tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85383792889388339052024-03-13T09:26:38.449-07:00Tamar Rogoff Performance ProjectsTamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-40761046439308162342016-11-02T13:06:00.000-07:002016-11-02T13:08:04.390-07:00Enter The Faun DVD Release And Workshop Updates<pre style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.28571em; max-width: 635px; padding: 12px 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CbqqW1VtGhU/WBpF_vhcyiI/AAAAAAAAA08/QS6ggGS4XLUiI0kRPnMOZ9dw9QXc6zYdACK4B/s1600/ETF1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CbqqW1VtGhU/WBpF_vhcyiI/AAAAAAAAA08/QS6ggGS4XLUiI0kRPnMOZ9dw9QXc6zYdACK4B/s320/ETF1.jpg" width="226" /></span></a></pre>
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<pre style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.28571em; max-width: 635px; padding: 12px 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Dear Friends,
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<pre style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.28571em; max-width: 635px; padding: 12px 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We are happy to announce the home video release of Enter The Faun for purchase on DVD with an array of fantastic extras!
To purchase your copy of Enter The Faun at a remarkably affordable price, just click on the link below:
http://enterthefaun.com/buy/
Once you choose to buy a home video copy, you will be redirected to First Run Features' website where you can choose the video selection that's best for you (buy a DVD with extras, rent to screen one time or rent to screen and own through Vimeo) - and don't forget that the DVD’s + the extras will make great gifts.
The summer was filled with more screenings, workshops and residencies. Tamar returned to Valencia, Spain for a one-week residency this past June with the amazing community at Balletvale+, where physical therapists, professional dancers and actors worked alongside children with cerebral palsy. For a week the studio was bursting with energy - even the translators were dancing!
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<pre style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.28571em; max-width: 635px; padding: 12px 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8EQ2X6F5Oww/WBpGJ4MUZtI/AAAAAAAAA1M/4AB0VxlfkZQztRCdtYXz40N6047aCPYDgCK4B/s1600/ETF2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8EQ2X6F5Oww/WBpGJ4MUZtI/AAAAAAAAA1M/4AB0VxlfkZQztRCdtYXz40N6047aCPYDgCK4B/s320/ETF2.jpg" width="320" /></a>
Tamar and the dancers of BalletVale+
In July, Tamar taught Body Scripting workshops for participants in the Mark Morris Dance Group's Dance for PD (Parkinson's disease) program in Brooklyn.
Dance For PD Improvisational Solos</span></pre>
<pre style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.28571em; max-width: 635px; padding: 12px 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w5HhvdQC9ys/WBpGxVmWAPI/AAAAAAAAA1w/r0uedJibtvcwbXHoeLFhK_pq-TYbvBIxACK4B/s1600/ETF5.png" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mokJRTQROfk/WBpGzmEnbUI/AAAAAAAAA14/dhCEXTFbpxkyI7YmwSxlcR-npBYJO1PcACK4B/s1600/ETF4.png" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lD-X3CsrYEw/WBpG1NoyleI/AAAAAAAAA2A/gsHgKhcVSMwbZoBlmI-3fqCO-JsmitOaACK4B/s1600/ETF3.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lD-X3CsrYEw/WBpG1NoyleI/AAAAAAAAA2A/gsHgKhcVSMwbZoBlmI-3fqCO-JsmitOaACK4B/s320/ETF3.png" width="320" /></a><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mokJRTQROfk/WBpGzmEnbUI/AAAAAAAAA14/dhCEXTFbpxkyI7YmwSxlcR-npBYJO1PcACK4B/s320/ETF4.png" width="320" /><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w5HhvdQC9ys/WBpGxVmWAPI/AAAAAAAAA1w/r0uedJibtvcwbXHoeLFhK_pq-TYbvBIxACK4B/s320/ETF5.png" width="320" /></span></pre>
<pre style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.28571em; max-width: 635px; padding: 12px 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In August, we were lucky enough to have our film screened under the stars in Japan at the outdoor Uno Port Art Films festival (http://unoportartfilms.org/en/), and Tamar & Gregg did a live Skype Q&A with a packed audience. Enter The Faun won the audience favorite award and was so popular that it was chosen to screen for a second time! Thanks to Reiko Tahara and everyone at Uno Port Art Films, we now have Japanese subtitles that will be available on the next batch of DVDs that are released.</span></pre>
<pre style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.28571em; max-width: 635px; padding: 12px 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uTk2-xMep3M/WBpGRX8PHEI/AAAAAAAAA1U/gl3WtyzjWVE-iMKe5IpnbIYHiUZGuRAKwCK4B/s1600/ETF6.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uTk2-xMep3M/WBpGRX8PHEI/AAAAAAAAA1U/gl3WtyzjWVE-iMKe5IpnbIYHiUZGuRAKwCK4B/s320/ETF6.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></pre>
<pre style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.28571em; max-width: 635px; padding: 12px 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sam Greene and Tamar at Spring Green Dojo in Wisconsin
This September, there were screenings and outreach events in Madison and Spring Green, Wisconsin. Tamar and Gregg participated in a four day residency designed by Gordon Greene, a Zen priest who teaches at the medical school.The jam packed events included participation in the Integrative Medicine Grand Rounds, a monthly event in the Family Medicine Department at the University of Wisconsin Medical School; a screening of Enter The Faun; a guest teaching event in three Adaptive Fitness classes at UW's Kinesiology Department, a Dance Therapy class, and a workshop with the phenomenal Shakespearean actors from The American Players Theater. Saturday was an all day workshop at Spring Green Dojo with bodyworkers, Zen students, people with disabilities and healthcare professionals. It was a fabulous time that truly demonstrated how our film can push boundaries in the medical, disability, and dance worlds, bring disparate communities together, and inspire an essential movement towards much needed change!
Later in September, Gregg led workshops in Sydney, Australia, with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.
There, he worked with Catherine McNamara, a local
dancer and teacher. Together, they held four dance workshops a day with children, teens, and adults. Our Posse member, Robyn Lambird from Perth, joined Gregg for the week.
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<pre style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.28571em; max-width: 635px; padding: 12px 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9JDGvVRoGNE/WBpG7iOyqGI/AAAAAAAAA2I/6Sb7NVLK1Lg0GP48elirhLqiuP4lT0pXwCK4B/s1600/ETF7.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9JDGvVRoGNE/WBpG7iOyqGI/AAAAAAAAA2I/6Sb7NVLK1Lg0GP48elirhLqiuP4lT0pXwCK4B/s320/ETF7.jpg" width="320" />
Gregg and dancers at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance - Australia Workshop
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<pre style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.28571em; max-width: 635px; padding: 12px 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ED8BmqWe4jI/WBpHB92WOxI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/01extWucXpQMyJbp7v9WG3yYlXN7UWUJACK4B/s1600/ETF9.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ED8BmqWe4jI/WBpHB92WOxI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/01extWucXpQMyJbp7v9WG3yYlXN7UWUJACK4B/s320/ETF9.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></pre>
<pre style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.28571em; max-width: 635px; padding: 12px 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Gregg and Robyn working in the studio in Australia
In October, Enter The Faun screened at the Pompidou Centre in Paris as a part of the Vidéodanse Films on Dance program.
