Posted in Art
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…we reflect on the need to draw near to God through the experience and appreciation of artistic beauty. Art is capable of making visible our need to go beyond what we see and it reveals our thirst for infinite beauty, for God.
~Benedict XVI August 31, 2011
22 Tuesday May 2012
Posted in Catholic Life, Dance
I sat in a darkened movie theater last night, my heart bursting with pride as the story of the Mexican Cristeros played out on the screen. The movie, For Greater Glory, chronicles the compelling uprising in Mexico in the 1920′s against religious persecution. I was vaguely familiar with the story due to recent canonizations of those who were martyred during that time, but I hadn’t really paid much attention to the reason for their martyrdom. I was ignorant of their history, of my history.
As much as I hate to admit it, there were times when growing up in a white middle-class neighborhood I was ashamed of my Mexican heritage. I didn’t understand the culture, and I didn’t understand the language. I loved my mom and her family with all my heart, but was confused and embarrassed by the stereotypes that ignorant classmates teased me about.
I was nine when my mom got my older sister involved in traditional Mexican folk dancing. I was nine when I fell in love with my Mexican heritage through the beauty of folklorico dances. The dance troupe was for ages ten and older so it would be a year before I finally was able to join and fully appreciate where my family came from. I’ve come a long way since then and am proud to represent Mexican Americans by continuing to share Mexico’s vibrant traditional dances.
That same pride welled up inside me as I watched For Greater Glory on Monday night and learned about an important piece of Mexican history. Parts of the film were difficult to watch, heart-wrenching and sob-inducing. Scenes of bravery, determination, sacrifice and suffering brought tears to my eyes. (I pretty much cried through the whole movie, which surprised me). But the story needed to be told and it was told well.
I came away from For Greater Glory inspired by the faith of the Cristeros, invigorated in my mission as a Mexican dancer, and a deep respect for my Mexican ancestors.
“Viva Cristo Rey!”
21 Monday May 2012
Tags
Battery Park City Parks Conservancy, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, Folklorico, traditional Mexican dance
The weekend’s performance was a family dance sponsored by Battery Park City Parks Conservancy, and it took place along the Hudson River under the world’s biggest spotlight. The sun was still shining brightly over the water as we took to the stage. We performed dances from Jalisco, Huasteca, Michoacan, Guerrero, and Veracruz. Each set of dances concluded with workshops that allowed audience members to join us on the dance floor and learn a couple of steps particular to that region.
The weather was perfect and the audience enthusiastic! I helped out with most of the workshops – a first for me. Most of the participants were children, who were uninhibited and eager to learn. The little girls were in awe of the long, flowing dresses, and the little boys laughed at the Viejitos’ antics. Their smiles were invigorating!
I only have photos of us in Veracruz (I forgot to give Karl my camera before the show!), but here they are:
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11 Friday May 2012
Posted in Dance
I’d love to see familiar faces in the audience!
10 Thursday May 2012
Posted in Dance
Calpulli Mexican Dance Company was recently visited by Mickela Mallozzi, a dancer and writer who chronicles her dancing adventures at Travel BareFeet. Read about her experience at our rehearsal at her own blog: Happy Cinco de Mayo and at Greatist.com: Skip the Sangria. There’s a great video on Mickela’s blog of us practicing a dance from Michoacan.
This is one of my favorite quotes from Mickela’s blog post:
Heavy, colorful, never-ending-amounts-of-fabric skirts that the women wore were bewitching – the movements and the flow of the material kept me transfixed. The men’s country hats tipped back and forth with their heads nodding side to side – the imitation of a tired, old man stomping his feet and clicking his heels were comical and amusing. But the dance is what tells the story, and this is why Calpulli exists: To continue that tradition of storytelling in music and dance to the next generation of Mexican-Americans.
Be sure to read the rest.
30 Friday Mar 2012
Posted in Thoughts
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Today at The Deacon’s Bench, there is a beautiful story of a woman who doesn’t let age stand in her way. She is an 86 year old gymnast. Check out the incredible video here, and read more of her story here.
Age can be a hindrance to many things, especially when it comes to physical activities. It was for me. I didn’t take the traditional route to become a dancer; I started later in life. I almost didn’t start because of my age. I had been told that in order to “go anywhere” in dance, I needed to have started at age 4 (6 at the latest). I was told that I was starting beyond my prime. But stories like the one above, stories of people pursing their passion without regard for age, inspired me to do what I loved, even if I didn’t follow the standard formula.
Be sure to check out the video for your daily does of inspiration.
28 Wednesday Mar 2012
Posted in Dance
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“Art is part of what makes us aware of our own humanity,” Christine at Feminism: The Catholic F Word said as she reviewed a Cirque du Soliel performance and shared her thoughts on the human body as art in her post A Circus of Splendor. She elaborates:
While I sat, mesmerized by the spectacle, and frustrated that I don’t have eyes far enough apart to watch BOTH the sensuous flexibility of the ballet dancers on the stage at the same time as the breathtaking tightrope dance high above, I remembered hearing Christopher West in a course echoing the thoughts of his mentor Blessed John Paul II “we need good art.”
Yes, we do.
And we need a lot more of it.
