It’s always Spring when we think “where did I put that vacuum cleaner?” This Spring, I’m harkening back to “Pie, Picket Fences & Purgatory, ” a production I choreographed through the mediums of film and performance art. It attempted to reveal how the euphemistic “American Dream” falls between the cracks of the perfect picket fence/apple pie-idealism. The image of Annie vacuuming, donning her June Cleaver-like costume, reminds me of the false hope that Trump is toting around as he dares to sell bibles in an effort to “clean-up” his act and suck all the money he can out of the American people’s pocket books in an effort to pay off his court fees — blasphemy at its finest. Extend your leg as high as you can go, pretend to be vacuuming, and wear your Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes, as you try to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes — this is our new purgatory, and there’s no salivating over freshly baked apple pies here!

I digress. Back to Spring cleaning. Last May after a move I made, I reluctantly cleaned out my costume closet, and away went years of ACD’s most revered pieces. It rattled me at first, but eventually that uncomfortable feeling turned into intrigue for new exploration. Don’t you hate that adage, out with the old, in with the new? It says everything, I guess, but when I think ahead with the elections coming up, I cringe that the old will remain, and the new will hobble into hiding. Here’s where imagination comes in. So, back to creative thoughts on vacuuming and dusting off that porch furniture so you can enjoy the fresh flowers and proverbial picket fences in your yard. Maybe tongue-in-cheek will help us through this period of time right now, until we can find our true direction. Until then, I’m watching a documentary on Dante while wearing pearls, eating pie, and picking dust bunnies off the floor.

Featured photos: Fay Li

Performers: Annie Heinemann, Dori Jones, Milan Misko

In many of my dances, there’s a common theme of fall and recovery — coined by Doris Humphrey, who considered this ‘the arc between two deaths,’ it’s a feeling of teetering on the edge, right before movement is arrested. As this summer winds down, I can’t help, but think about the replays of this principle within a few short months. With a recent move back to my home state of PA, I could wax poetic for another year about what guides big decisions, and just how difficult everything has been; however, with an open mind, I’ll default to my zodiac cycle, which tells me to look past the hardships and get ready to embrace the treasures yet to come. It’s almost Fall and new ideas are already beginning to circulate!

I’ll reserve my dialogue about becoming a caretaker for my parent, which is the reason behind the move my husband and I made. Instead, I’ll just share that I caught myself multiple times before falling. On the brink, yet still with my one foot planted, I said goodbye to my past, which began a sort of spiritual recovery. With Mercury in retrograde, I’m reviewing and revisiting my roots — literally my roots here in PA where I was born and raised, and reviewing the glorious 30+ years with Adams Company Dance based in NYC/CT.

As the saying goes, ‘it ain’t over til the fat lady sings,’ so I’ll be revealing my transcendence into new realms as time moves on. The review process has allowed me to sense just how devoted I was with my artistic path, and how despite all odds, I somehow kept creating year after year. As I rewind the tape, I look back fondly on the many generations of fabulous dancers that worked with me; the repertoire I’ve built; the commissions I’ve had; the films I’ve produced; the nine university/college teaching stints I’ve done, as well as a whole year term position as Assistant Professor of WMU; and the countless Master Classes and workshops in dance that I’ve taught to a wide variety of populations — and I wonder why I didn’t fall more than I did. In the end, I guess it’s how well you dust yourself off and pick yourself up after the falls, that counts most. So, during this time of Mercury retrograde, I’m delighted to fall back into my comfort zone of reminiscing, while the summer drifts by, and the hint of Fall is in the air~

^{Enjoy perusing this sampling of ACD over the years… just a slice of an enormous collection I have!}

^{Photo credits to: Cathryn Lundgren; Whitney Brown; Jack Martin; Judy Lieff; Amelia Golden; Faith Marek; Peter Richards; Robin Michals; Don Adams; Ikada Dance; Joel Stephen}