As Enter The Faun continues to generate its own world wide
movement, our team of Daisy, Veronique, Tamar, Gregg and Karl seek to make the most of the opportunities to screen it and spread our message. Look for further updates and be sure to help us along the way by buying several copies of Enter The Faun. Thanks for keeping us going and your ever faithful support!
All our very best,
The Faun Team! (Tamar, Gregg, Véronique, Daisy and Karl)
www.EnterTheFaun.com</span></pre>
Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-78894106031507653962016-10-31T14:08:00.000-07:002016-10-31T18:56:39.680-07:00Viva La Faun! Dispatches From Valencia, Spain #5<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", "Bitstream Charter", Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
Today was our last full day in Valencia, Spain with the adults and students at Balletvale+. Huge strides were taken, new connections were made and an entirely new way of thinking and community was forged. Since this is the only night where we can actually take some time to enjoy this beautiful city, we're going to do just that, but stay tuned for another post before the end of the weekend that sums up our experience here during the week.</div>
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As always, thank you to our hosts at Balletvale+, the students, their parents and everyone who made this a truly unforgettable experience.</div>
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It's now official, this is our Valencia Posse, and we couldn't be happier to have you join us!</div>
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Hasta pronto, Valencia!</div>
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Gregg & Tamar</div>
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<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">Our wonderful new community of choreographers/dancers/scientists</dd></dl>
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Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-66677763338049411782015-06-25T14:48:00.000-07:002016-10-31T18:55:37.383-07:00Viva La Faun! Dispatches From Valencia, Spain #4<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", "Bitstream Charter", Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
Enter The Faun made it's European premier tonight en CINES ABC PARK in Valencia, Spain. We couldn't be happier and are forever grateful for our hosts and the sponsors that made this all possible.</div>
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Nos Encantamos,</div>
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Gregg & Tamar</div>
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<dt class="wp-caption-dt" style="-webkit-user-drag: none;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IMG_2584.jpg" href="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IMG_2584.jpg" style="-webkit-user-drag: none;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-5685 size-large" data-mce-src="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IMG_2584-e1435271489100-768x1024.jpg" height="1024" src="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IMG_2584-e1435271489100-768x1024.jpg" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="768" /></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">Vamanos Mujeres! I don't want to miss the previews!</dd></dl>
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<dt class="wp-caption-dt" style="-webkit-user-drag: none;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IMG_2585-e1435271650597.jpg" href="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IMG_2585-e1435271650597.jpg" style="-webkit-user-drag: none;"><img alt="IMG_2585" class="wp-image-5687 size-large" data-mce-src="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IMG_2585-e1435271650597-768x1024.jpg" height="1024" src="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IMG_2585-e1435271650597-768x1024.jpg" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="768" /></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">Mira! That's our film up there!</dd></dl>
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<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">Tamar & Gregg give an interviewed for Spanish Television</dd></dl>
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<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">The dancers from Balletvale+ and our Ballerinos friends from yesterday who came to support the film</dd></dl>
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<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">Tamar, Paola and Marco after the film</dd></dl>
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Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-26729566172203234562015-06-24T15:07:00.000-07:002016-10-31T18:54:33.509-07:00Viva La Faun! Dispatches From Valencia, Spain #3<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", "Bitstream Charter", Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
<em>History makes one aware that there is no finality in human affairs; there is not a static perfection or an unimproveable wisdom to be achieved. </em><em>-Bertrand Russell</em></div>
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The worlds of dance, disability and medicine came together in a wonderful way today. Tamar, myself and the dancers of Balletvale+ visited Valencia's premier's dance company, Generalitat Valenciana. With any traditional dance company, the professional dancers would have taught the dancers with disabilities, but the work that Tamar and I do is anything but traditional. For the last two days we have been preparing the Balletvale+ dancers by teaching them "Body Scripting." Today we asked them to be choreographers for the professional dancers of Generalitat Valenciana and develop choreography using the lessons they have learned during our sessions.</div>
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We have been talking to the teachers and PT's at Balletvale+ about developing methods and techniques that would work to change the habitual patterns of their dancers with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. It's also important to realize however, that classically trained dancers also have extremely entrenched habitual patterns that have been developed over years of consistent, repetitive training. Maybe dancers and people with cerebral palsy have more in common then they realize. Their both, in their own way, experts on their own body with very specific body intelligences.</div>
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So much happened today, but words are failing me at the moment. Maybe I'll let these images speak for me. Enjoy and more tomorrow.</div>
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Gregg & Tamar</div>
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<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">Dancers from Generalitat Valencia, Teatre i Dansa</dd></dl>
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<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">The Balletvale+ choreographers give "body scripts" to professional dancers</dd></dl>
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<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">Dancers perform the choreography of the Balletvale+ choreographers</dd></dl>
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<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">The Balletvale+ dancers join the dancers of Generalitat Valencia</dd></dl>
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<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">Shoulder blade to shoulder blade</dd></dl>
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<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">Sternum and the back of the knee</dd></dl>
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<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">The entire ensemble</dd></dl>
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Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-7416986226986154412015-06-23T15:35:00.000-07:002016-10-31T18:52:59.165-07:00Viva La Faun! Dispatches From Valencia, Spain #2<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", "Bitstream Charter", Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
It has been a very full forty-eight hours. I feel like Tamar and I have accomplished more in two days here in Spain then we ever could have imagined. This is in large part due to the generosity and dedication of our wonderful hosts at Balletvale+, who bring not only their incredible knowledge of dance to the table, but whom have created a space so filled with love and compassion for everyone who come through their doors, in particular the young people with disabilities we have met, and we will be forever grateful for their generosity.</div>
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Since we began on Monday morning, we have taught four classes and introduced our work, including "Body Scripting" (Tamar's term for her unique choreographic approach) and "Shaking" (our term for the release technique we used during our body work sessions), to dozens of children with CP and a small but dedicated cadre of dancers and physical therapists.</div>
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<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">Meet Pepa our "anatomical spirit guide" during our sessions</dd></dl>
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In addition, this evening we gave a talk to parents, children and therapists at an organization called FUVANE/Foundacion Valenciana de Neurorehabilitacion.</div>
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<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">A promotional poster for our talk at FUVANE</dd></dl>
