Land
A dance movement therapist shares her reflections on a performance by Ballet Esprit at the Hunter Museum.
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Whew! I asked for reviews, and whaddya know, I got this lovely review from Melissa Meade of a performance by the Ballet Esprit Modern Ballet Theatre Collective at the Hunter Museum of American Art last Thursday. Melissa is a dance movement therapist, giving her observations a unique perspective.
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Land
By Melissa Meade
Photos by Kris Bespalec and Sylvia Carpenter
Ballet Esprit // Modern Ballet Theatre Collective presents LAND at the Hunter Museum, Aug. 10, 6 p.m.
Land is “a meditation on the complexities/dichotomies of the natural world as a mirror for knowing and holding our own inner landscapes of experience.”
Concept and choreography by Melissa Miller and Sarah Yvonne with art installation by Kris Bespalec
Music: Nils Fraum, Colin Stetson, Max Ritcher, and Dinah Washington
Land consisted of four pieces, “Fallow,” “Death,” “Flourish,” and “Wild,” and was danced by Collective members Sarah Yvonne, Grace Ragland, Jessica Kelley, Nina Newkirk-Pulliam, and Jenn McCormick.
The Hunter Museum provided a beautiful setting for the performance. The performance space, marked with a naturally dyed scarf, was in front of floor to ceiling windows overlooking the river. A dancer lay on the balcony at the beginning of the performance and another dancer stood outside of the door on the balcony.
The first piece, “Fallow,” began with a dancer spreading salt crystals along the scarf marking the dance space. I felt a calm sadness as she moved throughout the space. According to Merriam-Webster, “fallow” generally refers to “usually cultivated land that is allowed to lie idle during the growing season,” indicating an unused potential, waiting to be tapped. The second dancer joined carrying clay. In addition to beautiful dancing, both as duet and individuals, the dancers spread clay on their bodies and on each other’s bodies. It was intimate and grounding. They seemed connected, moving as one.
The second piece, “Death,” started with the dancer on the balcony moving. The other dancer on the balcony moved with her, seemingly comforting and joining her. They used turmeric, rubbing it on themselves and each other. The dancers then moved in a standing embrace that felt very comforting to me, moving toward the door and inside the dance space. They added charcoal to the props, also using it to draw on themselves and each other. Eventually, one dancer used the charcoal to figuratively slit her throat.
In the next piece, “Flourish,” the dancers seemed to come alive. At one point, the dancers moved, embracing on the floor, sensual and captivating. In the last piece, “Wild,” a dancer brought a basket of scarves that were placed in a spiral in the middle of the dance space, adding another prop for the dancers to interact with.
Throughout the performance, the dancers moved both individually and together. Frequently dancing in duets, the relationship between the dancers and the emotion they shared left me breathless. They danced in ways both technically beautiful and emotionally engaging; even their walks drew me in. The props were integral to the movement, not just something extra.
Following the performance of Land, Sarah Yvonne welcomed questions and feedback from the audience. Many audience members seemed touched by the symbolism in the performance, with several people observing many different things. Near the end of the discussion, Jenn McCormick of the Collective stated that the meaning IS the movement and interpretation is secondary and individual. As a dance/movement therapist, that statement touched me. The movement is the message, and the observer can interpret based on their personal experiences and observations.
Following the discussion, the Collective was joined by Olivia Hammontree and Mikaela Link to perform a piece of Ballet Esprit’s yearlong work, The Elemental Project, “Earth.” This piece featured each Collective member as a soloist, while the others danced a repeated beautiful phrase moving in a circle around the space. The repetition of the movement was hypnotic.
Overall, the performance contained a great deal of emotional expression and beautiful dancing. Fellow dancer and audience member Sylvia Carpenter observed, “What I gathered from the piece was how they demonstrated that we, as humans, are both connected to the earth (shown as they lathered elements all over their skin) and yet how we are somewhat distinct members of it as well (shown through the audible and often unified breath taken at various times throughout the piece). I also think there’s a beautiful order and comfort in going through seasons of dying and seasons of flourishing just like the earth does. There’s meaning in it.”
About Ballet Esprit
Under the direction of a Sarah Yvonne, The Ballet Esprit School of Modern Ballet is committed to serving its community by offering pre professional, quality training in classical ballet and classical modern dance education within a holistic environment through Revolutionary Principles of Movement to all ages and bodies year-round with locations in Lookout Valley and St. Elmo.
3408 Elder Mountain Rd. Chatt. Tn. 37419
About the author
After a successful 30+ year career, including serving as a senior manager in nuclear power, Melissa felt a deep desire to help others, leading her to become a Mental Health Counselor. Additionally, having experienced the healing power of dance in her own life, she further pursued credentialing in Dance/Movement Therapy.
Melissa has a MS degree in Mental Health Counseling, in addition to a BS degree in Engineering. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Dance/Movement Therapist. She has contributed as an author to peer reviewed journal articles and a book entitled, Complicated Grief, Attachment, & Art Therapy. Melissa excels in building effective relationships by listening, incorporating diverse views and approaches, influencing others to seek innovative solutions, and motivating individuals at every level.
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Until next time, keep dancing.