son’s wedding, conference, sister-time, ministers’ retreat (with work to fill “spare time”), pastoral care, a couple of sermons squeezed in, meetings, plans, and more, means that personal time has been limited at best. Not a half day off with no work that had to be done, to the point that it did not qualify as true rest–just another thing to wedge between A & B and on toward Z. I have not had/blocked out enough time to give my soul a chance to catch up.

So I pause without agenda–except to let everything go–for the next few hours. Let this sunshine recharge my weakened batteries for a spell. The battery warning light was not glowing orange but red. Reserves have been tapped frequently to get through specific tasks or responsibilities only to leave me depleted at the end. Complete a task–barely–and move on before taking time to sweep my spirit clean. Float free like wind and water.

So let my spirit clear up with these blue skies after a gray day; let this breeze flow through me; let this poem speak to my heart; let this walk bring me down to earth; let this music dance for me until I can dance, too.