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Every day brings new challenges and discoveries- "Eureka moments"- both for ourselves and all the participants involved. What's most exciting, is how quickly people of any age or nationality, are able to grasp the concept of identifying a part of their body, focusing in on it and exploring that particular part(s) through movement- be it their sternum, their two lowest ribs on their right side, or the space between their elbow and their belly button. The body is full of infinite possibilities and potential. In addition to choreographing for the students and giving them more awareness of their own bodies, we ask them to become choreographers, and develop movement scripts for people in the class- children and adults alike. This not only serves to reinforce the ideas, but gives them a sense of agency and ownership over the process. <em>Y es muy divertido, verdad? Si!</em></div>
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Once we are finished with our classes with the students, and after a lunch break of delicious Valencian cuisine, Tamar and I meet with the dancers, physical therapists and dancers from Balletvale+ (along with a wonderful group of interpreters), to talk more in depth about our work and process.</div>
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<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">Dancers and PT's from Balletvale+ experience "Shaking"</dd></dl>
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There is a special alchemy happening here with this exchange, the impact of which I'm sure we won't be able to fully measure for sometime. I wish I could go into all the exciting, minute detail, but there are only so many hours in the day, a lot of work to be done and a six hour time difference. For now, I promise to keep posting and am looking forward to sharing this experience with you.</div>
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Hasta Manana,</div>
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Gregg & Tamar</div>
Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-69846490629073826412015-06-22T21:49:00.000-07:002016-10-31T18:51:10.382-07:00Viva La Faun! Dispatches From Valencia, Spain #1<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", "Bitstream Charter", Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
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Tamar and I arrived in Valencia, Spain yesterday at the invitation of the fine people of Balletvale+, a local dance company founded by Esther Mortes. Balletvale+ started a dance program for young children with cerebral palsy in 2012 after Marcia Castillo, a local professor who's young daughter has CP, saw the Good Morning America profile (which originally aired in 2009), about our work and <em>Diagnosis Of A Faun.</em></div>
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We are thrilled that our work continues to have a global reach and are extremely excited about this international collaboration. What's most exciting about what the team at Balletvale+ is doing, is that two physical therapists are part of the company and work consistently with the professional dancers and the young people with CP who participate in the program. This merging of these three worlds- dancers, medical (PT's/doctors) and people with CP is something we are currently working towards in the New York Posse, and as of today is completely unheard of in the States. The fact that we can share our insights, about dance, the body and disability, with such a wide array of dedicated experts is a unique experience and a true gift for the both of us.</div>
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Throughout the week, we will be teaching a series of classes, speaking at a local neurological foundation and presenting a screening of <em>Enter The Faun- </em>with Spanish subtitles! Ole!</div>
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We look forward to posting regularly while here, we'll keep you updated on the work we're up to and if there are any new findings.</div>
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Mas pronto y mucho amor,</div>
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Gregg & Tamar</div>
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Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-17489174734997813412015-06-09T18:19:00.000-07:002016-10-31T18:49:12.766-07:00What's In A Brain?<div class="column">
A few weeks ago in Tamar's class, Tamar started off the class by asking us where in our body we felt tight or stiff. I mentioned my feet, someone else mentioned their lumbar area and a third person said, their brain. We laughed, and then the laughter stopped. In the spirit of the class and following Tamar's lead, we began an hour and a half exploration of the brain as if it were just another part of the body and a point of initiation for movement. This exploration has continued for the last few weeks.<br />
This dancing with and from our brains was a new idea for us that has opened up a whole incredible realm of possibilities. So much of our focus for the last several years has been about the body, its various parts and those parts in relationship to themselves and each other. We don't often think about that mush inside the bones that are our skull- and what mush! The brain is incredibly layered (it's mostly fat and water), full of neurons, it actually floats in liquid and generates and runs on electricity- Electricity! After a few classes, adding the brain to our arsenal of movement scripting seems like a real...well, no brainer.<br />
For several years I have been working with a young woman named Margot. She is also a "character" in the documentary. We meet once a week for 2-3 hours at a time and she always sends me feedback in the form of notes. Following the first time we worked with the brain in class, I decided it to try it with her and I found her notes following that particular session the clearest and most articulate I have ever seen.<br />
One major facet of the work is the development of a different vocabulary to address the body. More on this in a future blog post, but this meld of images, actual anatomy and ideas to feed into the body was something Tamar and I developed over time. It is something we are passing on to people like Margot and our Posse members.<br />
With her permission, I have included Margot's notes here.<br />
-Gregg<br />
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<em>May 3 2015</em></div>
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<dt class="wp-caption-dt" style="-webkit-user-drag: none;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/body-1-IMG.jpg" href="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/body-1-IMG.jpg" style="-webkit-user-drag: none;"><img alt="body 1 IMG" class="wp-image-5627 size-medium" data-mce-src="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/body-1-IMG-232x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/body-1-IMG-232x300.jpg" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="232" /></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">Margot imagines a brain on her tailbone</dd></dl>
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<em>I saw Gregg today. I think he noticed I was a little tense. I came into the room and had a pretty nice landing when I put my tailbone further down to sit. Gregg had an idea. He went down the steps, got on the floor and rolled over a few times himself. “I think I want to do some dancing with you rather than walking. I’m not a choreographer but I remember some stuff” said Gregg. “Sounds good to me. It’s all dancing with body directions though. Nobody walks like that.” I said. He put two books under each of my feet. The PTs used to do the same thing in an attempt to keep my feet in a more parallel position. It didn’t really work back then. “Your body is different now” Gregg reminded me. He was absolutely right. The muscles near my sits bones on the back of my leg felt like they had a giant knot in them but other than that my legs were more receptive than they were back in my years of PT. I asked Gregg to hold my legs in place at first just in case. For a change it was easier to keep my legs on the books once Gregg forced me to close my eyes because I didn’t feel like my legs were off the ground. “How about moving from your brain like it is just like any other body part” Gregg suggested. He explained that before we more or less viewed our brains as something big that we had to work around because it was against us. I also have to wonder if Gregg didn’t focus on the brain as much because I used to separate “the CP” from “myself” verbally.</em></div>
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<em>I understand why that was a concern for Gregg because in a sense by separating it from me I was denying a part of myself and letting “the CP” control me. In all honesty though I just thought of thinking of CP that way was just plain cute and nothing more than words before. Anyway, as soon as I started body scripting with my brain the same way I would with my shoulder blades or sternum my brain replied “Thanks for noticing me.” I noticed my brain could “talk” like the other parts of my body more or less. All I could think of was the fluid that surrounds the brain moving around like when I shake on the floor with the brain floating around. It made me get little mouth shakes. I had a lot of yawning. I used the brain image of lengthen my neck, I had an image of the CP(which kind of looked like a cute little bent neuron) finding a little door inside my brain and locking itself inside saying “I’m not coming out!” then pasting a sign on the tiny door saying “OCCUPIED!” Meanwhile the spiraling signal(a straight neuron) was watching nearby in another part of my brain. Gregg told me to put another little brain image in my pelvic floor. Then he turned youtube on again so I could dance to the classical music. I was happy both my upper and lower body were getting attention. Gregg told me to move my shoulder blades,clavicles, and from my armpits more. Then he had me work with “the inside of my legs”. It felt like dancing simply with the spiraling image itself. At one point the spiraling seemed to move at the same speed as the beat of the song. As this was happening I had the image of a door that looked like a saltine cracker and was completely edible. I tend to think of food when I do certain body/movement scripts for some random reason. Then my arms stretched over to one side of the couch and went in circles as my fingers ran over my neck and other body parts. As my legs and arms moved together to the song I felt a free flow of signals/energy that was similar to shaking(except voluntary) and had an almost magical quality. My whole body was in full voluntary spiral mode. When my body feels like this I have almost no tension at all and my body can move anywhere it wants. “You’re a good dancer Margot” said Gregg. I stood up and ended up stepping backwards instead of falling which was cool.</em></div>
