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Twyla Tharp's Torelli & the Dance Center Chicago |
2008-03
Winter days were pulling into the core and preparation for a special project at the Dance Center of Columbia College, Chicago, where Bonnie Brooks invited Sheela to re-stage and coach an old Twyla Tharppiece from 1971, Torelli with the dancers of the RPW (repertoryperformance workshop). This was a "blast from the past" for Sheela, whohad left the Company and NYC in the early 70's.
In the heart of the windy city's winter, March 8-22, she guided the young dancers through an understanding of the genesis and intent of Tharp's work, and brought the 2 parallel casts to a comfort zone with the technically challenging material to the point where they were able to play with the movement phrases in the structured improvisation part of the piece. We spent wonderful moments together and the extended Moving Breath family has been enriched by their hours in the Twylight zone. It was also a time of reflection for us all about the "times they are a -changing" days of the late 60's early 70's.
Part of their "homework" (suggested by Margi Cole, a delightful Chicago dancer/choreographer who leads the RPW with such aplomb), was to do a research study of that historical period, to better understand the movement vocabulary they were studying. This led to conversations with parents and other family members, and, as Bonnie Brooks so aptly put it in her masterful "Cross Cultural Perspectives" lecture made them aware of "whose shoulders we are standing on".
Part of the Chicago residency included introducing Moving Breath to students of yoga and dance composition.
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