Dance 3: The Swan Song

I should really have finished this post last year, as it was the last of my 3 dances but I have been so busy I have only just got round to it and it has quite a long story! Here it goes . . .


A story that has always fascinated me is that of the Swan Maiden. I remember reading the story in a book of welsh myths and legends when I was younger. I couldn't say exactly what it is about the story that fascinates me but the story I know is briefly as follows:
      

The Swan Maiden shape shifts from a swan to human form. In one tale the swan maiden meets a young man and they fall in love. Her steals her magic robe so that she cannot become a swan again and fly away. They then marry and have children. Constricted by her human form and unhappy that she cannot return to her natural state she steals back her cloak, and leaves her human form forever, flying away to freedom and her true self.

Last year I attended a few story telling events 'Tales and Veils' In Shrewsbury and a welsh tales event at a the smallest welsh folklore museum at Eagles Meadow, Wrexham. They rekindled my love of myths and legends and re affirmed my love of story telling.
During and after these events I considered how much dance has the potential to be like story telling; to take someone on an adventure and engage their senses, emotions and imagination.
I then decided that I would like to interpret, in dance form, a story that meant alot to me.

So I came back to the Swan Maiden


I had almost given up searching for a song that picked on the theme of release from emotional and physical captivity (that i connected to and could dance to) when I remembered a song I had downloaded a while ago while searched for a music for a fusion veil piece. The song is aptly named 'The Swan Song' and is by Within Temptation.

The song although not strictly about the swan maiden, explores the same theme of the release, freedom and often peace that comes from the end of life or the end of stage in life.

Supposedly a swan is said to never sing until its last day, when it sings its own death song and dies immediately afterwards.

It is a fascinating mixture and saddness and joy

Here are the lyrics

Winter has come for me, can't carry on.
The Chains to my life are strong but soon they'll be gone.
I'll spread my wings one more time.

[Chorus:]

Is it a dream?
All the ones I have loved calling out my name.
The sun warms my face.
All the days of my life, I see them passing me by.

In my heart I know I can let go.
In the end I will find some peace inside.
New wings are growing tonight.

[Chorus]

As I am soaring I'm one with the wind.
I am longing to see you again, it's been so long.
We will be together again.

 
    I tried to keep the choreography loose in the dance and leave time for improvisation, as the song explored freedom I wanted my dance to be free also. This was a little bit scary for me, I'm still scared of going blank while improvising and it can therefore be tempting to always fall back on the safety net of choregraphy, but practice makes perfect so improvise it was :)

Again this dance really summed up another aspect of my personal life journey of last year (2012). And it did help myself personally in sharing my emotions and feelings about the darkness and light that comes from endings and change. In the deep dark depths of pain and loss we find ourselves standing still for a moment looking at ourselves stark naked and seeing sometimes for the first time, or sometimes it is a much needed return, and considering who we really are, what we are really feeling and what we really need.  


Here is a (not so good) video of my dance peformed at Azhara, Wellington in September '12:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uswdcrtXhPQ


And thank you everyone on the costume compliments, it was one of the most difficult outfits I have done and I did try to make it look swan- like, not an Angel but ah well :D