Branch Dances at the Barnes Foundation, Wed, June 12

Ahhh!  It's good to back!

Marion Ramírez. Photo:Bill Hebert

I'm excited to be presenting another set of  Branch Dances at the Barnes Foundation next Wednesday, June 12, during the opening reception of the Dance USA Conference.  I'm happy to have the opportunity to show the work in this context, and for this audience (a  who's who of Philadelphia dance and beyond).

SoMoS was selected for presentation at the conference as a "presenters' pick" during the recent Philadelphia Dance Showcase.  Also on the program are Kun Yang Lin, Anne Marie Mullgrew, and Tori Lawrence.

The Barnes is a perfect venue for a bare bones version of the Branch Dances. The elegant architecture brings out the aesthetic power and compelling expressivity of the straight-on performance practice.   Olive Prince, Beau Hancock, Jung Woong Kim, and Marion Ramírez will be performing three movement structures from SoMoS; no projections.  Beau will be inside with his heroic version of Jumatatu Poe's bundle dance.  Olive will  be guarding the entrance performing her extraordinary solo with two giant branches; Marion and Jung Woong will perform their sensual vining duet along the reflecting pool.   Christine Darch is creating new costumes for the occasion.   Harold S. Smith will  accompany us on the didgeredoo.   It promises to be a  kinesthetic, aural, and visual feast!

Marion Ramírez. Photo: Bill Hebert

Even though its a private event,  passersby can catch the outdoor  performances along the reflecting pool and the entrance starting at 8:00PM (at no cost).  If you are attending the conference, make sure you plan to stay to the end of the event so you see the entire 30 minute  performance which begins at 8PM.

The weather promises to be delightful.   I hope you will join us!


Directions to Barnes Foundation

Its been a week since SoMoS.   Still feeling happy from the experience. But tired.  Performing for 3.5 hrs in 30some degree weather takes its toll.

Below are photos by Gabe Martinez and links to various post-performance press.   Check out Deni Kasrel's review in the the City Paper.

Jazmyn Burton has written a piece for the Temple Times.  

And the Dance Journal review.

Olive Prince

Silvana Cardell by the mural

Jumatatu Poe and summer tent

The winter tent from outside

Marion Ramirez & Jung Woong Kim in spring tent

Ellen Gerdes by the fall wall

Marion Ramirez in ensemble finale

Katie Jasmin, Merián Soto & Marion Ramirez

Melissa Putz & Jung Woong Kim

audience

Interview with Marion Ramirez, dancer-collaborator for SoMoS.

Q: What is your role in SoMoS?

Photo: Lindsay Browning

Marion Ramirez: I am a performer-collaborator in SoMoS. As performers we bring the branch dance practice alive through our work. Because of its improvisational nature, it is never same as the time before. Also by having the audience so close to us I have discovered that we are viewed as sculptures and/or as people, depending on our performative quality. It is important to stay present and open to all the information we are receiving but not to lose focus on the slow movements that emerge from our connection to the branch and other performers.

I specifically have a long duet with Jung Woong Kim as part of the spring season. I imagine that we are seeds and we grow through the branches and get trapped and survive by going around another branch, and get rained on, and grow some more. My relation to this dancer's body and energy grows from this imaginative nature being. One example is that looking at the other and sensing has more to do with what we perceive through our whole body rather than what we see with the eyes. The eyes are part of the body but not more important than anything else. This way of working which I often use in my own work is magnified in the branch dances.

Photo: Lindsay Browning

Q: How does the location of SoMoS affect your approach to performing?

Marion Ramirez: In performing outside but not in the forest or at the park, there is a different feeling than what I am used to. In rehearsal I continue remembering that being outside is being in nature. Sensing the air, the change in the position of the sun, the amount of light there is, the movement of the clouds above and the rhythms of the people around us. In this work people are nature.

Q: How long have you been working with choreographer Merián Soto on branch dances, and what was the process like to develop the practice?

