We are coming up to our performance at Source theatre, and at least a first showing of a new work, of Bones & Bridges. The idea behind the work attaches us to Four Mile Run Drive as a place where we rehearse, but also ties us to the ignored/mainly unrecognized potential of Four Mile Run. The dance contains references to the urbanization of the stream, the underground pipes, paving and covering over with buildings. The stream has changed from a natural stream to a widened and straightened drainage ditch (rapid response storm drain system). The small footbridge connecting Shirlington restaurant area to Nelson St/Four Mile Run Drive serves to link two very different communities. The bridge is important as a symbol of the meaningful connections that can be forged between people and to the land.
I find the piece to be a challenge but yet I know the project could continue. It is a taste of history. But as far as nuts and bolts, in the piece, it is sometimes hard to match what needs to be said in words, with dance, which is mostly an art form that expresses what is beyond words. This is the challenge, the simple pure content of the dance, versus the finding movement, sound, and references that can come alive.
