The very spontaneous nature of art rarely gives way to “schedules”, ie. scribbling notes on a bathroom floor at 4am so as not to wake up the household, 2-hour rehearsals that turn into 10 hours, starting with violins and ending up with tambourines, constant breaking of commitments due to double-booking or financial constraints…and yet as performers, choreographers, collaborators we must adhere to some semblance of organization so as not to disappear into our microcosmic “bubbles”. A famous Spanish dancer who I admire greatly once said in an interview that she would rather be rehearsing, creating and performing on stage rather than dealing with every-day existence, and I completely understand her. When I am moving my body I quickly enter my “home”, a space where time does not exist and where my soul is completely free…I can be utterly exhausted and it all disappears once the dance/music enter my being…I do not separate it from my life and yet it is quite separate from many aspects of the clock-ticking calendar nature of my existence as a human being. Where am I going with these musings you may ask?
On the eve of the second “showing” for Performing Diaspora I realize that due to personal and logistical setbacks I too, have been quite absent with regards to blogging, paperwork and general communication. This is not my general nature so I am having to fight a sense of anxiety and find a starting point for organization instead of giving in to procrastination. My life getting in the way of my artistic project, yes…my artistic project moving along as it should, YES…my honor and gratitude of being a part of such an interesting and evocative project, ABSOLUTELY!
As the music unfolds the musicians unfold. It has been decided that the 2nd vocalist will be substituted for percussion as that will add the icing to the cake. I consulted my uncle Larry Vuckovich who is a world reknown jazz pianist residing here in the Bay Area (also Serbian) and he recommended the perfect man who lives in San Anselmo. What an experience to travel to his home together with Alfredo and discover his talent and expertise in Turkish percussion (same instruments used in traditional Serbian folklore) AND that fact that he loved our music!
All my musicians are still far away so the bulk of my “creative process” will occur closer to the actual performance dates, but I am consulting, brain-storming and in my mind’s eye I see images of travelling, not just of gypsies but rather the nomadic human wanderers of the world and the transient nature of all living things.
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Unsettled/Soiled Group is a group of East, Southeast, and South Asian diasporic movers, makers, and settlers on Ramaytush and Chochenyo Ohlone land. Unsettled/Soiled Group is led by June Yuen Ting, one of CounterPulse's 2022 ARC Performing Diaspora artists and will debut Dwelling for Unsettling alongside VERA!'s Try, Hye!, Thursday through Saturday, December 8-10 & 15-17, 2022
Try, Hye! by Vera Hannush/VERA! & Dwelling for Unsettling by Unsettled/Soiled Group December 8-10 & 15-17, 2022 // 8PM PT // 80 Turk St, SF
VERA! (they/them) is a queer Armenian American drag king, dancer, and community activist. They are one of CounterPulse's 2022 ARC Performing Diaspora artists and will debut Try, Hye! alongside Unsettled/Soiled Group's Dwelling for Unsettling, Thursday through Saturday, December 8-10 & 15-17, 2022
Danica!
thanks so much for posting this very vivid and expressive description of your life and creative process. in a way, i think it totally makes sense — the chaos and spontaneity dueling it out with form and checking in (with the outside?). i certainly can relate.
“as the music unfolds…”
you are weaving a work together that makes the most sense for you! very “migrational!”
can’t wait to see the next development!
Danica -thank you so much for you musings and I can SO CLOSELY relate – as life gets in the way of making art… having been in Cuba for the first works in progress showing – and looking towards the 20th as the first time I will be meeting many of the other artists in this amazing convergence of cultures, approaches, artistic voices – I am feeling nervous, overjoyed, fearful, delighted and absolutely frantic all at once… As the date grows nearer and as the rehearsal process is underway – the ‘everyday’ seems to be sliding its way into my art… I feel like I am at a stage where the ideas are bigger than I can even capture on the page or in my body -and that life keeps throwing me really exciting road blocks that I could choose to pay attention to – but every time I catch myself doing that i remind myself that it is my avoidance of really allowing myself space/time/energy to create… and that life IS art… that all the road blocks -the things being hurled at me head on at a million miles an our – is why I dance – is why I create and it at its core – what my new piece is about… it is about really owning your life – that it isn’t what is happening but how you choose to be, not only to react, but to be – not necessarily in relationship to anything else but just ‘being’ will give you how your relationships look, how the work appears, how you experience life and what happens… don’t know if any of this makes sense but I do know that I feel so honored to have the ability to go on this blog and not feel alone… but to feel a part of something so much bigger than my indv. artistic voice or the rough rehearsal I had on Friday – but that I am able to place myself in a context. I feel thankful.