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Steer your way past the ruins of the Altar and the Mall Steer your way through the fables of Creation and The Fall Steer your way past the Palaces that rise above the rot Year by year, month by month, day by day Thought by thought Steer your heart past the Truth that you believed in yesterday Such as Fundamental Goodness and the Wisdom of the Way Steer your heart, precious heart, past the women whom you bought Year by year, month by month, day by day Thought by thought Steer your way through the pain that is far more real than you That's smashed the Cosmic Model, that blinded every view And please don't make me go there, though there be a God or not Year by year, month by month, day by day Thought by thought They whisper still, the injured stones The blunted mountains weep As he died to make men holy Let us die to make things cheap And say the Mea Culpa, which you probably forgot Year by year, month by month, day by day Thought by thought Steer your way, O my heart, though I have no right to ask To the one who was never, never equal to the task Who knows he's been convicted, who knows he will be shot Year by year, month by month, day by day Thought by thought They whisper still, the injured stones The blunted mountains weep As he died to make men holy Let us die to make things cheap And say the Mea Culpa, which you gradually forgot Year by year, month by month, day by day Thought by thought
Leonard Cohen
Chicago Arts District's 2nd Friday Performances with violinist Steve Gibons and writer/painter Dmitry Samarov
Friday, December 9th 7:00pm- 9:30pm FREE, Studio 1833, 1833 S. Halsted Storefront, Chicago, IL 60608
Clinard Dance contracts to a duo format as Wendy Clinard and Steve Gibons share original, new compositions for dance and violin. Inspired by repetition, repetition, repetition and set within a traditional 12-count flamenco rhythm, performances are 10 minuets each taking place at 7:30, 8:00, 8:30 and 9:00pm. By repeating and pushing through movements and sounds together the duet becomes more sincere. Sincerity repetition offers an opening into following movement compositions. Dmitry Samarov will show sketches of Clinard Dance in rehearsal as well as other recent works.
Clinard Student Dance Concert
Saturday, December 3rd 8pm, Tickets $20 to reserve contact info@clinardance.org Studio 1833, 1833 S. Halsted Storefront, Chicago, IL 60608
Join us for an evening of student and professional dance and music as we celebrate and share our dedication to the art of flamenco. Get ready to be moved by live music accompaniment from our guests flamenco artist greats; guitarist Marija Temo and dancer, singer, percussionist Jose Moreno and violinist extraordinaire Steve Gibons.
I never learned how to dance. Watching others do it, especially people who really know how, is like hearing a good story. It's rarely a straight narrative but the combination of gesture and sound can take you to places far from where you were when the dance began.
Over the past few years I've worked with my old art-school classmate Wendy Clinard on various projects. It's always a pleasure and a challenge to collaborate with her. She's got a unique mind and her own particular way of communicating. Though the jumping-off point of her choreography is usually flamenco, she takes it into far-flung places.
A few months ago Wendy moved her dance studio to one of the storefronts on Halsted Street in Pilsen. She's been based in the neighborhood over twenty years but now passersby can watch as she puts her students through their paces.
I've been drawing during some of these sessions and will be hanging about ten of the better drawings on the wall of her studio, opposite the mirror in which the dancers watch themselves. I will also hang about ten recent paintings. Most of them have never been displayed anywhere but a computer screen and I look forward to seeing how they look out in the world.
The show will be up for a couple weeks. This Friday, December 9th, there will be an opening from 7-9:30pm. The address is 1833 South Halsted, here in Chicago. Wendy will be performing a new piece she's been working on with violinist Steve Gibons and you can get more information about the evening right here. If you can't make it that night but would like to see the art, just drop me a line and we can set a time to meet.
More next Monday,
Dmitry
p.s. I wrote about the new Nelson Algren biography for Vol.1 Brooklyn.