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A few sights on the walk through Holiday Wonders.
The magnolia grooves, dancing to the beat of the heartwoods. Her limbs sweep down to touch Earth before reaching back up to Sky.
The pines are dressed for a more formal social affair it seems. There’s much underground intermingling amongst them, or so I’ve heard.
The crepe myrtle sings an operatic solo.
Magic is made.
Enjoy the season!
When she appeared swaying
The beauty of my lover infatuated us.
No one can relieve my suffering from my love sickness
But the queen of beauty.
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Lamma Bada Yatathanna, Translated to English, Author Unknown
†
The celebration of creativity continues.
Some songs and stories are so powerful they grab our imaginations and bodies and continue to reverberate through us. Today, I’ve been wrapped up in a song that’s drifted across centuries and oceans and I’m pondering the notions of songlines and stories of the Dreamtime.
In Braving the Wilderness, Brené Brown describes art as a “shared expression and a deep collective experience.” The performance video below fits the bill. In it, the lovely Jasmine performs an improvisational dance to Joe Michael’s modern instrumental twist of the classic Lamma Bada Yatathanna. Enjoy!
The first time they walked the bridge linking Memphis to Arkansas was December 26, 2016. She didn’t have her phone, so she asked him to take the picture she wanted. It later became his album cover.
The second time they crossed the bridge spanning the big river was November 24, 2019. She didn’t have her phone, so she asked him to take the picture she wanted.
Does the geometry of the scene remind anyone else of the arcade game Tempest? She wonders. When she looks at it she hears electronic white noise and feels like she might suddenly swirl around the playing field and warp to the next level.
On the bridge they walk and they talk. One thought bubbles up after another in a constant stream that flows as fast as the muddy water beneath their feet.
“Remember that performance years ago at the Church on the River?”
“Yeah, that was weird.”
She thinks of a friend, an atheist who sometimes teaches a Sunday school class at church, and she giggles.
A man rides by on a motorized unicycle. She’s instantly flooded with envy. One churchy thought primes the next, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s unicycle.”
They stop at the in-between point and stand half in Tennessee and half in Arkansas. There a sign warns that the powers-that-be have no qualms about cutting off love locks, so couples might as well go lock their love elsewhere. Near the sign, others have continued to lock their love defiantly in harder-to-reach places.
They walk on.
At the end of the bridge, there’s another picture she wants. He takes it. Team work makes the dream work.
That’s the view from the fence going west. She ask for his phone so she can take the view going east.
They sit in Arkansas on a park bench and marvel at this bridge, where industry, commerce, construction, technology, logistics, architecture and nature collide.
Brimming with wild ideas and errant thoughts, she babbles on and on. He patiently listens, sort of. There’s music happening inside his mind, but he bobs his head and makes noises in all the right places.
On the way back across the bridge, they run into a friend, a teacher, who talks about recently recording a “Tuck You In” story for her students. Suspended high above the Mississippi River they discuss all sorts of things. They make plans and share ideas, then they go separate ways and the river flows on.
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Recommended viewing:
History of Big River Crossing — there are vintage photos of the construction and bridge plans, drawings and such.
Recommended listening:
Little Sunshine — her theme song, written by Joe Michael, Making Waves
The earth flower and sky flower unite.
The Murdering Crows were phantastic at the Woodruff-Fountain Haunted Happenings show. Next performance: Halloween night at Growlers.
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Make-It Month continues with spectacle making. Last night I danced a fevered jig on stage. The creation was partly choreographed, partly made up on the spot, and fully fevered. I discovered the fever part when I awoke in the middle of the night feeling horrible and took my temperature. After sleeping nearly 12 hours, I’ve languished in bed again today as much as possible and worked on making a paper pocket. Eventually I hope to share both creations, dance and pocket, here.
Today though, I will share some of the creations of others who are busy making things. Specifically, I want to introduce you to the work of a band near and dear to me: The Murdering Crows’. This is their debut music video of the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic, Bad Moon Rising. It’s a version of the song that feels very “October” to me and fits the mood of the month. Their arrangement matches the dark tone and theme of the lyrics. I hope you enjoy!
If you like what you see and hear, the song is available for download in all the usual places (CD baby, Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, etc.).
Want to see them live? Upcoming show dates are listed below.
Thursday, October 10 ** 8 pm ** Canvas of Memphis
Friday, October 25 ** 6-10 pm ** Woodruff Fontaine House’s Haunted Happenings
Thursday, October 31 ** 7 pm** Growlers
Mystic River Dance’s Annual show is Saturday, February 2, 2019 at the Buckman Performing Arts Center at 7 pm. Tickets are $15 in advance, or $20 at the door. Please join us as we celebrate the beauty of the Earth, sky, fire, wind, and sea! Nature’s Rhythms will feature performances from local dancers and feature belly dance, Odissi, fantasy and fusion artists. Isidora Hart is our guest star and she will be teaching two workshops on Sunday.
Family and friends – let me know if you’re coming so I can save you an advanced ticket.
