Spirit of Place August 29 2009
I'm working on a show that grows out of a performance of a dance at Stern Grove choreographed by Marin's Anna Halprin called "Spirit of Place" on May 3, 2009. Lawrence Halprin designed the renovated theater. This performance explores the space that he created and honors his design. We hope to air the shows starting in October 2009 on Marin Public Access cable Channel 26.
Five volunteers from the Community Media Center of Marin collaborated with two other videograpers to videotape the two performances. The performance area was almost 100 yards wide and 50 yards deep, making the taping very challenging. We used 4 camera's and were constantly challenged since this dance had many activities going on simultaneously across the extraordinarily wide performance area. Editing is also quite challenging. Anna Halprin is actively involved in the production process.
It's wonderful to be working on a production at the new media center with such creative and skilled people.
We also interviewed Anna Halprin about the development of the piece, and the "back story". Lawrence ( a well known master Landscape Architect) also spoke with us about ideas incorporated in the design of the amphitheater. He and Anna have been working and performing at Stern Grove since the early 1950's. It's a whole new place for performances since he redesigned it in 2003 and it was rebuilt in a 15 million dollar renovation of the park. This dance shows off the imported Chinese stone work and reminds of of the possibilities, of dimensions beyond the usual.
Light rain kept the crowd to a minimum, though it also made for a unique performance of the piece during the morning. We also taped an afternoon performance. There were over 30 performers, many of whom have worked with Anna for years, some from her dance workshops, some local residents from the Stern Grove area.
For additional information on the Community Media Center of Marin you can check out their website: Marin.TV
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