conscious dancer

spring 2009

Wecome to a sirited day of Sou Motion.Creator Vinn Martí ihts the way on theath of transformation. By Mar Metz

pHOTOgRApHY BY DAVID CONklIN

Minister

fsouL

conscious dancer

spring 2009

“th had pa  v. Y’ h. Whav k  mak h jy fm h d wld,whav bacl y had  vcm abhd y. i’ v,  happd, y’ h.A y a ady, i wa  v y. L’ cmdw fm h w f hgh ad  hha f hmay.”

The voice of Vinn Marti embraces us as

we gather and settle into the space. He’s pacing slowly in the center

of the room, tracing a small circle in the center of the larger one that45 or so of us form around the perimeter. His words strike a chord in

me—I know exactly what he means. I ash on all the times I’ve talked

myself out of going somewhere and avoided an opportunity to move

my body in a room full of people. “Relax and just let yourself arrive. Welcome home.” The way he says it is reassuring and condent,

like a host greeting old friends. I mentally pat myself on the back,grateful for overcoming inertia and making the effort to be here. No

matter what happens here this weekend, I know I won’t be facing that particular kind of disappointment that creeps in when I’ve let my reluctance get the better of me. A variety of faces around me reect

a spectrum of feelings and emotions. Some seem grounded, others

guarded. I’m among the apprehensive, with fear of connection stuck

in our joints and thoughts crowding our heads, making eye contact

difcult. The person who looks like she might need this as much as I

do is a younger woman in a black sweatshirt, hood drawn tight around

her face. Her expression reminds me of some of the feelings I’mtrying to leave outside. We all have something in common, we’ve been

magnetized by the mystery, and heard the call of Soul Motion.

“F 35 ya i’v b avlg h y.i hav’   all  clam  hav ay aw,i’m j h  ha m f h vw. Lk ah va! tak a walk dw h pah! Cm ph f a whl! L m hw y ad; ’a h  b y gd.”

Vinn’s language is rich in

metaphor, and his art is the ability to translate them through movementinto a physical form. Adding to the tapestry is the music he choosesand the way it is used intentionally to punctuate the practice. The

rst thing I notice is the volume. Even when the music is upbeat, the

sound is balanced so that I can actually hear the slaps of bare feet on

the wooden oor. He’s a condent genre-surfer, pulling non sequitursand reversals out of his MacBook like twists in a plot. World beat,

soundtracks, gospel, and jazz are all characters in this story, with plenty

of space between to develop their identities. This is the rst “passage”:he has set the scaffolding and formed the structure, and it’s our turn to

decide what materials to use and what shape to form. The music is our

backdrop, and the passage is our time to work. We’re moving aroundthe central vertical axis of Soul Motion, where we greet ourselves and

communicate with our own center. Under the hood of my closed eyes

I’m disarming myself, laying aside thoughts, notions, and judgments.

Reminding myself to be here now.

conscious dancer

spring 2009

“Y a all a h. Ybd a a blak cava. Ya h  g a g h way  l ca g . Y’ h  y bh  h cavah way   l ca  .i wa  v y  ccwh m l f a mm,aby  ac h m. thg  h w, b y cahm h .”

The artist metaphoris an empowering one that implies respect.

Suddenly we’re not here to learn, but to create.He is giving back the freedom to express

ourselves. I ponder the semantic differencebetween “class” and “workshop.” In the

former I might memorize or be tested; in the

latter I am building something, manifesting

a vision. Building with movement, carving

shapes in the air, framing the space, laying a foundation. I notice the other bodies in

motion, some working on ne details andothers concerned with the overall project. We

are all busy, taking time with plans of our own. The girl with the hood has found a walking stick and is making slow circles around it in

the corner, while I’m going round and round with some of the darker issues I’ve been wrestling with. We’re helping each other stay aoat by building life rafts in the air. This isthe horizontal axis of Soul Motion, where wespiral outward to explore relationships with

each other and the world.

“Bf   h myy, adbhd    hy. Blw a  ach, ad abv a h  w v. sdby d w walk gh wh allbg a . Walk  h pf h wh cm bf ; lhm lad   h myy.o dcda a bhd ,ppg   hy. Wad  h hld f hwh hav agh , ad  lva h fda f h whwll la fm .”

This is the mostpowerful passage of the day for me. Repeating it, spiraling through it, drinking it in with eachbreath. Each time I move through it I meetmy mentors, touch my ancestors, and weep

“Soul motion is a oveent inistry.

W m tth t mt t lv.T ll th l wh w’ l h  tk    h     vhl t lx  f tht lbt  th by. Th wk  btt” Th th  V Mt h’t xtly b  y : h’  lvxml  th l  “wht ’t kll y mk y t.” Th bk jw h  tt fht  th Bx   hl tll v hm m tw, h  kly t  mb  lt y t  tt  Vtm tht h tbttl m vy b hbt. “Lt’ mmb tht t lv  t k t b lv t. T lv  t k y. T h  t k . T ty  t k l.Bt k w mt, b  t hz wl b t k th. oly  wh k  .” at k vyth  t  h ,  w h  l  tmt   ,  h y   l tt  . Thft   26 ltt t   th    tw-y yl tht wllflly t thm t mt sl Mt. at 18 mth  thy,   t wk tht vlv ltvt   mtt t,   mt  mmty v, mt  w t th tm t wh thy b t wk wth . Fltt sl Mt  t jt tlt   t  thq, bt th  btl t   tmh,  wy  t mwth mvmt. e- th bl,  mht y. “a mb  l wm t m  y ‘W wt t th! W mb th wk, w lv t, hw w  t?’ i w btl tht wht mv thh m w tbl, t lt l. i’m lht   tht h  th l mtl, thltm tht w th m  b t. it tk  t ty  , vl wh h  th  th w  l   ty bt mvmt tl vlt   th l  ty   v. i’v l  lt btmyl   th,  bt myl  m wh  t   lm thwk  mth mv thh m,  mth wthwhl. i’m tt  ltt  t, thy’ th m l. i l  l lllty wth th l wh wk wth m  t  mt, i’m lly jy t  i thk i’ll lt lt l.”

VINN MARTI: The INNeR-VIeW