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Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-87512922999370278712015-05-21T14:02:00.000-07:002016-10-31T18:47:52.904-07:00Christine Bruno At May 13th's New York Posse MeetingNew York Posse member Christine Bruno:<br />
<em>I know I had a breakthrough last week and really want to keep investigating with our posse and work toward a plan that keeps me on track between our meetings.</em><br />
<em>I have been realizing the past few months - especially at last week's meeting - that I need to make this work a priority NOW!</em><br />
Note from Tamar:<br />
Christine was working with Gregg and Shawn Shafner, our newest Posse member from the dance community. They had her focusing and investigating her shin and calf muscles and how it is to instigate a new walk from in between those places.<br />Sometimes, a brand new focus can break through a habitual pattern and in that moment of newness, the brain seems to figure something out. Christine, as an actor, has mastered the power of concentration.<br />
We invite you to comment, and don't forget to like the <strong><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/EnterTheFaun" href="https://www.facebook.com/EnterTheFaun" target="_blank">Enter The Faun page</a> </strong>on Facebook!<br />
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Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-24174243862732846492015-05-04T16:25:00.000-07:002016-10-31T18:45:25.557-07:00Fauns on Film<div class="ContentRightInner t_mbgc t_qtc t_urtc" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", "Bitstream Charter", Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;">I hope you all are enjoying this beautiful weekend day and are getting out into this Spring air a bit, because it sure is nice out there right now. Or it was until I came back inside.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;">I wanted to share an idea that we've got kicking around for the continued outreach efforts around Enter The Faun.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;">Enter The Faun premiered a few weeks ago at the <a data-mce-href="http://prod5.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=39838~e8df1855-1d30-40e1-8284-23972b047cf9&epguid=ad9ba91e-65ff-43ea-bd58-4784d49feb39&" href="http://prod5.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=39838~e8df1855-1d30-40e1-8284-23972b047cf9&epguid=ad9ba91e-65ff-43ea-bd58-4784d49feb39&" target="_blank">Sarasota Film Festival</a> and it was very well received. People loved it. In addition to that however, Tamar Rogoff and I did several workshops bringing together members of t</span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;">he dance and disability community down there, and it was phenomenal. We met and worked with over 100 people (abled/disabled, dancers/non-dancers), and are currently in talks with them to continue this work and develop a dedicated program a la <a data-mce-href="http://danceforparkinsons.org/" href="http://danceforparkinsons.org/" target="_blank">Mark Morris's Dance for PD program.</a></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;">There's an incredible alchemy in bringing these two communities together, and we think it can be a real model for effecting change. Dancers may have more consciously learned movement patterns than any other profession. Among the many forms and techniques of dance there are often conflicting instructions, and the dancer must translate these ideas into movement and artistry. People with CP may understand negotiating conflicting instructions and integrating them into movement better than most people. Both have a unique relationship and knowledge of the body. </span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;">Dance is a performing art built upon the ebb and flow of muscular tension. Through muscular tension, dancers express their aesthetic sensibilities. The word "dance," in fact, stems from the Old High German "danson," meaning to stretch, and from the earlier Sanskrit root "tan," meaning tension. The building and resolution of tensions we experience in dance training and performance can affect us deeply -- kinesthetically, emotionally, and spiritually.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;">We had one of our posse meetings here in New York last Monday, and began to integrate dancers from the Hunter Grad program, where we collaborated on a project with the Posse last Fall. This set up just feels right. We believe there can be no limit to what can occur through this exchange of ideas and work with the body.</span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;">As our experiment continues we now are asking ourselves two new questions; why can't physical therapy be an exploration of movement in its purest and myriad forms? Why can't it contain artistry? </span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;">We feel we can model for this potential "Dance for CP Program" (working title) with the connections we have made here in NYC and now in Sarasota to see how this develops. New posses are developing and expanding all the time. We're still figuring this out, but we know this is the direction we want to go in.</span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;">We'll keep you posted and look forward to sharing more of what we find.</span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;">Gregg</span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span data-mce-style="font-size: medium;" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-83677624571405348522015-04-06T13:55:00.000-07:002016-10-31T18:43:32.334-07:00Enter The Faun Premieres At The Sarasota Film Festival<dt class="wp-caption-dt" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", "Bitstream Charter", Times, serif; font-size: 16px;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ETFScreeningsAnnouncementSarasotaRevised.jpg" href="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ETFScreeningsAnnouncementSarasotaRevised.jpg" style="-webkit-user-drag: none;"><img alt="Enter The Faun Premieres At The Sarasota Film Festival" class="size-full wp-image-5550" data-mce-src="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ETFScreeningsAnnouncementSarasotaRevised.jpg" height="915" src="http://www.enterthefaun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ETFScreeningsAnnouncementSarasotaRevised.jpg" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="1224" /></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", "Bitstream Charter", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em;">Enter The Faun Premieres At The Sarasota Film Festival</dd>Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-29010565831692154572015-03-26T10:29:00.000-07:002016-10-31T18:41:35.174-07:00Enter The Faun Goes To Sarasota Film Festival<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", "Bitstream Charter", Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
I am thrilled to announce that Enter The Faun will premiere on April 15<sup>th</sup> and 18<sup>th</sup> at the Sarasota Film Festival in Florida. The team is terribly excited as you can imagine. Gregg and I will travel to Sarasota and do workshops and outreach activities. We will also celebrate the whole team's achievements to have gotten us this far! Thanks to all of you who have helped along the way these 8 long years. More soon from sunny Sarasota.</div>
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<strong>Sarasota Film Festival Screenings:</strong></div>
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Regal Hollywood Stadium 20</div>
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Wednesday, April 15, 12:30 PM</div>
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Saturday, April 18, 3:00 PM</div>
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Tamar</div>
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P.S. - Let us know if you know anyone in Sarasota and be sure to spread the word!</div>
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Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-77800322052435991192015-03-18T20:32:00.000-07:002016-10-31T18:39:42.467-07:00Empathy makes me more insightful or Is being dispassionate really objective?<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", "Bitstream Charter", Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
I’m wondering about the role of empathy in healing.<br />Is it true that scientists/doctors fear empathy because it may obscure the diagnosis/treatment process?<br />Emotions might come in and we all know how unwieldy emotions can be—so it follows that getting to know your patient intimately might be a bad thing because you then could get confused on the scientific path.<br />For me the empathy (I admit to being the empathy queen) sends me to the exact right balance in doing body work with people. It’s in service of the person that I use my eyes to scan their bodies, my instinct to sense the rigid places. I call forth everything I’ve ever read and everything scientific and from the dance world I know to impact working with the them. The gift I give them is the balance I feel within myself.<br />Empathy/emotions have energy and I need every bit of that energy to find the eureka solution in the situation before me.</div>
