A bright and blustery afternoon here, it seems that summer is gradually passing, the autumn term looms and it is time to pick up where we left off…
But although dance activity may have been dormant in Oxford over August, Oxford dancers have been continuing their involvement with dance in other places far and wide. So we invite dance travellers to share their summer dance impressions – of seeing, doing, performing and making; of reconnecting with roots and old friends, or being stimulated by exposure to the new and different; a taster for us all to savour, and fresh experiences to enrich the coming year. Looking forward to reading your contributions…
Oxford Dance Writers 
August 24, 2010 at 3:53 pm
I landed in the Tel Aviv airport in Israel on one hot July evening. This was the start of the summer break from my Oxford DPhil, “going home” as one says in Oxford. In my suitcase I had the new swim suit I had just bought for my beloved Tel Aviv beaches, gifts for friends and family, and…..my pink ballet tights, ballet shoes and a few leotards.
Two days later I was in the Yad Lebanim Ra’anana auditorioum, doing girls hair and sorting out costumes for Dance Alma and Arnon’s end of year performance.
I have been dancing in Dance Alma and Arnon since I was 18, and it was always a home to me. When I left for Oxford, it was one of the places I missed the most; the staff had become my family, the classes were part of my routine. I danced there throughout my undergraduate and graduate degrees, worked there and, well, practically lived there. Whenever I go back home, I always take one class at least , and when I walk into the studio, I feel like I’ve never left. Starting the class, doing the warm- up I know by heart, chatting to the teachers in my native language makes me remember who I am.
In her essay, Where are we at home, Agnes Heller discusses the outcomes of a spatially- abstract life; especially exemplified in the life of a “jet setter” who says home is where her cat lives. I think, I’m starting to realize, that for me, home is where I feel at home with dance.
Dance is all about identity; discovering who you are in various situations, realizing things you never knew about yourself through movement. Dancing in different countries is hence at the same time fascinating and difficult; fascinating, as you learn a lot of new things. You learn about the cultural and social environment; moreover, you learn about your own assumptions and presumptions you brought with yourself to the class. You learn to enjoy new things you never thought you could; and you miss things you have always taken for granted.
Upon one’s travels, one seeks something that will be home; and one misses a variety of things. Your favourite food, a song, the way sunshine falls in a specific way at a certain hour of the day. For The things I miss are intertwined in dance. I was standing in the wings in the end of year performance watching the girls getting ready for their big night; the cute little four year olds in their lovely tutus; the older girls, sorting out their costumes, looking for specific people in the audience; the teachers buzzing around them, just as anxious and excited as they are; it was like watching my life synchronically. I am realizing the journey they have been through in creating their dances. I am thinking about my own journeys.
I was standing there; thinking about my Oxford life; thinking about my Oxford dance classes there which have become a home in a different way; but moreover, thinking about who I am.
But above everything, when I am watching the girls dance on stage, something about the movement makes sense to me;
And suddenly it hits me; I am home.
September 30, 2010 at 8:22 pm
Dear Dana,
This is lovely – it makes me think of my niece, Sarah, who is withdrawn normally but she has been dancing for 8 years now; and lives with my sister but not far from my parents; my mother tells me that when Sarah is dancing she comes alive and out of herself – as if she is at home with life when dancing! I am sometimes envious of dancers who have this bodily form of self-expression. Fortunately I can learn from you, Dana, about this dimension of life. Thanks.
Pamela