The Byrne Diaspora

Violet wedge of Adirondacks

Last weekend Clare Byrne and Paul Besaw of the dance faculty of the University of Vermont partnered with Michael Hopkins and the Burlington Chamber Orchestra to premiere two new works, "Now Winter Nights Enlarge" and "Appalachian Spring."  It was a sold-out house on both nights for the unusual collaboration of live chamber music and modern dance, with Paul's piece featuring dancers weaving in and among the flutes and cellos!  Clare's choreography, meanwhile, set Aaron Copland's music to new movements for the first time since Martha Graham commissioned his score for her original "Appalachian Spring."  With nods to Graham and Hart Crane, author of "The Bridge" from which Graham took her title, Clare definitely made it her own, with curious motions, gentle repetitions, and a surprise: at one point three dancers left the stage, and--through the big windows above--the audience could see them frolicking through trees and snow, red banderoles trailing...!!! It was magical, like glimpsing fawns (fauns?!) bounding through a winter forest.  You can read more about the performance here, check out the poems here & here, and see more pix here.--JEB

Night at the museum(s)

She looks so happy, doesn't she? This was my favorite sculpture in the whole of the new American Wing at the Met. In December, I extended my explorations of Brooklyn and Manhattan, often with Mary's help or the help of friends like Paul, who gave me a night tour of AMNH. 

And some nights, when I had some time to kill, I'd just wander around the city looking at things. Getting a donut. Stopping to read or write or take pictures. In all, my time here has been very much like my travel abroad--time to rest, time to work, time to celebrate and time to ponder. Mostly alone, which suits me fine. I'm still not done here--after all, I still have to see this, among many other things!--but in the meantime, here is the album of my December wanderings :)  --MCB

Winter cousins

It's somebody's birthday today. I'll give you a hint: he's got a handful of peanuts. 

This picture was taken in 1947, as best Jeanne can guess--and that's Jeanne Manzer, our father's cousin, who is not only also in this picture (top right), but also shares a birthday with him! Jeanne sent this picture to me in Brooklyn, with a note that described how her parents and Dad's parents had an agreement: that if anything should happen to them, the other's children would come live with them. Thank God it didn't come to that. But I imagine that, in the time of polio and influenza, such arrangements had to be made. (Clockwise: Dad holding the brown baggie, Cousin Bob, Uncle Phil, Cousin Mary Ann, Grandmother Edna, and Cousin Jeanne.)

So Happy Birthday to both Jeanne, dear cousin and Diaspora reader, and to our Dad! I'll tell you a little story about him: Once, around Thanksgiving, Mary and I were helping Dad rake up the leaves in the back yard. If you've ever seen our back yard, you know this is an epic task, and it always resulted in a piles of leaves as big as a dump truck. Playing in this pile was always the reward for raking leaves--we would run and jump and swim through damp leaves and entice the doggies to bound in after us. Dad was just watching us this time, though, and I tried to wheedle him in, but he resisted. Finally we were headed in to the house, talking, when we heard an "AIYEEEE!" behind us--and all we saw when we turned around was his orange hat sticking up out of the leaves. 

...which, of course, inspired a whole new round of play :)

Love to you both, children then and now, on this January birthday!  --MCB

I will begin again

 

This year, I've had U2's song in my head. It's actually a song about Poland's solidarity movement, but this is the line that stuck in my head: "I, I will begin again." We must, of course; the universe is always re-beginning, with or without us. To put it another way, as my Dad says, "To live is to change; to live well is to change often." I used to roll my eyes when he said that, but now it resonates with me pretty deep.

So far, to mark the new year, I've been baptized by fire, by water, and...by scissors! (See above.) How are you marking the new year? ;)  --MCB