About five years ago I started dancing; a disabled, chubby, and socially awkward young boy who never saw dance as an option. My mentor Erin Pride took a moment to believe in me when no one else did and that sparked a series of fortunate events.
Since starting my dance company in March of 2009, marked dance project, a dance company for disabled and nondisabled dancers, which has given me the opportunity to perform all over the Tri-State area and has introduced me to some of the most fantastic people I know in my life.
About a year ago I came across a video of a dance routine using the song “It Doesn’t Hurt” by Katie Thompson, I instantly fell in love with the choreography but didn’t bother to look up the choreographer or any other piece they may have choreographed. A few weeks went by and a friend shared the “It Doesn’t Hurt” piece again and once again I was blown away and decided to look for more routines from the choreographer.
Suddenly I caught myself watching more and more videos and realized the choreographer was a woman named Marinda Davis. Being the social media stalker that I am, I decided I would reach out to Marinda and ask her to teach a master class for marked dance project. A complete stranger yet she replied to me and ever since we’ve been connected.
After a few master classes with Marinda, I was hooked and became a fan! When marInspired was preparing for the show, “breakable”, I knew I wanted to support Marinda and the Kickstarter fundraiser because I believe in supporting local artists, but more so because she had taken the time to teach people who aren’t the typical dancers she interacts with on an every day basis.
She was working with dancers who were in wheelchairs and while some instructors might be turned off by that, Marinda made every dancer feel as if they were part of the class. Her willingness to help all dancers grow, despite abilities or disabilities really touched my heart.
Well a year later, “breakable” is scheduled to happen in the summer and then unfortunately Hurricane Irene happened. I felt so bad for Marinda, having just produced “Spectrum” which marInspired was a part of, I know how much hard work, love, passion, sweat, tears and time goes into a production and for nature to just undo all of that work—left me devastated for her.
Yet, this is where I think the title of the blog comes into play—I think the show getting postponed was what the universe wanted to occur. Due to the postponement, a matinee show was added (which allowed me to go see the show with my best friend Crystal), and I am sure it allowed for more time to perfect the routines, production and any other detail.
“breakable” was thought provoking, raw, moving, and an experience of a lifetime. I felt as if I were reading Marinda’s diary, reading some of her most private pages, seeing it all come alive on the stage through dance—suddenly, I felt as if I learned a lot about a person the universe put in my path, someone I’ve come to love and admire as an artist. The thematic nature of the show made me feel as if I was sitting in on a production of “dance-drama”—it was not your typical dance show. I appreciated her unique style of commercialized and concert dance but what I appreciated most of all was the honesty in the work. The dancers brought the stories to life, giving of their physical bodies in their attempt to allow the audience to experience everything Marinda was going through.
The multimedia usage gave “breakable” a modern-futuristic feel without taking away from the dance performances. The lighting, costuming and use of props truly elevated the choreography, as it should in any well-produced production.
Marinda’s story is one that I will remember forever…through a series of fortunate events, I was able to witness what I saw in the videos on Youtube in person and it made me appreciate her work even more. It was an honor to be mentioned in the program and for my dance company to be included in her biography. That was a surreal moment for me, I even got emotional. I realize how fortunate I am that my dance company has given me so many opportunities I would have missed out on had my mentor not take me under her wing. For someone like Marinda who is established, highly respected and admired in the dance community to include me and MDP made me feel like I was no longer a "wannabe" but that I was an artist with a company that was worthy of mention. That truly touched my heart!
It is an even greater honor to say that I have been marInspired!
Thank you Marinda*
