The Byrne Diaspora

Featuring Killa Clare

This week in New York, Clare is a guest performer for her old friend Nick Leichter, of nicholasleichterdance, at the Joyce in Soho. Mary, Mark, Julie, and Francie will all be in attendance! Above is a photo snapped during their rehearsal -- Clare is sitting in the back, in pink, I think ;)  As for Clare's own most recent work, see here for the sea and a story about rings...  --MCB

Abba father

Pam took the above photo of Dad, in front of St. John the Divine! She is now visiting from Pennsylvania. We celebrated Father's Day on the Solstice...or, Solstice on Father's Day ;)  Donny led us in a beautiful fireside service that asked us to reflect on the Father, the Sun, and all the light that He gives. And of course, we gave thanks for our own father -- Donald E. Byrne, Jr.  Speaking for myself, whenever Father's Day comes around I always feel kind of hopeless, because I can't think of anything to make or construct or give that would express everything I'd want to say to my Dad, and everything he means to me. So just: keep loving, day in, day out, best I can.

Dad wanted me to post a few pictures from his recent trip with Pam, up to New York -- they walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and took some nice pictures! See them here. --MCB

Masked

I took a note from my big sister Clare, and joined a group of 50 dancers choreographed by her old Conn College teacher, Mark Dendy. The American Dance Festival opened in Durham yesterday, and -- representing my theater group, Little Green Pig -- I was part of a special pre-show to "baptize" the new performance space. It was fantastic! People were alternately curious, nervous, and freaked out by our masked mingling. You can see a slideshow of the whole hour-long performance here. (And yes, I am the "aloof dancer" in pink ;)) --MCB

Nicole Lakaisha Barcelona

N. Kaisha is on the move! From family visits in Atlanta and Baltimore, to a trip to Philadelphia, to the current sojourn in Barcelona, June has been a month of travel. A few days ago, she arrived in Spain with friends Olga & Tony for time with their families and the baptism of their baby son, Nicholas, who is Kaisha's godson. She writes on her second day: St. Vincent del Horts is much like New York: a lot of people fitting into 8-9 story buildings on one-way streets, with cafes and shops below. Everyone hangs their clothes outside on the windowsills or in small walkways that connect to the kitchen and open to the sky and get the wind that is caught between the buildings. Tony's mom has small birds on her balcony. It's a nice mix of bird singing in the morning and traffic noise all night and day. With Olga's relatives we had fish stew made with a slimy red sauce of okra consistency (it was great), fried sardines (all seafood fresh from the Mediterranean), fried and boiled plantains, beer and champagne. Then, she wrote, they went to the baptism rehearsal "full and a little nice," lol ;-). Kaisha is bringing back seeds!--apricot, African okra, and nispero, a tree with a sweet, lemony fruit "that grows on just about every street corner here." Above is Dona Lakaisha garbed for the Philadelphia wedding of husband Don III's college friend Mark Franek and Mark's bride Maymon. Via con Dios, mi hermana!!!--JEB