Strand (1997)

/

In 1997 Peggy Baker Dance Projects joined forces with Toronto Dance Theatre - led by Artistic Director Christopher House – and Arraymusic – led by Artistic Director Michael J. Baker – to co-produce and co-present a two-week performance run of dance and live music titled musicDANCEarray. TDT and Peggy each had their own concert program featuring live music performed by members of the Arraymusic ensemble; and Arraymusic’s program included works contributed by both of the dance companies. This week Peggy looks at one of the new works on her program for this season, entitled Strand.

“One of two premieres for me was Strand, performed to a delicate, spare and nuanced piano score by Ann Southam. I had known Ann’s music since in the early 1970s through the repertoire of Toronto Dance Theatre, and I had first danced to one of her electronic scores in 1974 for Anna Blewchamp’s powerful and disturbing Arrival of All Time. When I approached Anne for a solo piano piece, she offered Spatial View of Pond, which had been commissioned by Arraymusic for pianist Henry Kucharzyk, so it was a perfect fit for our shared project.

Strand was choreographed bar by bar to Ann’s music with the movement arising as a response to phrases of text extracted from the writing of American author May Sarton, whose journals eloquently chronicle the way in which our lives arise through the detail of each small act. For the dance, Ann allowed me to have the pianist release the sustain pedal to cut the last note off at the moment that my final gesture completed.

The photographer V. Tony Hauser invited me to dance Strand for his camera, and his portraits – which I love – capture the essence of gesture and unguarded emotion that lay at the heart of the dance.”

Discover more about May Sarton’s journal writing here on newcriterion.com.

Completely unrelated, but awesome nevertheless, read about Ann Southam’s extraordinary contribution to the Canadian Women’s Foundation here at cbc.ca.

Photos of Peggy Baker by V. Tony Hauser

One Voice (1997)

/

Back in 1990, Winnipeg-based choreographer, educator, and dance advocate Stephanie Ballard made a solo on Peggy set to Song from the Thracian Plain sung by the Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir. Part of a larger work of Stephanie’s called Continuum, this untitled solo found new life seven years later.

Stephanie writes: “Peggy Baker is an extraordinary dance artist. A Canadian jewel. Her unique ability to fulfill movement with power and clarity has inspired me since going across the floor with her at the Toronto Dance Theatre studios in 1973. The creative point of departure for this solo for her came from my interest in the Bird Goddess as described by Marija Gimbutus in her book The Language of the Goddess. Peggy was able to embrace the statuesque and spiritual qualities that numerous bird goddess images and stories portrayed. Our creative process embraced primitive and contemporary movement.” SB

Peggy adds: “I always loved this solo from Continuum, and wondered if it would stand on its own without music. I planned to include it on a program for which all of the other music was performed live. Stephanie very generously allowed me to premiere the solo - which we titled One Voice - in silence for musicDANCEarray in March of 1997. I was thrilled by performing the distillation of this work, and danced it on a several different programs over the next few years.” PB

Collaboration. Evolution. Refinement. These are recurring themes in Peggy’s work and process, and this project with Stephanie is a wonderful example.

PS - Stephanie also wrote “I loved Peggy’s idea to perform the work in silence - and it worked!”

"... the dance equivalent of a performance by a legendary singer...her concentrated movements, in silence, invoke a soulful music." Susan Walker, The Toronto Star

To read more about Marija Gimbutus and her book The Language of the Goddess visit The LA Times here.