Jalila Bell wrote a beautifully emotional essay where a special performance brings the history of her people and the spirits of her ancestors to the present day.
We Fin Gwine up de Jacobs Ladder
By Jalila A. Bell, Esq.
On June 21, 2006, I had the privilege, honor and distinction of participating and performing in the Opening Day Concert and ceremonies for the 74th Annual Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival with my wonderful colleagues of the Vissi Dance Theater. As a dancer, an artist, a woman of color, an attorney, and a descendant of slaves, I was truly honored to walk the hallowed ground of the Pillow and to Dance on freedoms land.
Jacobs
Pillow has been a leader in dance presentation and education since
its founding in 1933 by dance pioneer Ted Shawn. But Jacobs Pillow
is more than a sacred place for modern dance, an ode to modern dance
pioneers; it is also a historical landmark, a stop on the Underground
Railroad. It is therefore fitting that Vissi Dance Theater would
perform the three excerpts chosen; Run
Thunder Run,
an except from The
Hoarde
(2005), The
Runaways,
an excerpt from Amazing
Grace
(2004), and lastly Juneteenth,
also an excerpt from Amazing
Grace
(2005). All three of these pieces deal dramatically with the themes
of slavery, fear, oppression, transcendence and freedom. Each of the
three in their own right is a technical masterpiece worthy of merit.
Performing
these pieces in this venue was overwhelming for me, both physically
and emotionally. For most of the bumpy- curvy three- hour ride home,
I huddled in my seat of the caravan, sobbing uncontrollably. As a
dancer, I felt wholly unsatisfied by my failure to achieve the
unobtainable perfection, the precision of technique, the liminality
to overcome my numerous costume malfunctions. As a woman of color
and a descendant of slaves, I was humbled and overcome by a profound
bone- deep sadness.
For many of the bun-headed, suburbia- originated students of Jacobs Pillow, the graying baby-boomer audiences of the Festival, and the dance- press aficionado who attend to critique the international works presented, the Pillow is a haven, a utopia in the midst of increasing urban chaos. For me, it was a quiet, pastoral place, serene and unreal, charged with the frenzied, harrowed, and desperate energy of my ancestors. I was discomfited by the knowledge that my ancestors had tracked up those same bumpy curvy hills on whence we road. They were mostly on foot, often times barefoot, and tracked by vicious killers and bounty hunters, even hunted by dogs, with visions of horror and thoughts of lost family to accompany them. I wondered what the Pillows bun- headed ballet protégé understood of this, and whether they too could feel the sorrow and the anger surrounding the site. Far too many times over the years I have watched the children of the privileged exist untouched by the bowling realities of history, silently buttressed by the blood spilt from others. I could not help but to wonder how many descendants of slaves are able to experience the Pillow and all of the culture and history it has to offer. I can only hope that the Pillow will continue to invite companies like Vissi Dance Theater so that we too may share in the rich legacy of its founders and the blood history of the land.
I
have been invigorated by this experience, a religious rebirth of
sorts it seems. I have a newfound sense of place and purpose both
within the history of dance, as well as within the history of our
country. Dancing is my passion. I have been dancing professional for
over ten years, however, I am also a practicing attorney. Dance is my
freedom, my true self, my calling, but I have always known that I
have a responsibility to use my voice in its most- largest meaningful
sense, to be more than a simple entertainer. After having taken to
heart the maxim that the personal is the political, I chose to
practice these honored professions simultaneously for maximum
personal effect. Moreover, it is rare that dance becomes a viable
means of self support where the descendants of slaves are concerned.
It is mostly the children of the privileged who have the means and
the network of support to pursue an economically viable career in
dance. Conservatories like the Pillow do not come cheap, and
choosing to honor your calling as dancer many times results in a life
of relentless poverty. With that in mind, I am also an attorney
because it pays the bills. That is, once I am done paying off the
student loans, that modern day version of buying my freedom or
sharecropping then being an attorney will pay the bills!
Vissi Dance Theater is my artistic home because Vissi understands the need for we dance artists to have vision, to be educated, to cross realms, and to take our craft as seriously as death and taxes. Like Harriet Tubman taking the runaways pon de Jacobs Ladder to freedom, we at Vissi strive to transport ourselves and our audiences to a realm of higher consciousness and productivity. I am sure that all of my colleagues at Vissi will agree in feeling honored to have been part of the 74th season at the Pillow. We only hope that when we come a-knocking with that secret password, deys lets us bak in.
Jalila A. Bell, Esq. is a professional dancer and practicing attorney living in Brooklyn, New York. Jalila runs her own law practice and dance- works for the Vissi Dance Theater in New York City. The Vissi Dance Theater is committed to art and artists that use the gift of dance and drama to explore moral and social issues. Through art, the Vissi Dance Theater seeks to speak to the human condition, lift the spirit, ask questions, celebrate the joy of life, and reflect the truths of human nature. Jalila can be reached at troubleesquire@yahoo.com . Vissi Dance Theater at www.vissidancetheater.com
Photos:
Jacob's Pillow Dance Theater: Photograph by Nancy Tutko; from the archives of Jacob's Pillow, Becket, Massachusetts
Vissi Dance Company: Erin Pride, Jalila A. Bell, Chanel Mobley and Tonika Custalow in Amazing Grace. (Photo Brian Diaz)
Outside Stage at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
Wow, this is a really powerful story. I've heard of the festival before and have been wanting to attend but never have. I did not know, however, the history of the land on which the festival takes place. Thank you for publishing this. I'm in New York too and am definitely going to look at the Vissi Dance Theater website.
Posted by: tonya | March 17, 2007 at 04:44 PM
that anecdote so beautiful, extremely aware I am a 27-year-old lover of dance and the performing arts and this history identifies me a lot, thank you very much for sharing.
Posted by: tinea corporis | May 04, 2010 at 03:13 PM
Nice, accurate and to the point. Not everyone can provide information with proper flow. Good post. I am going to save the URL and will definitely visit again. Keep it up.
Posted by: Custom Essays | December 31, 2010 at 04:23 AM
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Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectatio.
Posted by: Coach Factory Store | February 21, 2011 at 05:06 PM
Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectatio.
Posted by: Coach Factory Store | February 21, 2011 at 05:06 PM