  

Photo: Gabriel Osorio-Soto

Marion Ramirez: I have been working with Merián since 2003. I joined her for one of the first residencies of branch dancing, in Huntington, Long Island. At that time, I was more of a witness, outside eye, observing her process of discovery, documenting, and helping her understand or differentiate the different explorations with branch dancing as a solo/duet between dancer and branch. I was witnessing and supporting this way the development of her solo Three Branch Songs in collaboration with musician Elio Villafranca.

Later on, I moved out of US for a few years and upon my return I joined her again for more branch dance within an ensemble context. I participated in the first version of Postcards from the Woods at Pregones Theater in the Bronx in 2009. We rehearsed over time for a few months while I was pregnant. It was special experience for me to do this while expecting my child. I was naturally more inclined to slow down my movement (although my idea an experience of slow was often too fast for Merián). I learned a lot through it and the creative process revealed the different experiences between performing in nature and in a black box theater. Also in that performance we worked with projections, which also affects the performance significantly. One is aware of the show that is encased in the screen and relates to it as another partner.

Then I joined the branch dances for the 2011 project, for the Wissahickon Reunion, in Philadelphia, and the Wave Hill performance in the Bronx. For all these performances we would go in groups of two to six people to rehearse at the site, and align our practice to the specific qualities and elements of the locations. But to our surprise most of the time we had unpredictable conditions. In the performance we realized that the nature of the performance itself prepared us to deal with anything.

Photo: Wave Hill

In October 2011, we had a performance at Wave Hill and there was a snowstorm. It was very unexpected, we did it under a few inches of snow with trees falling down everywhere around. In the rest of the shows, we had rain and did a wonderful performance under the storm, and other times, it was incredibly cold, weather that made my limbs numb and I couldn't move well. But the work can adapt to any situation. I learned to be there with what I had and not try to make any one moment beautiful or attractive by trying to control the natural course of my responses in slow speed to the relationship of branch, my body in performance, and the environment.

Q: Merián has talked about how SoMoS is like a culmination of her branch dance work. How do you see this evolution?

Marion Ramirez: I see the progression from solo work—which always implied to be a duet, the branch with the dancer—to the simultaneous experiences of the performers in duets like Jumatatu Poe with my sister Noemi Segarra and then the group work in the park, like trees that are individual and by themselves but are sharing space and resources with others, to more ensemble work in which many branches, many people, many personal stories, collective stories, nature's shapes and qualities all come together. 

Photo: Lindsay Browning

I have especially enjoyed this last work, in which I duet with my husband in an impossible, delicious, and long duet for the spring season. We will be dueting for a few hours, since there are two runs of the piece the same night. We are improvising within the context that Merián has given us, and are framed by, and are following the specific images that we all discovered together and that relate to the branch dancing. At first I felt that we were doing something dangerous, soon after there was no fear. The vine and a plant have no fear of growing. This metaphor has given me much inspiration for my performance and for my life.

I also enjoy the simple stories we have developed for the group work, like a collective experience. I can't imagine this being a culminating event for branch dance. Every time I go to the park and see a fallen branch I grab it and practice, play discover. I hope to continue being part of these performances if Merián chooses to continue performing them, but I will also hope to be available and instigate more development of branch dances as I continue to collaborate with Merián.

September 25, 2012

Interview by Josh McIlvain

SoMoS: The Branches

Beua Hancock

In case you are wondering, no trees were harmed in the creation of this work.   The branches were collected from the ground, mostly from Wissahickon Valley Park.    We dance with branches that have been ripped off their trees by the wind, the rain, or snow; or that have cracked off a dead or dying tree.

Jumatatu Poe

We call it a stick, and don’t give it much thought, but when we pause and handle it with attention, we sense and understand that in its form, this common object reflects the fluid patterns life.   This now “dead” object, was once part of a living, growing organism.  As we connect to it we image the wizard’s staff, a conduit of ancient powers— the  original thrust of life and nature, the form of flow  form. 