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This is me and Jessy Yates at our last Posse meeting. Jessy either whizzes around on her scooter or falls chaotically at a rapid rate through space to wherever she is going. Here we are using my ski poles upside down to slow her down and give her balance and awareness. In the background the whole Posse is giving verbal feedback. In this collaboration Jessy also has to find her sense of empathy for me and my body, as our conversation goes back and forth--body to body.</div>
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For more information about the Cerebral Posse, follow this link: <a data-mce-href="http://www.enterthefaun.com/the-cerebral-posse/" href="http://www.enterthefaun.com/the-cerebral-posse/" target="_blank" title="The Cerebral Posse">The Cerebral Posse</a></div>
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-Tamar</div>
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For more information about the film: <a href="http://enterthefaun.com/recent-posts/">Enter The Faun</a></div>
Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-60679318820681563212015-02-11T20:05:00.000-08:002016-10-31T18:31:29.289-07:00The Boy Who Lived No. 1When the Cerebral Posse first met in March of 2014 several great things happened, but there were two big takeaways for me that evening:<br />
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The first, I had something confirmed for me; that people with disabilities, and in this particular case, people with cerebral palsy, don't commune on a regular, consistent basis. At the start of the evening all of us acknowledged how strange this was. None of us had ever been around this many people with CP before. This was 2014 and there were six of us ranging in age from our early twenties to our mid-forties. This was good for me to hear and important for all of us to know. It's something we need to make the larger public aware of; that very first meeting was the start of a very important paradigm shift. It brought to mind a Margaret Meade quote - <em>Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.</em><br />
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The second, as we sat around the table sharing our personal histories with various surgeries, physical therapy and experiences within the medical community, I noticed another common thread emerging. Each one of us had been given a different definition and reason for their cerebral palsy from their parents. Our parents had probably passed this story down from an explanation given to them by doctors, and these various stories had become a huge part of each of our personal narratives. The only problem was, none of us had explored much about our CP beyond this initial explanation. I don't think many people do. Until now.<br />
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Just a few days ago, I found a letter my mother had written dated May 4, a day before my birthday. In the top right hand corner of the first page, she had written down the time; 8pm, roughly nine hours before I was born. I haven't been able to bring myself to read the letter yet. I don't have a good reason as to why. It's true that I've heard that the past can't hurt me, but something in me is afraid of what I might find.<br />
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It is the goal of the various posses to connect with individuals in the CP community, and to empower those individuals to collectively engage with members of the artistic, disability and medical communities. We feel this simple act of engagement can lead to a change of attitude, both for people with CP and the people they come into contact with. It's no small feat and it does take practice, but it's easier than one may realize. Investigation into the unknown can be scary and fraught with peril, but the benefits of knowledge, greater awareness and potential relief that can grow out of that sense of curiosity, I feel, far outweigh the difficulties.<br />
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I think I'll go read that letter now...<br />
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-Gregg<br />
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For more: <a href="http://enterthefaun.com/recent-posts/">Enter The Faun</a>Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-32222384997342756952013-09-12T17:29:00.001-07:002013-09-12T17:29:42.950-07:00Tamar quoted in the New Yorker Magazine!Tamar is quoted on her work with actress Claire Danes in John Lahr's article in the September 9th issue of The New Yorker. <br />
A taste:<br />
<br />
" Rogoff challenged Danes to trust her body to communicate for her. “You don’t have to tell us what you think,” she said. “Just feel it. Your whole body’s dramatic.” "<br />
<br />
Check her out on page 5 here!<br />
<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/09/09/130909fa_fact_lahr?currentPage=5">http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/09/09/130909fa_fact_lahr?currentPage=5</a><br />
Or read the whole article starting here:<br />
<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/09/09/130909fa_fact_lahr">http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/09/09/130909fa_fact_lahr</a>Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-7836824707439100102013-07-23T10:48:00.005-07:002013-07-23T10:48:58.697-07:00Summer's DifferentSummer's Different premiered at the Ellen Stewart Theatre at La MaMa April 25th, 2013<br />
Check out our Kickstarter page for videos of rehearsal and information about the show!<br />
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1978158876/summers-different-0">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1978158876/summers-different-0</a><br />
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<img alt="Emily and Brandin" border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-urjci7_PRdY/Ue7BzU4jDKI/AAAAAAAAAIw/yX7a4x0wv88/s320/julie_lemberger--2729.jpg" title="" width="320" /></div>
Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-60856381565852014852011-03-30T10:41:00.000-07:002011-03-30T10:50:35.440-07:00O Yatros Horevi!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rnLIR_Iy1jM/TZNrzzNULSI/AAAAAAAAAIY/6kq92PIQUGM/s1600/Dr.%2BDon.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rnLIR_Iy1jM/TZNrzzNULSI/AAAAAAAAAIY/6kq92PIQUGM/s320/Dr.%2BDon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589930100160474402" /></a><div>Our very own Dr. Don Kollisch, ahem, excuse me, Dean Kollisch, has been outed as a, ahem, Ballerino. We love you just the way you are Doc and we wouldn't have it any other way. Congrats! Thanks for all the work you do!</div><div><br /></div><div>-Your Fauny Friend...</div><div><br /></div><div>Check out page 5 of this edition of the <i>Sophie Davis Biograph</i></div><div><a href="http://www.sophiebiograph.com/uploads/4/8/6/5/4865724/biograph_november_2010.pdf">http://www.sophiebiograph.com/uploads/4/8/6/5/4865724/biograph_november_2010.pdf</a></div>Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-73587715726047269082011-03-20T06:02:00.000-07:002011-03-20T06:20:52.196-07:00Mr. Faun Goes To Washington...Again...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r9NgS35crBo/TYX-DmzLuzI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/QPOQudx5wpQ/s1600/Bakst%2BNijinsky.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 136px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r9NgS35crBo/TYX-DmzLuzI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/QPOQudx5wpQ/s200/Bakst%2BNijinsky.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586150250731256626" /></a><br />FAUN is going on the road again! Back to Northern Virginia this time and the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, VA. Ah, Manassas...The site of many a soccer game when I was a kid, Civil War battlefields & George Mason University- where I won three blue ribbons in the Physically Handicapped Games and met two-time Super Bowl champ Dexter "Secretary of Defense" Manley. Baaah memories...<div><br /></div><div>Here's a link with all the details</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.hyltoncenter.org/calendar/146/">http://www.hyltoncenter.org/calendar/146/</a></div>Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-17031750726263111582011-03-13T20:17:00.000-07:002011-03-13T20:19:37.860-07:00Our ProcessSo many people have questions about what the process was like working with Tamar and learning to dance. This pretty much sums it up.<div><br /></div><div>-Gregg<br /><div><br /></div><div><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5OxjM6-dufw" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div>Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-27333949814414693702011-01-12T11:27:00.000-08:002011-01-12T11:35:51.453-08:00FAUN in the Northern Kingdom<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IOvvPVdh_rs/TS4CWr2TbLI/AAAAAAAAAIE/BvbcNDhUYu0/s1600/Cool%2BFAUN.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561385178600008882" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IOvvPVdh_rs/TS4CWr2TbLI/AAAAAAAAAIE/BvbcNDhUYu0/s200/Cool%2BFAUN.jpg" /></a><br /><div>In late October/early November of 2010 we had a week long residency and two performances at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. It was a wonderful experience. A review/feature article appeared in the college paper, <em>The Campus. </em>Many thanks to the article's author Claire Sibley, for writing such a concise, informative piece.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.middleburycampus.com/2010/11/10/diagnosis-of-a-faun/">http://www.middleburycampus.com/2010/11/10/diagnosis-of-a-faun/</a></div>Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-81102556218678505122010-11-08T14:09:00.000-08:002011-01-12T12:41:19.569-08:00Tamar Gets A Shout OutTamar Rogoff Performance Projects veteran, Claire Danes won a best actress Emmy this year for her work in the original HBO film, Temple Grandin. Her movement coach was none other then our very own Tamar Rogoff. Here's the clip from the ceremony.