Sanctuary on the Fault Line Network - What Guides Me Notes
last updated: 11/11/2020 (this is a working document)
Sanctuary on the Fault Line
– What guides me and some practical notes
A strong sense and vision for change in the dance sector, towards the formation of more just, compassionate structures through which and in which to operate. Structures which put the dancer and her livelihood and well-being, and therefore the central skill-set of the dance sector in the centre of a compassionate dancing economy/ecology. In this way dance could then better play it’s essential role for humanity, uninhibited by poverty and precariousness in the dancer’s life and body.
A strong knowing that dance is essential to humanhood, particularly to the tapestry of emotional health. And that watching live dance performance by skilled dancers has the ability to deeply effect emotional health. Dance reminds us and teaches us of the essential yet intangible aspects of humanhood; including but not restricted to freedom, life-force, authenticity, intimacy, courage, grace, strength, rage, greif, how to be lifted and grounded, true power, the voice of the anima. As dancers process the world and express their feelings and thoughts in a fully embodied way, audiences can have a chance to digest and process their feelings and thoughts, and often have a chance to feel things they might have experienced in their own lives, that are too difficult to feel alone. Dance effects us on a neurological level through these moments, therefore it can change us.
An understanding of dance’s essentialness - that dance has the power to reflect back to us an expression of true emotion, expressed as purely as is possible by the human system, this for me is one of the pivotal roles of dance and the dancer in society. Dance can reflect back to us emotion that we all feel and might not feel allowed or able to feel or express alone. In experiencing this emotion expressed through dance performance we experience relief, healing, tranquillity and transformation; because serenity lies not in mindfulness or analysis but in experiencing what we are truly feeling. This means dance can play a key role in recovering from a crisis, all our many crises as well as our current pandemic. Especially if dancers are able to process a crisis for themselves, and express what they experience without fear. This takes great strength in the dancer and needs support of ecologies (which can look like communities and compassionate, realistic infra-structures) and economies.
A strong connection to the repertoire and life’s work of Isadora Duncan, and a longing to uncover and expand a contemporary embodiment of its feminine liberty and inner authority.
A belief that in order for whole, authentic freedom and emotion to meet audiences through dancers, dancers must be free. There must therefore be possibilities for us to share the wisdom of dance without asking permission, and without becoming exhausted by activities that are dictated by dysfunctional structures.
With the last point in mind Sanctuary on the FautLines performances are outdoors, on common ground or in wild spaces, and are performed without necessarily asking permission, although friendly, supportive relationships that enable these performances are encouraged. I welcome ‘authorities’ to find us, condone us and support us. This means audiences are often very local, word spreads through very personal connections, locally, on the ground. I invisage, that once SOFT dancers have fortified, recovered, and found their ground in these wild spaces that feel safe us, that may be our gardens, parks, roof tops, fields and woodlands, that we may be willing and available to go out to dance our wisdom in other spaces, but there would be terms attached to this.
The content of Sanctuary on the FaultLines dances is the decision of the dancer dancing. Freedom and agency are key and I hope we find greater power in moving in these things together. In my own work on the fault line, I am very much inspired by the repertoire and powerful freedom of Isadora Duncan, and how this could be translated to today through our contemporary female bodies and experience. I dance Isadora’s solo work in my own performances, followed by choreography I feel unfolds her work to a present moment of womanhood/anima through me. There is beginning to be ways to share this rep and spirit with others in the network, which feels rich. And I have a feeling Isadora will be important to us, connecting us to something vital, providing structure through her set repertoire and an anchor from which to orient with where we are now as dancers and women,helping us to land on what we want to say now, this will express itself differently through each of us. Diana of the Woods is also becoming a key archetype in me translating the essence to you of what SOTF is.
