Adrian Clark on ‘Lucy Molen’

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Like so much in Old-Time music, Lucy Molen holds a juxtaposition between the way the lyrics describe truly painful circumstances and the way the rhythms describe an upbeat often joyous approach to life. For me this is where the humanity is and this is where I am trying to dance in this section and throughout the piece. There is a massive range of elements to relate to and I often find myself bouncing back and forth between the voices, the lyrics, the driving rhythms, the personalities of the band, the other dancers in the world with me, the history of the story … it is totally overwhelming and I hope that that comes across. I am not in control in this section, but like a stick in the river totally at the mercy of my environment. I keep reaching for moments of balance but I know even as I do that those moments will fail me and leave me again desperate and resigned.

Listen to an excerpt above or download the full song at iTunes

Leslie Kraus on ‘Waiting City Shining’

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When I first heard a recording of Waiting City I felt an immediate rush of emotion.  The subject matter is death and the song is both sad and beautiful.  The narrator, alone and tired, is asking God for help in the transition from life to death and wants to leave this world.  Amidst this incredible sadness is a longingly beautiful description of love and kindness in the afterlife.

Waiting City Shining both is written and sung by Jeff Kazor.  When I first heard him sing it live with Lisa Berman, I was spellbound.  In my own mind, when I dance to ‘Waiting’, their voices are my voice.  My timing, breath and movements rise and fall with their words.  I am held in hyper alertness in each moment. It is particularly wonderful for me as a dancer to have this immediate and live connection with a musician in and be able to share that with the audience.

Listen to an excerpt above or download the full song at iTunes

Marlena Penney Oden on ‘World’s on Fire’

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Coming from the Southeastern hills of Tennessee the revival-like tone of ‘World’s on Fire’ was instantly familiar, reminding me of church, of family gatherings, of moments full of excitement and wonder and those full of fear and dread.  I feel that my character is most clearly defined by this idea of straddling opposing worlds and elements as they play out through the imagery of the lyrics and my relationship to Doug who shares the song with me.  As the song evolves our relationship shifts, gets messy and the line between whom is judge or being judged gets blurred.  I often feel as if the public face of this woman is guarded and extremely restrained but deep within wants desperately to be wild and unbridled. These experiences evoke what it is to rise above, be cast out and ultimately be judged.

The song is driven the primal rhythmic energy emitting from the Jades during ‘World’s on Fire”. They transport us from Concert Hall to tent revival, from persecutor to persecuted and from sinner to saint.

Listen to an excerpt above or download the full song at iTunes

Douglas Gillespie on ‘Uncle Rabbit’

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I feel my character is really struggling or battling something within him. I haven’t quite figured out what that might be yet and may not until we’re on stage. Throughout the song, and really all of ‘Bright Land’, I also feel him trying to convince the others to take a side in that battle, as if their choice could convince him to yield to one side or the other and end the inner turmoil.

Also I don’t necessarily believe my character is good. I kind of think of him as a corrupt evangelical preacher or evil shaman. Basically someone who has influence in an important or spiritual sense and who might not be using his influence in the right way.

Listen to an excerpt above or download the full song at iTunes

photos by Keira Chang and Mike Melynk

Creating Bright Land, a series of dances set to live old-time music, has been a
really exciting process. I took on a form of music I’ve always loved in order to
challenge myself to deal with story head on – bluegrass, or more accurately, old
time music. Now I’m as suspicious of narrative as most of the dance-makers of
my generation, but even so I’ve had this timid, persistent voice in my head that
wanted to know: why was I so leery of telling a story?

In old time music, the devastating words of a narrator can be coupled with sweet,
upbeat banjo picking, or a distant, mournful slide guitar can anchor a song about
faith and transcendence. These story-songs brilliantly layer elements of human
experience, with its contradictions and mixed emotions, into a legacy of craft that
is utterly authentic. You forget about how carefully constructed and refined these
songs have been, over generations of singers and musicians. And when they’re
played aloud you sink right into the experience of the music like it just happened.
That’s good story telling.

For Bright Land, the dancers’ movement language has come out compressed,
urgent, dense and feral. These dances speak about coping, helping, hurting,
copulating, dying, holding back, holding forth and partying. My four remarkable
dancers channel all this through their bodies for us to share in the act of seeing
each other along a well-trodden and many-peopled path. The 11 short dances
comprise a journey, a very sweaty, intense, and beautiful one, and when we
reach the end of it – marked by a short parade and a famous old song about
the grave – it really feels like we’ve been through something special together!

Come see for yourself what it looks and sounds like with the renowned old-time
band The Crooked Jades playing live for the Kate Weare Company dancers in
the World Premiere of Bright Land at The Joyce Theater on August 10, 12 & 14!
Tickets: www.joyce.org or (212) 242-0800