<br />-Gregg<br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xE9M6z6Fx_k?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xE9M6z6Fx_k?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />If you have trouble viewing the video here's the link:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE9M6z6Fx_k">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE9M6z6Fx_k</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE9M6z6Fx_k"></a>Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-10348236540128167012010-09-02T15:58:00.000-07:002010-09-02T16:07:45.695-07:00A Faun Farewell<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IOvvPVdh_rs/TIAtsQ9g4KI/AAAAAAAAAHw/ogWi6QoeaSQ/s1600/Faun+Picture+Pencil.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IOvvPVdh_rs/TIAtsQ9g4KI/AAAAAAAAAHw/ogWi6QoeaSQ/s200/Faun+Picture+Pencil.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512456182391955618" /></a><br /><i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div>Apologies. It's been a while since anything has been posted on this blog. Summer happened. It is my hope that posts will continue here regularly for the next few months. To start, here's a nice write up we got in the Washington Times following our successful Kennedy Center Performance on June 10, 2010 as part of the VSA International Arts Festival. We were the only performance to be singled out for a review/write up of this kind. Kudos to Tamar and the entire cast and crew of Diagnosis Of A Faun. Many thanks to all at VSA Arts who made the festival possible.</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/11/AR2010061106288.html?referrer=emailarticle">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/11/AR2010061106288.html?referrer=emailarticle</a></i></div>Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-45417779793860328022010-05-08T09:02:00.000-07:002010-05-08T09:12:27.841-07:00No Goats No Glory<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IOvvPVdh_rs/S-WMFSdwbII/AAAAAAAAAHg/qyM9nottpsc/s1600/armchair+faun.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IOvvPVdh_rs/S-WMFSdwbII/AAAAAAAAAHg/qyM9nottpsc/s200/armchair+faun.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468931344995216514" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">GOAT</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> Goat gone feral comes in where the fence is open</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">comes in and makes hay and nips the tree seedlings</p> <p class="MsoNormal">and climbs the granite and bleats, through its line-</p> <p class="MsoNormal">through-the-bubble-of-a-spirit-level eyes it tracks</p> <p class="MsoNormal">our progress and bleats again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Its Boer heritage</p> <p class="MsoNormal">is scripted in its brown head, floppy basset-hound ears,</p> <p class="MsoNormal">and wind-tunnelled horns, curved back for swiftness.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Boer goats merged prosaically into the feral population</p> <p class="MsoNormal">to increase carcass quality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To make wild meat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Purity</p> <p class="MsoNormal">cult of culling made vastly more profitable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s a narrative.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Goat has one hoof missing-just a stump where it kicks</p> <p class="MsoNormal">and scratches its chin, back left leg hobbling, counter-</p> <p class="MsoNormal">balanced on rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Clots of hair hang like extra legs</p> <p class="MsoNormal">off its flanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is beast to those who’d make devil</p> <p class="MsoNormal">out of it, conjure it as Pan in the frolicking growth</p> <p class="MsoNormal">of the rural, an easer of their psyches when drink</p> <p class="MsoNormal">and blood flow in their mouths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To us, it is Goat</p> <p class="MsoNormal">who deserves to live and its “wanton destruction”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">the ranger cites as reason for shooting on sight</p> <p class="MsoNormal">looks laughable as new houses go up, as dozers</p> <p class="MsoNormal">push through the bush, as goats in their pens</p> <p class="MsoNormal">bred for fibre and milk and meat nibble forage</p> <p class="MsoNormal">down to the roots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Goat can live and we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">don’t know</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">its whereabouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It can live outside nationalist tropes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Its hobble is powerful as it mounts the outcrop</p> <p class="MsoNormal">and peers down the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Pathetic not to know</p> <p class="MsoNormal">that it thinks as hard as we do, that it can loathe</p> <p class="MsoNormal">and empathize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Goat tells me so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I am being literal.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It speaks to me and I am learning to hear it speak.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It knows where to find water when there’s no water</p> <p class="MsoNormal">to be found-it has learned to read the land</p> <p class="MsoNormal">in its own lifetime and will breed and pass its learning</p> <p class="MsoNormal">on and on if it can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Goat comes down and watches</p> <p class="MsoNormal">us over its shoulder, shits on the wall of the rainwater</p> <p class="MsoNormal">tank-our lifeline-and hobbles off</p> <p class="MsoNormal">to where it prays, where it makes art.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">-John Kinsella<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "></span></i></p><i><p class="MsoNormal"><i>This poem appeared in the 5/3 issue of The New Yorker Magazine</i></p><div><i><br /></i></div></i><p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-19099284404997269902010-04-13T17:20:00.000-07:002010-04-13T17:31:08.225-07:00What The {BLEEP} Do We Know<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IOvvPVdh_rs/S8UMPzvGB-I/AAAAAAAAAHY/UkUKIy2g9c8/s1600/Clay+Faun.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 106px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IOvvPVdh_rs/S8UMPzvGB-I/AAAAAAAAAHY/UkUKIy2g9c8/s200/Clay+Faun.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459783588981901282" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>Tamar and I would like to apologize if we haven't kept our postings on the blog as current as usual lately. We've been very busy. We'll get back on track by the end of this week or the beginning of the next. In the meantime, here's something I wrote back in late February- before Harvard and before our most recent trip to Chicago. Our process is an ever evolving one. We hope these blog entries reflect that and we hope you continue to enjoy them.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It’s Friday.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The weeks seem to be flying by but this Winter seems to be lasting forever.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Whatever snow-kissed beauty from the recent precipitation was blanketing the otherwise charmingly dinghy Lower East Side has been replaced in less than twenty-four hours with icey snowdrifts and dirty slush puddles.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Natural beauty never seems to last long in this place.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">After all, even the milk goes bad early here.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Luckily I only have to walk across the street to get to the studio.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Tamar is predictably running late.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I’ve come to enjoy this time.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Previously, I never used to be able to work for any length of time by myself.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I lacked specific focus.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Now however, I hop up on the counter as soon as I get changed and begin stretching my psoas muscles- first the right leg, then the left.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">With a little effort, I can let all thoughts from the morning, night before, week ahead, drift away and turn my focus inward in a way I would have thought impossible a year ago.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">My previously “cerebral” conversation, which took place in my head often with several different voices participating, has been replaced with a much clearer, quieter one between brain and body.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">There’s something </span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">almost Socratic in my approach.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I ask my quadracep if it thinks it might be possible to not hold on to so much tension and my leg drops an eighth of an inch.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I suggest to my right foot that it may want to see what it feels like to turn out (</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">go on, I dare you</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">), and it does.</span></span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I’ve finished with my piriformace stretches and </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I’m in the studio and working on stretching my hamstrings by the time Tamar has arrived.