Cunningham, describing his principles
for dance says 'dancing consists of
changing the weight from one foot
to the other'. Very similar to
somethig Steve Lacy once also said
about playing the soprano sax -
'it's like an elephant-like thing
where you carry the trunk around and
dance to shift its weight'.
Go figure into writing - step by step
word by word - that attention to
weight, balance, spatial duration
matt writes, hard to get 'The Pronouns'
so by way of respite here are a couple
do read them and consider how they might
work as performances:
1st Dance - Making Things New - 6 February 1964
He makes himself comfortable
& matches parcels
Then he makes glass boil
while having political material get in
& coming by.
Soon after, he's giving gold cushions or seeming to do so,
taking opinions,
shocking,
pointing to a fact that seems to be an error & showing it to be
other than it seems,
& presently paining by going or having waves.
Then after doing some waiting,
he disgusts someone
& names things.
A little while later he gets out with things
& finally either rewards someone for something or goes up under
something.
7th Dance - Being Earth - 18 February 1964
being in flight,
it gets out with things,
doing something consiously
- going about & coming across art.
Then, doing something under the conditions of competition,
it gives enough of anything to anyone
& it hammers.
It darkens,
putting a story between much railing
& mouthing.
13th Dance - Matching Parcels - 21 February 1964
Those make thunder though taking pigs somewhere,
but one of those days says something after a minute.
Presently those get insects.
Those touch
& give enough of anything to anyone,
planting all the while.
Soon those are reacting to orange hair.
After that those spend time shutting something.
Later still each of those give the neck a knifing or all of those
come to give parallel meal, beautiful & shocking.
Those will themselves to be dead or come to see something
narrow.
One of those says things as a worm would
while all of those discuss something brown.
Numbering,
each of those has an example.
At the end those are all saying things about making gardens.
finally: for John Kinsella a poem by Edwin Denby
here in Lowestoft, the sticky buds of August
'New York dark in August, seaward
creeping breeze, building to building
Old poems by Frank O'Hara
At 3a.m. I sit reading
Like a blue-black surf rider, shark
Nipping at my Charvet tie, toe-tied
Heart in my mouth - or my New York
At dawn smiling I turn out the light
Inside out like a room in gritty
Gale, features moving fierce or void
Intimate, the lunch hour city
One's own heart eating undestroyed
Complicities of New York speech
Embrace me as I fall asleep'
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