Jumatatu Poe, Jung Woong Kim, Olive Prince & Marion Ramirez

The practice of branch dancing is  paying attention to our sensory responses when holding the branches.   How does the body assemble itself to find efficient balance; how can we balance the energy of the rest of the body with the energy/sensation at the point of contact; how does one survive the practice over and extended period of time?  Sensing the weight, shape, and form of the branches triggers the somatic imagination and a myriad of sensations.  A feedback circuit is activated connecting sensing, observing, responding, imagining, choosing, and doing.   We sense the  myriad of  intersecting energies of physical  experience.  We re-member evolutionary processes and our connection to other living things.

We trick ourselves into staying present by committing to difficult tasks such as balancing “impossibly” heavy or long branches, handling various branches at one time, etc. The physical and somatic concentration is exacting, inviting a shift of consciousness.  Viewers willing to slow down  with us often report slipping into a place of reverie.  

SoMoS attempts to promote a communal shift in consciousness.   We have designed the various environments to stimulate the senses and the imagination.  But its not an automatic process.  We have to enter the experience; we have to slow down and take our time.   In the same way the dancer has to pause and sense into her body, the audience is invited to pause, and gently observe their own sensory and imaginative experience.

I hope you will join us  October 12. 

Photos: Lindsay Browning 

Video: Merián Soto

Branch Dance @ Wave Hill, Sunday April 22 at 3:30 PM

The SPRING performance of Branch Dances@Wave Hill will take place Sunday, April 22 at 3:30 PM at Wave Hill Art Center, the 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades, in NYC. The performance features performances by Beau Hancock, Jumatatu Poe, Olive Prince, Marion Ramirez, and Harold S. Smith on didgiredoo.

Come and enjoy the beauty of Spring at Wave Hill. It's a short 5 to 10 minute walk to the site from the entrance so wear comfortable walking shoes and give yourself plenty of time to get there. Audiences are advised to come prepared: check the weather forecast, and layer your clothing if its cool. Wear a hat and sunglasses. Bring water. Check this blog for last minute updates and for directions.

In addition, on Saturday April 21 at 2PM I will be conducting an outdoor workshop at Wave Hill titled Opening the Senses/Partnering with Nature. We will explore various techniques for expanding sensory awareness and connecting to the elements. The workshop is open to anyone 12 years and older.

Hope to see you there!

Spring is here! Join us for Wissahickon Reunion, Sunday April 15!

The Spring performance of Wissahickon Reunion will take place Sunday April 15 at 10:30 AM. Joining me for this performance are dancers: Beau Hancock, Jumatatu Poe, Olive Prince, and Marion Ramírez; and acclaimed musician Harold S. Smith.

Come out and enjoy the beauty of Spring in Wissahickon Valley Park! It's a short hike to the site from the Valley Green parking lots so wear comfortable shoes with grip and give yourself plenty of time to get there.

We perform rain or shine—cancellations only in extreme weather Audiences are advised to come prepared: check the weather, layer your clothing--the temperature in the park is usually cooler than in the city. Wear a hat and sunglasses on sunny days. Bring water. And of course check this blog for last minute updates.

Directions to the site

We will be along the falls just off of Forbidden Drive, north of Valley Green Inn. For directions to Valley Green Inn see: http://valleygreeninn.com/directions.php

From Henry Avenue enter on Wise's Mill Rd (north of Walnut Lane, south of Andorra) This will take you down to Forbidden Drive. (you can only travel one way) Follow Forbidden drive until you reach parking lot. (1/4 mile) The performance site is a 5-8 min walk from this parking lot.

From Lincoln Drive turn right on McCallum St. (1.2 miles past the first light). Make a left at McCallum Street. Follow McCallum until it dead ends on Wolcott St. Make a left on Wolcott, follow it until it dead ends into Valley Green Road. Make a left on Valley Green road. The road will end in a parking lot. The site is 8 -10min walk north along Forbidden Drive.

Photos: Gabriel Osorio-Soto

Article and Video in Temple Times

Jazmyn Burton has written a thoughtful article which appears in the Temple Times along with a video piece by Gina Benigno. Yay!

Also check out some of Marisol Diaz's photos of the WINTER performance at Wave Hill. The warm brilliance of the light comes from the setting sun.

