Dear Diary,
Slept a little fitfully last night. Hot and cold and dry. We’ve had such warm, end-of-the-world weather lately. Scary. Winter is come, at long last.
Today I was filmed lauding the wonderful philanthropist, friend, and gentleman Howard Gilman. He died a couple of years ago and now the Opera House at the Brooklyn Academy of Music is to be called the Howard Gilman Opera House. I love that. He was the reason the White Oak Dance Project happened, for example.
Lovely luncheon with friends.
Then I went to Brooklyn to work with a set of dancers who are 11 to 16 years old. Dancewave is what they’re called and they’re a thrill. Marjorie F. and John H., from my company, have been teaching them excerpts from the dance L’Allegro, Il Penseroso ed Il Moderato. These kids were so good and honest and serious. I can’t wait to see their show next week. Hurray in advance.
When I was very young, I took dancing lessons because I really wanted to. I wasn’t coerced. I didn’t go to a conservatory. I begged to learn to dance. It was fun. It still is.
By the end of this year there will be a new Dance Center in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn. After 20 years of the Mark Morris Dance Group, we will move into a building of our own: Three Great Studios, Administration, Physical Therapy, Wardrobe, Archives, School Office, Everything. It will be a home for my company and a Dancing School for everyone who’s interested and a lively spot in a lively neighborhood. An exciting and costly project.
It’s hard to practice in a different studio every few days. The floor, the light, the shape of the room, the temperature, the location: All these things affect the work we’re doing.
Here’s the poem I thought of today: “Pied Beauty,” by Gerard M. Hopkins (couldn’t find the book).
Cooked at home for Marjorie and me: Caesar salad, chicken casserole, and wine. Delicious.
Yes … it’s true … we watched a rerun of Touched by an Angel. Wow!
From my apartment, I can see the beautiful Empire State Building. A question: Does a disposable flash camera really illuminate the skyline from the observation deck?
Until tomorrow,
Mark