Cirque is particularly gifted at incorporating the vast wonders of the human body into its art. And this is the particularly amazing crux of the matter. It is not only about what human bodies can do, but about who human beings are. The creators carefully craft worlds of wonder that challenge performers to jump higher, dance longer, twirl faster. My breath catches again and again as I am amazed at how strong and supple, how enormously and deliriously beautiful the human body is – how fascinating its Maker…
…We need art to evoke the temper of our hearts- to engage us in questions about what it means to be human, and to point us, whether directly or indirectly, to the God who made us.
Be sure to read her entire post. This applies wonderfully to the artistic expression of dance, as well – to see God reflected in man, who was made in His image. Beautifully said, Christine.
26 Monday Mar 2012
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Watch history come to life on the dance floor. Here is a video of this year’s Quadrille Ball. The introduction section is quite long. Feel free to skip ahead to 6:04, which is when I enter the ballroom.
~
This post is dedicated in memory of Alan Z. Feuer
November 8, 1941 – March 26, 2012
Thank you for keeping the traditions of dancing and etiquette alive through the many balls with which you were affiliated, especially the Quadrille Ball.
It was an honor to dance for you at your final Quadrille.
Rest in peace, Alan.
Karl with Alan – September 2011
20 Tuesday Mar 2012
Posted in Catholic Life, Dance
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Here is a great story about a seminarian and dancing by Robert Duncan, brought to you by The Deacon’s Bench:
I briefly met David Rider two years ago in New York City while on retreat at the archdiocesan seminary. I was surprised to run into him on the streets of Rome last spring. He was wearing clerics and I gave him one of those “don’t-I-know-you-from-somewhere” finger wags. Since then, we’ve run into each other often, he going to and from class at the Pontifical Gregorian University and I all about the city with my camera, on the job.
I’m a lover of the old Fred Astaire movies and all the great show tunes of his day, so when I discovered that Rider had left theater to give his life to the priesthood, I asked him to talk about all that jazz on camera. I hope the video I’ve produced pays homage to both the quintessential American art form and to Rider’s vocation story.
Head over to The Deacon’s Bench to check out the incredible video. Sigh… I wish my seminarian brother was this awesome! (I’m kidding, my brother is pretty amazing… just ask him.)
02 Friday Mar 2012
Posted in Dance
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My first year with the dance company was mostly spent in a overwhelmed state, as I adjusted to my new environment, to new expectations, to new choreography, and to new relationships among the dancers. It was a good year, and I learned a lot, but it was mostly an expansive overview. When rehearsals resumed after the holidays, we received both general and individual rehearsal notes from the artistic director (A.D.). And I find, with the beginning of my second year, that I am more settled and am therefore able to focus on specific areas in which I struggle.
The A.D. encouraged me to work on one major area that is lacking in my technique: staying grounded. ”Bend your knees when you dance,” she would say, “really feel the floor with your feet, use your plié.” I did notice a difference every time I made the conscious effort to bend my knees. My movements were more controlled and the footwork was actually easier. But I would end up going back to my old ways somewhere in the middle of rehearsal.
“I know this sounds funny,” I mentioned to another dancer as we waited for our train after rehearsal one night, “but there’s a part of me that doesn’t like bending my knees so much because I’m short enough as it is!”
Andrea and I laughed over my ridiculous theory. ”But you can’t think about that,” she said. ”I know you think that’s easy for me to say because I am tall, but really, don’t think about it. I’m working on the same thing and it isn’t easy, but I made the decision to live in my plié.” Andrea’s eyes shined as she demonstrated. ”You should join me here! I’m serious. If you live in your plié, you won’t have to think about bending your knees before every step because you are already there!”
I attempted to reside in my plié at our next rehearsal. Old habits are hard to break so I was not immediately successful at living in a constant state of being grounded and centered. Even so, ‘living in plié’ brought a natural, effortless element to my movements. Andrea’s advice, along with other helpful rehearsal notes from the A.D., have made the beginning of this year amazingly productive. And I am on my way to becoming a permanent resident of plié.
Here’s to one full year with the dance company!
photo by Graeme Malcom
03 Friday Feb 2012
Posted in Dance
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Last Saturday, I stood in an anteroom with my dance partner, Rohit, anxiously awaiting our turn on the platform. My hair was elegantly twisted and pinned up, and in its folds rested a glistening tiara. I fluffed the white ball gown that would soon swirl around the dance floor, adjusted my long white evening gloves, and reminded myself to breathe. Next to me, Rohit straightened his tie and checked his pocket square. Ahead of us were nineteen other couples also preparing for their introduction to the ball attendees.
The familiar musical cues reached our ears. Our moment had arrived. Rhoit and I were the last couple to enter the ballroom. We stepped up on the platform. I lowered myself in an elegant curtsy and Rohit bowed as Gordon announced, “Miss Cecilia Maria Rodriguez Schwartz and Mr. Rhoit —-.” My long name allowed a few extra moments in the spotlight and we savored each one before stepping off the platform and joining the other dancers along the edge of the dance floor.
photo by Mary Elizabeth
History lived on the dance floor as we moved through the intricate figures of the centuries old dance; a dance that was filled with reverances, chasses, chaines, tournents, windmills, a grande march, and ended with a lovely waltz. Months of rehearsals and hours of preparation culminated in a successful performance.
And once the Quadrille was completed, we joined the rest of the guests on the dance floor for an evening of endless music, where Karl and I danced the night away, as one ought to when attending a ball.
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Professional photos c/o Frank Ammaccapane of Natural Expressions
