Dance & Poetry: An Intrigue of Joy

By Natica Angilly

Recollections and revelations, plus vicarious vitalities, are brought into focus in our new search to re-create ourselves for the new times in the new year. Personal histories, qualities, and philosophies rise to the moment for retrieval. This is a good way to begin a new year or start any other artistic project. A fresh chance, a transformation, a translation and inspiration from one medium to another, creates an intrigue of joy.

Each "new" expectation becomes a chance to dance. And a chance to dance is another way of saying: live, create, exercise the spirit and the being in which it inhabits. Use this moment and potential opportunity to make, have, do, or be something "wonderful."That moment of challenge is what makes the "art" in artist.

Sometimes when I growl about the difficulty of how it might be to do "that one more thing," my husband and poet, Richard Angilly offers his wonder-philosophy that goes something like this: "It's very easy for us to get out of bed when our porpoise is waiting in the waters of the day, don't you think?" Yes, Yes ! Having a purposeful directive assists greatly in the grand adventure of our daily life. Change the atmosphere to work toward expectations with exhilaration! Sometimes it's very good to have something to improve upon. Even one thread of an idea can transform us into wonderment.

During our next January workshops for Dancing Poetry, starting in January, at the Alameda Museum in Alameda, dance transformations and interactions, and moving poetry with dance, give the participants a chance to see poetic dance in action: to see words, concepts and ideas become visible, express-able, and perhaps even more understandable. These possibilities of connecting with the audience, the community, and with other cultures and the world, makes a great case for artistic pursuit.

Nurturing images, such as becoming "light pillars," filling cosmic spaces, or creating "a poetic dance doorway" to the past, present or future, transforms us into visual and perform-able intrigue and awe.

Ekphrasis (relating to a visual art with poetry), is very popular right now, and allows the dancer to create first, and then the poet writes toward or for the dance creation. Any sequence for our reason to create, which comes through the portal of creation, seems to work.

Terpsichore, the original classical goddess of dance, had the mission of an invitation to the dance. This could be "the Big Dance" of grand expectations, or the dance of everyday expression: a wonderful gift of sharing and moving and changing the atmosphere around us ! Happy New Adventures ! This creates a magical moment of focus which can be shared, especially within our art form of Dancing Poetry, as we plunge into an "Intrigue of Joy."

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