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“Oh that looks beautiful,” she says.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">She’s not talking about my perfectly formed bottom.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I can feel her eyes practically burning a hole into my lumbar spine.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I continue to stretch my hamstrings and then roll up to standing. Tamar has been obsessed with the stomach muscles and the core area recently. In class and in our one-on-one studio sessions we have been working on engaging them (the abdominals), by employing the image of a vase in the mid section.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The idea is to get the edges of the vase moving in an eighth of an inch.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It’s a difficult concept to grasp and even harder to maintain, but it makes all the difference once it does occur.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It’s an incredible organizing principle. If my stomach muscles experience engagement my upper and lower body both move automatically into an almost instantaneous alignment.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The shift is difficult to explain, and it’s very easy for me to get distracted by the amount of sensation that occurs in my body as a result of this powerful an alignment shift- particularly with the core.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">To engage the core requires a lot of intense focus, an almost ‘divine relaxation,’ which is difficult to acquire when my upper and lower body are shifting so much.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I’ve been extremely interested in following the alignment changes in my lower body in the past few weeks, particularly below the knees.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">As we work I can sense that I’m losing the ability to get my abdominals engaged and give the attention to my legs, which are shaking and spiraling to the point of throwing me off balance.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Tamar suggests I lay down on a mat so I can better focus on the specific core area, but I’m getting a very strong, specific intention from my lower body.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I tell her I don’t want to lie down because my legs will be taken out of the equation.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I have the sense she’s a little perturbed with this resistance to a direction, but before we can discuss it any further a woman comes down the stairs…</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“Hello, can we help you?”</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Mason, the owner has promised someone a private yoga session at 0930 with Ursula, one of the yoga instructors. Being the interlopers we are, we relinquish the studio and move into the hallway.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We’ve worked here on several occasions in the past week with the focus on my feet.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We are unflappable in the face of this adversity!</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Obstacles are opportunities for the likes of stalwart corporeal adventurers the likes of us!</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Outside the studio I’ve rolled down and folded over my legs.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">My lower back protests strenuously.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It feels like someone is reaching into my back with both hands </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Kali Ma</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">-style and is squeezing every last drop of bile out of my kidneys.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It’s torture.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Tamar is sly like a fox.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">While I was busy gathering some mats and blocks in case we needed them outside the studio her wheels have been turning and she has devised a compromise to integrate my upper and lower body.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Before I know it I’m leaning on the cubbies with my left arm threaded through my right with my left leg bent and my right, standing leg straight.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Within moments I’m shaking deep within my legs.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I mean </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">deep</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Every striation deep.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The first time I really experienced this was the day the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Good Morning America </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">camera crews were filming us.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I was in a similar position (rolled over my legs), experiencing similar pain in my lower back and Tamar suggested I stay in this stress position, confident that it would move into something else.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Before I could make some crack about cripple torture- </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Guantanamo on Ludlow, </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">it did.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Move.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This deep shaking is very different from the aggressive, slam-bam-wham shaking that we’ve grown accustomed to.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It’s internal, much more supple, stronger.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">My right leg is gently jack hammering into the ground.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I’m suddenly aware of my lower meniscuses on my right knee.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I’m not even sure if I have lower meniscus but something is happening behind my knee in a completely new and unexpected way.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">At one point my tailbone drops like a hammer and Tamar and I almost burst into tears simultaneously.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It’s like we’re connected or some shit.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I continue in this position for what seems like an almost Brechtian length of time.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Suddenly I’m convinced that my right leg is turning in.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Turning in, in that typical, clichéd C.P. way.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I can see it in my mind’s eye as clear as day.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I can feel it.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">My right knee is kissing my left.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">My right foot is rolled in.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I ask Tamar to check on it.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">She assures me that I’m standing in perfect parallel.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">That’s weird.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I heard her say it.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I saw it with my own eyes but I can’t believe it.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I’ve never had a perceptual flash like that before.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Interesting.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">As I continue in this pose and continue to shake deeper and deeper I have another flash.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I see myself standing completely naked in a twisted, spastic fetal pose.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Curious and more curious.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">How far down the rabbit hole am I going to go?</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">My arms begin to hurt so I ask if I can switch sides.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Tamar acquiesces.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A change is a rest.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">My body responds similarly on the left side.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">My thinking head is starting to come online with the enormity of what’s happened today.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Before I can get bogged down in the pseudo-psycho-emotional ramifications however, I notice that the yoga session is coming to a close.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I need to start walking before these people come into our space.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">As I stand up I feel completely different in my body.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I can feel every rib, my muscles seem to be hanging on my bones and I feel at least eight feet tall.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">There’s no room to go forward so I decide to take a step backwards.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I do and get hit with a wave of emotion that I’ve grown strangely accustomed to.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">That step was so effortless, so beautifully integrated, so fully and completely human that it brings me to tears.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">On these rare occasions I am overwhelmed with love for this body.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">My body.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Such a smart body.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Such a good body.