Dance artist David Appel will soon be back in Birmingham for his first visit since 1989 to share his work with the community.
Mary Foshee introduced the company to David this past summer, and we immediately began planning his trip down South.
David will perform his work "Scattered Songs (everyday is redbluegreen)" in
Dances Fall on Friday evening (Oct. 9) and Sunday afternoon (Oct. 11).
David is active primarily as a solo artist, doggedly seeking to uncover what might be revealed through more intimate and detailed dancing, and how this can function as either a metaphor for and/or a means of directly addressing aspects of our daily lives. What he does arises from (and asks) recurring questions about the options at our disposal, and how we make choices from them. His performances—often blending improvised and set material in intricate and unusual fashion—invariably celebrate the body’s innate and quirky musicality, an ever more subtle yet expansive quality of articulation, and a movement language that is paradoxically singular and familiar, idiosyncratic yet somehow connects.
In addition, David is teaching a class on Saturday afternoon open to the community. Join Sanspointe artists and others in his class 2-4pm Saturday, Oct. 10th at Children's Dance Foundation. Then, join us for us for the Saturday evening program of
Dances Fall as well, featuring the duet by Universtiy of Alabama faculty Sarah Barry and Alison Hetzel.
The Class: "Inhabiting a Moving Universe"Let’s start by envisioning dancing as an act of acute engagement—moving comfortably and decisively, solo and with others. Using a primarily improvisational lens, we will explore: articulating specific movement choices while maintaining a fluid capacity for change; some of the many possibilities that can arise by focusing on weight flow, breath, and subtle neuro-muscular activity; and drawing upon the linkage between our internal world and our external environment, as reciprocal sources and mutual support structures. Embracing confusion and clarity, encountering the simple and the not-so-simple, we can hone our ability to wield both active and receptive powers of attention. In the end, it’s about finding greater substance, inviting nuance, and gathering presence—however you choose to move.
David is a choreographer, performer.and teacher. His work has been presented to acclaim throughout North America, Europe, and in Mexico since 1973. David has also performed with Simone Forti, City Dance Theater of Boston (a company touring innovative pieces during the early 1970s), several dance/music collaborative groups, and with many other individual artists in a variety of media. He has received a number of grants and awards for his choreography, including three Choreographers’ Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and has been invited to festivals in both the U.S. and abroad.
Photos of David by Mark Von Holden
"It's Only Paper"
