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FAMILIAR
MOVEMENTS At the turn of
the 21st century, America witnessed an array of seemingly
intractable and growing social problems.
In spite of this and possibly because of it, there seems to be a
growing need for a sense of belonging whether through traditional or
alternative family structures. Premiered
in January 1996 under the auspices of The Flynn Theatre in Burlington,
Vermont,
Familiar Movements gives families the opportunity to perform
together on stage. Our goal
is to create a dance/theater work which will establish new bonds between
participants, shed light onto areas of family life not easily touched on,
such as intimacy, self-worth, and personal expression, and allow both
audience and participants alike to be empowered by the passion, honesty,
talent, and dedication displayed by the volunteer performers.
Through extensive residency activity, I feel that
The Family Project is an example of an endeavor where the process
and the performance are almost inseparable, and where the learning and
exchanging will continue long past the actual residency. Ideally,
I like to involve young people between the ages of 10 and 20 in
conjunction with a relative of some kind, i.e., a teenager and his or her
parent, adolescent siblings, etc. However,
I would gladly welcome, say, an interested husband and wife in their 70's,
gay adoptive parents, or a young person with a close older friend of the
family who, though not blood-related, has always been called
"Uncle" or "Aunt."
Through physical movement, spoken word, and music, we explore,
examine, reverse, or fabricate anew the familial relationships. We
had an enlightening experience with role reversal while creating the
initial version of our "Athletes Project" (also at the Flynn in
Burlington). A young athlete
and her athletic mom came to a point in rehearsal where the mother wanted
to change the way the two related. The
mother did not want to literally hold up her daughter in a particular
section of the piece because this was what she figuratively did in most of
their daily relationship. Instead
of splitting up the pair, we directed them to work through the conflict in
a manner so that the daughter could physically support the mother, thus
making a positive change in their relationship and an effective change for
the dance. In Helena, Montana, on our second Athletes Project residency, there were several occasions where I wished that the father of a high-schooler with a speech impediment could have been present to work through some verbal and movement exercises with his extremely talented daughter. In this case, we were on the verge of a real breakthrough, both theatrically and personally, but we weren't able to get at it in the context of the Athletes Project. I believe that by utilizing a combination of techniques that the company and I have amassed from dance, theater, and life, Familiar Movements is the place where progress both on and off stage can be made. David
Dorfman Approximate
Time Line I.
One preliminary visit of a few days, approximately six weeks in
advance, to audition interested family members and to meet with interested
community organizations. II.
Final residency: Two weeks with full company working with 10-20 participants
selected from the above-mentioned community organizations and audition. During
the two-week residency, the company will be available for up to five
residency activities over and above the daily Family Project rehearsals. PROJECT
HISTORY
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