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">If you’ll forgive a little Shakespeare,</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“…i</span></span></span><i><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">n form and moving, how express and admirable in action, how like an angel in apprehension, how like a god!”</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The women leave, I walk into the studio and I have a natural opposition and feeling in my feet that has never been there before.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I know I’ve mentioned that particular sensation before but </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">this</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> particular way of walking has really never been there before.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It feels like tongues of flame are licking my heels encouraging them to raise and lower in near perfect synchronization.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I (we all), have an encoded, inherent desire for positive alignment.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">That’s what makes this work simultaneously and paradoxically surprising and not surprising.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I’m walking around like it’s the most natural thing in the world.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Well, because it is.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">When Tamar and I began our work we both noticed and came to the conclusion that there was something juvenile or adolescent about my walk; an almost happy-go-lucky bounciness to it that didn’t quite match up with the adult I had become.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">During adolescence ever person goes through a period of dramatic hormonal shifts and physical change.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Everyone (for the most part) eventually grows out of this awkward phase but disabled bodies remain disabled.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I remember being consciously aware at twenty years old that “this,” my disability, was something that I was never going to outgrow.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">That was the same year I asked my mother for the first time about the story surrounding the circumstances of my birth.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">That was also the year I started writing my first play, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Game Legs.</span></span></i><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">By the age of twenty-four I had begun to get creative with my own life story after discovering an obscure vocabulary word.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Teratogen, </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">is a noun and is defined as</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, </span></span></i></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">an agent, such as a virus, a drug, or radiation, that can cause malformations in an embryo or fetus</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The etymology is as follows- </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Tera </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">from the Greek meaning</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, “monster</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">” and the root is from the Latin word</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> Genes, meaning, “Born.”</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Essentially, I had created an imaginary construct, a mythology, (that of the “born monster”) around my own biography in which I cast myself simultaneously as the hero and the victim.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">All this was an effort to explain and justify a body that didn’t cooperate with my mind.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Needless to say, it didn’t really help.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">More on this perhaps at some other time… </span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It’s been an intense morning.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">As Tamar and I change and prepare to go about our day we talk about the work and get into an interesting discussion about trauma.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I have referred to my birth as “traumatic” for a number of years now and have developed my own pop-psych theory that for most of my life I have been living with some form of post-traumatic stress disorder.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It’s not anywhere on par with battlefield trauma or trauma associated with physical or sexual abuse, but the fact is that at a very early stage in my development, while still en eutero, my body experienced a trauma.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It just so happens that Tamar has been reading a book on trauma recently, and one key piece of information she has taken away from it is that after traumatic events the psoas and piriformace muscles shorten.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This is a result of every human beings instinctual response to danger to go into the fetal position to protect their face and vital organs.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I was already in the fetal position when my trauma occurred, which may have driven me further into that position.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">My body compensated and compensated beautifully, but, and I believe this in my bones, for thirty years my body has been operating as if it is still in a state of trauma.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It never got the message that I was a functional, vibrant, thriving survivor.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">What really bakes my noodle is that Tamar was on to this months and months ago without being aware of this link.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It’s a hypothesis in development- but how much of the physical effects of cerebral palsy or spastic displegia, are merely compensatory manifestations of early onset trauma?</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">How effective can this work or work like it be to counteracting those, for lack of a better term, post- traumatic effects?</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It’s a big question.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">One that I don’t think Tamar and I have even the slightest idea how to answer.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I’m not interested in the answer at this point.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We’re merely on the road and answers don’t seem important.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">What is important is that each time we work the questions get clearer.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">That’s good enough for now.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></i></span><span style="mso-bidi-mso-bidi-;font-family:Times;font-size:16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-91492129817027811082010-04-07T08:23:00.000-07:002010-04-08T10:50:29.834-07:00Mr. Fuan Goes To Washington<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IOvvPVdh_rs/S7ykNPzLhoI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/2cMnTPIZguY/s1600/Nijinsky+Afternoon+Faun+1913.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457417395952649858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 106px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IOvvPVdh_rs/S7ykNPzLhoI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/2cMnTPIZguY/s200/Nijinsky+Afternoon+Faun+1913.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Tickets are now on sale for the June 10, 2010 performance of <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Diagnosis Of A Faun</span> at the Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts. <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">FAUN</span> will be presented as part of the first annual VSA Arts Festival. For more information and to buy tickets, check out the link below.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showEvent&event=ZKDAF#schedule" target="_blank">http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showEvent&event=ZKDAF#schedule</a>Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8538379288938833905.post-78499747404428997772010-03-04T15:02:00.000-08:002010-03-04T15:16:32.938-08:00Goats eat oats and does eat oats, but is this goat ready for the ivy league?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IOvvPVdh_rs/S5A-8mU1opI/AAAAAAAAAHI/DAw4TWRBYgg/s1600-h/Bakst+Nijinsky.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 136px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IOvvPVdh_rs/S5A-8mU1opI/AAAAAAAAAHI/DAw4TWRBYgg/s200/Bakst+Nijinsky.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444921160291951250" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Tamar and Gregg are happy to announce that they both have been invited by the Wyss Institute at Harvard University March 9th & 10th to take part in a symposium entitled, <i>Moving Beyond Limitations: A Choreographer's Approach to Cerebral Palsy. </i>For more info on the Wyss Institute and the symposium, check out the link below.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewevent/45/wyss-interactive-moving-beyond-limitations">http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewevent/45/wyss-interactive-moving-beyond-limitations<br /></a><div><a href="http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewevent/45/wyss-interactive-moving-beyond-limitations"><br /></a></div><div><br /></div></div>Tamar Rogoff Performance Projectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11355584563957093485noreply@blogger.com5