The seasonal impulse to be reflective has struck.  I decided it might be fun over the next few weeks to share with you some of the dance-related memories that still remain vivid in my increasingly cluttered brain. My hope is that this will be a two-way street and you will share your unforgettable dance memories with me as well.

The image I’ve posted of the unlikely airborne snowman was just sent to me by Irish choreographer Marguerite Donlon, whose company, Donlon Dance Company was in residence in Santa Barbara during the SUMMERDANCE 2001 season. Maggie, as she is called, is a petite whirlwind of talent working in Saarbrucken, Germany.  Her dancers in 2001 were a fabulous group of distinctive artists, all impeccably ballet trained, culled internationally; making it one of the most intriguing multi-cultural group of dancers I’d ever seen.  Donlon’s sophisticated but accessible choreography and theatrical staging reflected her wit and unlimited imagination, unlike anything I had seen.

That anxiety ridden first post 9/11 summer we were not given any timelines or guarantees as to if or when her company of international citizens would get visas.  You’d have thought that we’d invited a troupe of blood thirsty dancing terrorists to perform here.  We had a week to spare when we finally learned that all members of the Donlon Dance Company were finally approved to travel to Santa Barbara.

Publicity that summer was meager in the local media. That is always a significant handicap going into performances of contemporary dance, not a large audience to start out with. Marguerite Donlon was an unknown here in the U.S., so my own efforts to sing her praises to anyone within earshot failed to move the box office sales.  They remained pretty dismal. Desperation mounting, I took out my filofax, feverishly calling everyone I knew to cajole them to come to see the performances and bring friends. In the few days remaining before the performances, self-doubt and self- pity about my decision to bring Donlon Dance to Santa Barbara had turned me into a Debbie Downer.

My negativity instantly dissolved when the Lobero curtain rose and Maggie’s splendid dances and dancers commanded the stage. It was replaced by the thrill of a performance whose glories would last me a lifetime.  Another lesson learned!

Watch a recent piece that Maggie choreographed at: about Strokes Through the Tail.

Listen to Maggie talk about this work at Maggie Donlon interview.

Happy Holidays!!