Day 13: Not precious- honest!

I keep thinking how democratic the subways are. Very American, having people of all ages and origins and social classes mixed in together. Like in airports, I wonder where they're going. I'd be curious to learn about the jobs some of these people do. But I'm not talking to every other stranger just yet. I did, however, chat with people yesterday and today as I waited for the Wicked lottery (again, no luck today). The first guy was in from Chicago doing auditions, and the other woman was a New Zealand teacher taking a break to visit several large cities in America.

Today in our last regular rehearsal at Mark Morris, Neta was telling us about how she feels about this show. She said "I'm tired of being cool, I'm tired of being trendy; now I just want to be." I didn't know her when she created pieces like Fold and Air, and though I've seen parts of The Orchids Show and Beds/Children of the Dream, I became part of her choreographic process as she seems to have entered a new mindset after seeing her students engage with dance in Israel about a year ago. With 2,280 Pints, Neta's allowed herself to do new things as a choreographer, as she explained to us. Perhaps in a different way than in the past, she freely engages in whatever little leads interest her, as we see in rehearsals when she runs with a new image or bucket use to create entire new sections. She also told us that this is the first time she's delegated choreographic leadership, which is how we formed the teams that created many of the numbers in the current show. Having had her as my mentor for my own foray into choreography this past year, I know that Neta lives what she teaches her students- she is living the choreographic process and following its rabbit-trails, taking developments as they come. There's nothing "precious" or too-careful about it, as we say at UF! I'm glad to see her at work in her honesty and boldness in exploring and forming material, and I can take these habits for my own creative growth.

Speaking of creative growth- I've been reading a great book by Rollo May on the psychology of creativity, called The Courage to Create. It's one of those books that keeps telling me things of the highest level of truth- the kinds of things that you already know in a deep sense, but still love to be told about to have it so clearly confirmed by others. Along with the woman from New Zealand at the lottery, that book kept me company this afternoon and made the lack of tickets less unpleasant.

Oh... and here's what the New York Times featured on us today!

The Neta Dance Company (Thursday) A new work by Neta Pulvermacher, “2280 Pints!” was inspired by an installation, “Rain Rains,” by the Brazilian artist Rivan Neuenschwander. The press materials suggest that Ms. Pulvermacher’s piece “opens the door into hidden layers of the soul.” Perhaps. But since “2280 Pints!” features 57 white 5-gallon buckets (and 17 dancers), it surely won’t pass up the opportunity for a lot of splashing, which could be even more fun. (Through May 28.) At 7:30 p.m., Dance Theater Workshop, 219 West 19th Street, Chelsea , (212) 924-0077, dancetheaterworkshop.org; $20; $15 for students and 65+. (Sulcas)