There may be times when paid or supported programmes are offered to the network, led by me, at this time SOFT dancers will be guided and directed in creating content, or offered moments to fortify, centre and be inspired, and to deepen a connection to the essence of the network. As an individual artist with a certain capacity to raise funding it will be challenging for me to offer these opportunities to everyone, but I will strive to be fair, to offer to as many as is humanly possible in the moment, and always be transparent about decisions and guiding principles in this. And I will attempt to develop and share ways dancers can raise their own funds. Programmes will focus on developing selfhood, ease, grace, freedom, strength, voice, agency and authenticity as a dancer. And on sharing the essence of what the network is.
I begin this at a time when there are restrictions on all our activity regarding the Covid-19 crisis, I follow the current government guidelines for where I am and adhere to them for each performance of SOTF. I know dancers and I trust that performances will take care of audience safety and health, and that events will be respectful spaces. If I sense there is a danger to health in any event I will stop the event or speak as I need to audiences. I always take my husband or a friend with me to performances, to support me in this so my attention can be on dancing. SOFT is very much about local live dancing. At times when NO live audiences are allowed due to government restrictions, performances can be creatively livestreamed on the SOTF insta page.
I chose one place where I perform for SOTF regularly, I set the place, and the day of the week and the time, and perform in this regular rhythm unless the weather is too bad or I am away from home. I invite my neighbours and close by communities and remind them about performances weekly. I take a printed QR code on a piece of card that I hang in a tree so audiences can easily locate the SOTF page and make financial offerings if they wish. I am also considering delivering paper invitations to near by homes.
I share announcements about my SOTF performances on my social media platforms, and use the SOTF video logo and website link. I post footage and images of performances at times, always including the link to the FaultLines page. I use the hashtag #FaultLines. I imagine this will make it easy for audiences to search for video content from the network. There is now a SOTF instagram account. All women in the network have access to this and announce their next dance a few days ahead of going out - you can see how we have been doing that here @faultlinesdancenetwork.
I ask that SOTF dancers keep me absolutely up to date with the dates and times of their performances if they change (which is fine if they do). THis way the SOTF page stays vital and a true representation of where audiences can find us.
SOTF dancers and their performances are listed on the ENSEMBLE website SOTF page with the dancers name, the place they regularly perform, their contact for enquiries and a link by which to make financial offerings directly to them. I use a paypal link. This means audiences can find you here and donate directly to you. We encourage these donations by including in posts something like: ‘If you watch my/our dancing live or online and are waged do consider offering something. This really helps me/us continue to dance and give this gift. You can make financial offerings to each dancer in the network through the Sanctuary on the Fault Line page below. And you can share, comment and 'like' this post, write the dancers messages and tell your friends about the dances to help spread the word too. Many thanks. https://www.ensembledance.org/sanctuariesonthefaultlines
If a miracle were to run through these Fault Lines, for me it would mean it became an international network big enough that the public could find dancing near them in any place. And a way for dancers to have agency and a good contribution to income. Plus a strong ecology would be formed, that could help us as dancers be strong, oriented, well boundaried and healthy; able in every way to give our gift, and speak the unspoken voice of the anima (the female part of the human psyche) in movement and in words when we need to.
I have an inkling that as us women move in this structure we will find ingenuity in how we spread the word about performances, take care of our events and receive financial offerings. Right now we all meet online on the second Friday of the month at 5PM (GMT). I chair these gatherings. We share how things are going, news, updates, and come up with ideas. We are heading towards a conference at the moment, that will be held in the UK in January 2020 and live streamed to any dancer who would like to take part.
As initiator of the network, I take care of how it grows and of continuing to share a clear, strong vision of what it is, and what it’s purpose is. I do that in various ways - in the monthly gatherings, in my own dancing, in plans for a conference and it’s content, in talking to other members, in taking care of growing the comms work for the network, in what I write in my own social media posts about it, and in writing these guidelines. I aim to lead compassionately. And I am open to hear the voices of those in the network, your suggestions, how the work is relating to you, and what you think of the actions I take, at every turn.
See you in the wild
Hayley