For the past couple of weeks, I have been undertaking a daily movement practice – both to attainably fit movement and artistic response into my daily routine; and to generate a string of vignettes or mini-solos that could be woven together for a larger solo performance piece.
I’ve been digesting so much journalism this year, trying to keep up with (and attempt to understand) the disturbing turbulence happening all around us; figuring out what to actually do with it all can be overwhelming. Each day, I’ve started writing down a few excerpts from the news articles/editorials/features I read; my idea is to distill down the words and images and document a short movement response. I’m not so much commenting on issues here, but simply physically responding to the phrases being used in the media to capture our world. I’m interested in the range of “scenes” that emerge and analyzing them for common themes or physical narratives.
There’s so much commentary out there about pollution – of our planet, of our bodies, of our minds. It’s a terrifying reality. I believe that dance and the thinking that accompanies it can be a valuable antidote, as it encourages tuning back into natural impulses, feeling connections to surroundings and other bodies, and appreciating the subtle. This whole process is a very small way of trying to not only stay informed and seek out good writing, but to tie human movement to the larger realities of the world.
Follow my Instagram (@mcnult45) to see more of this project!
Erin K. McNulty 