November 1, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

A response to attacks on women in the park
Nature lover up a creek — Wissahickon Creek, that is
by LOUISE E. WRIGHT

Dancer Shavon Norris lets nature wash over her at a waterfall in Wissahickon Valley Park. (Photo by Pepon Osorio)

What better way to engage an audience than to combine the beauty of Wissahickon Valley Park with the graceful movement of the human body? On a warm Sunday morning in early October, Merián Soto and five other dancers did just that.

While spectators crowded the steps leading down from Forbidden Drive, Soto, 53, flanked by Danielle Kinne and Shavon Norris, performed on the dam at Livezey House and Mill ruins. Olive Prince and Noemí Segarra balanced on rocks in the creek bed. Jumatatu Poe, the sole male dancer, remained on the drive, intriguing passersby and directing attention to the performers below.

Barefoot and clad in red and black, the dancers moved deliberately, at first almost imperceptibly. Each improvised her own positions and steps, but all worked with branches found in the park. These they dangled from their limbs, balanced on their heads or fingertips, extended out over the creek or directed toward the sky.

Percussionist Toshi Makihara improvised the music, periodically striking bowls called ice bells or shaking a small, seed-filled basket known as a caxixi. He emphasized the connection between the manmade and the natural by tapping claves or wooden sticks against tree trunks as well as one another and by tossing a log into the water at the foot of the dam. The rustling of the yellowing leaves, the soaring of planes and the conversation of joggers and bikers also added to the predominant sound of water tumbling over the dam.

Like ancient priestesses, the dancers worked their magic and cast their spells. The performance, more ritual than entertainment, created a stillness and a heightened connection with nature for dancers and spectators alike.

This was the first in a series of 16 performances that will continue through June. Soto, a resident of Mt. Airy and an associate professor of dance at Temple University, has dubbed the series the “One Year Wissahickon Park Project.” In addition to the dam, the award-winning choreographer intends to hold performances at Blue Bell Meadow and in the vicinity of the Mt. Airy Avenue Bridge. She has chosen “peaceful places” that have a “magical” feel. A site’s openness, light and vegetation influence her selection, as do more practical considerations. Initially, Soto assumed passersby would stop, watch the dancers for a little while and then go on their way. Never did she expect them to remain for the entire 45 minutes, as they did at the dam. Now Soto needs to rethink the exact locations in order to have enough space to accommodate spectators. The number of dancers available to her also comes into play.

One of Soto’s goals for the project is to explore the relationship of time and the elements to movement and consciousness. To this end, she has scheduled four performances each season and will cancel them only in the event of “extreme” weather conditions. Costuming the dancers for all sorts of weather presents a challenge, especially in view of Soto’s limited budget. She plans to continue working with red and black but may incorporate a bit of brown. A native of Puerto Rico, Soto has chosen red and black because they are the colors of the Afro-Caribbean god Ellegua, the trickster and keeper of the crossroads.           

Over the past two years, Soto has improvised dozens of solo “branch dances” in the park. These performances originated in her fear of being alone in the Wissahickon. Frightened by the attacks on women in Fairmount Park, Soto also felt uncomfortable because of her background. She explains that, in Puerto Rico, a woman never goes out by herself. In order to conquer her fear, Soto decided to “practice stillness.” By being still, she hoped to blend in with her surroundings, harmonize with nature and, in a sense, become invisible. The process involved learning how energy had to shift and took a number of months, during which Soto engaged in a good amount of tree hugging. Then one day she grabbed a branch and—”Phoom! Bam!”—her fear disappeared.

Thereafter Soto went to the Wissahickon expressly to create “branch dances.” The act of performing and the nature of her art also helped to separate her from her fears. Working without the security of set choreography, the improvisational dancer needs to find “strength in vulnerability.” The trick, Soto reveals, is to stay in the present moment, to focus completely on the performance at hand. Before leaving home, Soto would say to herself, “I’m going to remain connected for 20 minutes.” Then she would pick up her watch and her branch and go.

Nature assists in making the connection. The sound of water and birds, the touch of the wind and the warmth of the sun quiet both body and mind. Soto hastens to add, however, that “the performances are not about being still but about moving toward stillness.” On the other hand, nature can work against the dancer. Performing solo in all kinds of weather, Soto has faced the challenge of staying “connected” in rain, snow and bitter cold. Should a dancer lose the connection, Soto recommends remaining still and focusing on one’s breath in order to regain it. A related principle holds true for balancing a branch. “It happens by itself,” she explains, “provided the dancer has connected, has found an inner balance.” In contrast, a dancer who thinks consciously about it or simply wants to “show off” meets with failure.

Balancing the branches and receiving their weight enable the dancers to explore gravity “as an essential force,” one of Soto’s major concerns. The dancers vary the branches with which they perform. “Each branch has its own dance,” Soto believes. “It’s good to switch.” She admits to forming attachments to particular branches but tries not to, if for no other reason than that they break. Luckily the Wissahickon provides a seemingly endless supply of new ones.

Soto has presented “branch dances” at other venues, most recently at Lincoln Center Out of Doors and at Philadelphia’s Live Arts Festival. She describes the dances in the Wissahickon Park Project as “performance experiences,” a term that emphasizes their ritualistic and transformational qualities for performers and audience alike. The goal of the dancer is to enter a “space,” a realm of consciousness, and to “come out different.”

Audiences can respond in less dramatic ways as well. Sometimes, without realizing it, they shift their positions along with the dancers. Children pick up sticks and practice balancing them. Walkers and bikers who catch only a glimpse as they go by still carry away images that stay with them. People participate just by being present, but Soto won’t be surprised if some feel compelled to join in the dance. Such is the interactive nature of the art.

The next performance in the One Year Wissahickon Park Project takes place this coming Sunday, Nov. 4, along Forbidden Drive about a mile below Valley Green, just south of the Mt. Airy Avenue Bridge. The 45-minute performance, which is free, begins at 10:30 a.m. and will be held rain or shine. In addition to Soto, the dancers include Shavon Norris, Jumatatu Poe, Olive Prince and Noemí Segarra. Because of the location, Soto emphasizes that the performance is meant to be viewed in passing. She asks that spectators keep the drive free so that those who do not wish to participate can get by. For the project’s complete schedule, directions to the performance sites and updated information in case of questionable weather, log on to www.meriansoto.blogspot.com.