Having raised two boys over the past two decades, we have a collection of stuffed animals that continue to linger in our home. When planning this series, I thought that some kind of dancing with these cuddly and cute creatures could be an apt expression of all the hugs and cuddles people might be missing. Dancers miss the physical contact with others; families mourn the ability to hug beyond the zoom screen; children want to run up and hug their teachers.
In this pandemic many have lost the rich messiness, challenge, and benefits of engagement with others in spaces that invite playfulness, touch, imagination, and negotiation. As I created this piece, I mused about the relative values and needs of free-flow human contact out in the world vs. home-bound family comforts. This pandemic is forcing questions about when and how to shelter and retreat; when and how to let loose and engage; and over-all how to exercise and develop playful imaginations. I hope this ChoreOVID does these things.
Having always loved Maurice Sendak’s work, his “Where the Wild Things Are” popped out as an ideal framework for my dance ideas. All the elements of story telling, imagination, silliness, adventure, design, as well as the value of home and family were encapsulated in this tale. Max vanquishes his fears of the Wild Things and pivots to a wild rumpus; we see the joys of finding love and camaraderie with imaginary enemies; and still there is the value of coming home to a hot supper.
I knew I wanted some kind of pajama outfit (to underscore the “cuddle” idea) which quickly evolved to a plaid theme… so I gathered elements to support the design motif and that further suggested lots of color, texture, and other blankets suggesting comfort. My son William learned the cues for tossing the “Wild Things” into the piece (reminiscent of his help with ChoreOVID #4)… and if you haven’t already, be sure to keep the video rolling for a few seconds after the performance itself for a nice little evidence of his collaboration. Rumpus room, indeed.
see video: https://vimeo.com/504516297