WINTER @ Bluebell Meadow: Dedicated to the memory of Niles Ford

Sunday's performance at Bluebell Meadow set the record for the coldest branch dance performance to date: 23 degrees.

Somehow it didn't feel so cold to me. Perhaps I was numb inside from the sad sad news of Niles' unexpected passing the day before. How could it be? So young, maybe 50? Such a daring, vibrant and generous dancer and friend, gone in his sleep. Niles created unforgettable roles in several of my works-- Historias (1992) Familias (1995) and Pelea de Gallos (1998). He was an incredible support to my growth as an artist.

Numb. I was focused on my role as director. Gotta do the work. Gotta get to the site. Didn't check the temperature; can't find my watch. Didn't write in the blog. No matter. The show must go on. Ha, its not a show, its a performance.

It was a brilliant day. There were only 2 or 3 people out with their dogs when we arrived. Odd, I thought, I had expected more people would be there, especially on such a gloriously beautiful morning. The practice is to perform no matter what, no matter who is there or not. We follow the plan. Set up, and go. We started and they came! Wonderful to see some familiar faces: Ken and Annie Goldenberg, Leila Macbeth, Judy Williams, Colleen Hooper, Karen and Deanna Bond. In retrospect, knowing the temperature, its amazing that anyone came.

The moment I entered the dance, I once again felt deeply grateful to the dancers and audience for this shared moment in time and nature. "the fragility of balance" Ken called it. Something magical happens in the space and time of the branch dance practice. In the challenge to stay present and find balance, we connect. We re-connect to the branches, ourselves, to each other, to nature. In moving towards stillness and riding the fragile edge of ever shifting balance we enter a dynamic state of flow and awareness.

I felt a powerful connection with the dancers: Marion Ramirez, Jumatatu Poe and Beau Hancock. I felt a powerful connection to the bare trees and the play of sunlight and shadows, to Tigger Benford's delicate music.

Remembering Niles, I felt a pang in my heart. The suddenness; we are here a moment and gone the next. Jenny went to bed beside her spouse and awakened next to a corpse. The heart breaks suddenly. My heart gave a cry and I yielded. The branch crashed to the ground beside me.

My hat loosened from my head I felt the cold on my neck. I check the impulse to protect my head and neck from the cold. This is right. I remember the branches breaking and crashing under the weight of the snow at Wave Hill during the storm last fall. I feel my chest expanding and contracting. Breath, breathe. My weight on the ground, my face in the ground. To the earth we return. Safe travel Niles; may your spirit be free.

I waited there with my face in the ground. Someone approached me and asked if I was OK. I waited, smelling the earth, sensing the breath, listening, honoring Niles. I waited a long while until I could no longer hear Tigger's music.

Slowly, I sat up to see Marion too, lying on the earth, and Juma and Beau were crouching. The end. Sadness, gratitude and love. Most of the audience was gone or scurrying to their cars, except for a few friends who stayed to say hello.

JUDY WILLIAMS PHOTOS

Flow in the Snow-Branch Dances @ Wave Hill October 29, 2011: Marion Ramirez Reflects on the Performance

Yesterday afternoon I traveled to Wave Hill -a beautiful botanical garden in the Bronx, New York- to perform as part of Merian Soto’s Branch Dance Project. It was the first snow storm of the season. Most of the trees are still full of leaves, not ready for snow and ice. At 2:45 p.m. under the heavy snow, we started the dance. Together with the other dancers and musician, I moved slowly for about 30 minutes.

The field was full of snow. My branch was long and brown; it curved towards the edge on one end, making it slightly heavier on that side. I found a spot in the field were I wanted to settle. The wood stick was leaning against my body, resting on my shoulder as I was standing with my arms hanging down.

I could hear the sound of the snow balls fall on my rain poncho. I started to breathe deeper so as to feel more heat in my inner body, to soften my joints, to connect with the moment as it was. I bent my knees a little so to feel my own weight against the ground. The ground felt very far away. I invited myself to sink into my socks, my snow boots, down through the layers of snow and finally into the ground. Once I found the surface I was standing on, I started to feel the weight of the branch on my shoulder. Its weight was comforting and stable. Following my impulse to touch it, I slowly intended movement towards the branch. I reached the branch with my hands, with my wet gloves.

