Hi folks,
First, the bad news.
I took a fall last week and strongly suspect I have a broken rib. This is my third go-round with broken ribs (for context, see Chapter 30 of Being A Ballerina, "The Rib-Cracking Episode," and Chapter 31, "You Were The Music," which detail the first two.)
This injury wasn't the result of anything dancing-related. I'm not telling you how exactly it happened because it's too silly and stupid, but I will tell you that it's similar in nature to my second rib fracture, which you can read about in Chapter 32. The unwritten part of that chapter is that the scene took place when I was on tour with Alberta Ballet and my parents and sister were en route to come see me perform in Toronto. They arrived to find me wrapped in a giant Ace bandage and unable to dance. The silver lining was that we got to hang out together much more than expected, going out to dinner and seeing some Toronto sights. I do remember, though, sitting together at a wonderful Indian restaurant, inhaling naan and tandoori chicken, and sadly realizing that my ribcage bandage made eating to fullness very uncomfortable.
Now, the good news of the week!
I have a feature article in Dance Magazine's November issue, which I received this week and, if you're a subscriber, should show up in your mailbox shortly too. "By The Book: Choreographing Literature" spotlights four choreographers-- Lila York, Val Caniparoli, Cathy Marston, and Iyun Ashani Harrison-- who have made ballets based on novels or short stories. The article examines the reasons why such adaptations are particularly poignant and meaningful, what the choreographers strive for and try to avoid in their work, and why dance makers choose literature as inspiration. I also touch on the question of how dance adaptations can also refocus an audience's view of the piece of literature itself.
Researching and writing this piece was daunting, deeply interesting, and left me even more in awe of these choreographers who are able to translate words and concepts into motion. The choreographic brain is an amazing thing.
|