Not Far from the Forest
writing letters/dancing as trees
Dear Forest,
I sat with you,
within you,
visualized you. Your Scots pine stretching from dark, shady green into a hazy canopy—lush, bright, layered. Lilac, emerald and copper mingling in a rainbow of species that did not sit with me amongst the dank grey-brown earth and scattered pine cones of the undergrowth.
I felt your roots, their tangled grasp pulling me down, deep into the ground. They wrapped around me, drawing me further in until my torso was earth; breathing. I saw something I had not seen before; maybe I was not looking. I let it dance with me, and together we moved, playfully, like dappled sunlight flickering over, between and through leaves.
We took a rest, anchored at our core, and breathed as one, as three; our choreography aligned - natural and symbiotic.
I was enchanted by something I had not seen before; maybe I was not looking. I gazed upon it with curiosity, with desire, and we danced together with whimsy. But I wanted more…I always want more. I became a different person from the one I purport and hope to be - a side of me I know is there: dominant, grasping, controlling.
I used my power to adorn me with grace, my control to enrich a ‘dignity’ I thought I was entitled to - a status I pined for. Sure, I saw it whither, but I did not care; I was a peacock, majestic, whilst my razed partner wheezed, writhed and squirmed in distress as they fell on the ground. I knew I had taken too much. Even as I began to feel depleted of energy, of breath and of life, I did not care. I still wanted more.
We took this stance, this position; the human at the centre - and continued our parade whilst we destroyed all that was around us. The felled landscape became barren. Branches became poles, weaponised and deprived of bark, of personality. I lost balance whilst perpetuating this violence, canes thudding as we screamed, forgetting who I was and how my body worked, as my limbs flopped and splintered.
Yet still we carried on. I wanted to keep taking more, keep celebrating my strength but I did not have as much energy as I wanted to give; to jump, to scream, dance, scream again - signal my power!
***
I wonder….how, in small, subtle everyday moments, I spawn so much destruction with so little energy and consequence—every single day.
For I do not see; do not feel this destruction manifest in my own body.
About the letter
I wrote the above as part of a creative workshop I attended this weekend. It was a challenging and inspiring day, and my thighs are still aching after around six hours of dancing—in a good way! I pushed myself creatively in dance, movement, and performance. It was intimate, expressive, and nourishing.
It’s very difficult to convey the depth of what we experienced on Saturday. It’s much easier to say, "If you ever have an opportunity to do a workshop with Valeria and Eloise, please, please do!"
About Not Far From the Forest
Have you ever wondered whether plants and trees have a message to share with us? Have you ever thought that we all belong to a breathing system which needs a space to continue breathing clean and fresh air?
“The workshop ‘Not Far from the Forest‘ is a space to voice these questions and listen to the voice of the Forest within us through movement improvisation, choreography and creative writing exercises. When we will move and write, our breathing will play a crucial role in our exploration because, through our breath, we will discover how the Forest is always with us, through us.
‘Not Far from the Forest’ is inspired from the dance-theatre performance ‘Listen to the Forest’, created by Glasgow-based dancer and writer Valeria Levi. During the workshop Valeria will make the most of her practice which combines movement and writing, using movement and body where words cannot reach and playing with words to cast light upon moments when movement gets too abstract.
Valeria will be accompanied by multi-instrumentalist and composer Eloise Kretschmer who has already collaborated with Valeria in previous stages of development of ‘Listen to the Forest’.”
Support the Listen to the Forest Project Crowdfunder.
As Edinburgh's Festival and Fringe/alt programmes wrap up, I've been reflecting on the nuances between art as entertainment and participatory art that demands immersion or interactivity. Like a tree, I want growth. I want opportunities to expand my creative practice, surprise myself and others, gain confidence to become my most authentic self, and be anything but demure! I want to be wild with passion, faith, joy, and hope, and to continue find others who are not afraid to be the same.
As Creative Scotland announces the abrupt closure of its Open Fund for Individuals, projects like this will suffer—projects that allow for transformative learning and creative ecological education.
Sign a letter to the Scottish Government.
Next week, I hope to publish my piece on Public Diners, in the meantime I’m still Crowdsourcing a playlist! Please send me your fave tunes to include. :)