The touch was humid and timid at first, every touch would release pieces of dirt that had attached to the branch’s surface. I was looking down to the ground to avoid getting snow in my eyes, so I could see brown drips falling on the white snow. I continued to understand the branch’s rough surface and shape with my touch. I was now able to support the branch with little tension, this made me feel grounded, a small smile lit up in my mouth. I paused to enjoy this feeling; the pause didn’t really felt like stillness.

At this point I was ready to respond more confidently, but adjusting my body was more challenging than usual. I couldn’t move my feet smoothly as the snow was sticky, slippery, and uneven. I had to find many ways in which to shift my body weight keeping while keeping the feet on the ground. The support of the branch was helping me. I found a way to lean into the branch which was leaning on me — we depended on each other. We paused and took in the rest of the environment. I could hear, in the distance, full branches of trees breaking and falling with the weight of the snow. In these moments I had a greater impulse to support and be supported by the branch. Somehow it was a poetic action, a recognition of the trees that were loosing its extremities. http://vimeo.com/32366130

I started to notice how the heat throughout my body was activated specially around my core. I was focusing on this area of the body since my extremities were wet and busy. I enjoyed feeling my whole body and the branch moving as one, this partnership was starting to flow. The weight of the branch towards one side of the horizontal plane started to take me into a slow spin. I followed it , and felt very peaceful. I inevitably connected with the dancers around me. I saw the bodies and branches making a moving drawing, designing the pathways in the space, pausing together, taking turns for movement. At this point it seemed that the natural environment was very much integrated into each movement of our personal experience and our collective experience. This flowing energy was very special. I was no longer scared about the challenges of the snow, the cold, the falling ice. My focus was accurate and suspended.

I also understood it was inevitable that the trees loose significantly big and important branches, I couldn’t take care of it in any other way, nature’s power just is. By being with it, it was clear that going against nature is also going against ourselves. I didn’t want this dance to end.

Chestnut Hill Local

Lou Mancinelli has written a piece on the project for the Chestnut Hill Local. Thanks for the press!

Just a couple of errors: My husband is Pepon Osorio. Gabriel is my son.

And, I don't mind saying my age; just don't think its nescesary. I'm 57 and happy to be dancing. Yay!

Fall performance at Wave Hill is a picture of winter

Fall was transformed into winter by the nor'easter that hit the region yesterday. Wave Hill had to close for safety reasons as branches broke off trees under the weight of the snow. But performers and video crew were there, ready to go; the nature of the work is to perform through the seasons and the weather. So much preparation for this moment! I was impressed with Wave Hill staff's support of our artistic vision and practice in allowing us to perform on the lawn away from the trees. It was challenging, beautiful, and sad, as we reflected on climate change hearing branches crashing around us.

I am grateful to all who made this happen. The performers: Marion Ramirez, Shavon Norris, Beau Hancock, Jumatatu Poe and Tigger Benford; Michael Max Knobbe and the Bronx Net crew; Jenniffer McGregor; Jenniffer McGregor, Michael Wiertz and the rest of the Wave Hill staff. Thanks also to Patti Bradshaw and Tom Ross for showing up despite the challenges of getting there!

Wissahickon Reunion/Yesterday's Performance

Hello Philadelphia! Thanks to all who came out yesterday! It was a wonderful day to begin Wissahickon Reunion, sunny and crisp. So good to be in the woods again with Shavon, Olive and Jumatatu, and to welcome Marion and Beau. A special shout out to Harold E Smith and his hypnotic didgeridoo.













And many thanks to our supporters from OYWPP who came back--- Judy, Karen, Pepon, Gabe, Bill, Rocio, Rennie, Cory, Guisa, Jung Woong...--- and so many new faces! Check out Ari Kim-Ramirez, the world's youngest branch dancer!


Next performance Saturday Oct 29 at 3PM at Wave Hill Art Center in New York City. See previous posting for more info.

Photos by Gabriel Osorio-Soto