MeHa/ Melinda/ Dances with Salmon Spawning 11/11

Returning home; after Salmon Spawning having immediately many days of travel to Truckee to see grandson Sage, to Costa Rica to be with grandson Antuan; my life is filled with family and taking time for my dance, my integration is a balancing act, ritual needed.

I will post my favorite drawings from 11/11 "Becoming Salmon" was my Self Portrait before the enactment/score.

I am home now, taking Time and Space and using Elements to integrate (a very close word to integrity which means whole & complete) this amazing, nurturing, grounding, watery, ritual for the health of the Salmon on Hwy 11.

Element: Water

As I was shivering wet from the cold swim in the wind, at the end of our long-dance not sure if I could swim or move another inch ... they surrounded me, the silvery skin of the salmon dancers, huddling, supporting and warming me and I surrendered to them. I became one with these beautiful transformed bodies of warm colors of reds; this collective group of collaborating artists who performed this elaborate "dance of peace", a site specific score in an environment so perfect for the movement of the swimming upstream, crashing against the rocks, each other ... water was the strongest element.

Element: Earth

In the fallen-log forest, covered with ferns, bodies falling on foliage, I felt the mating happening right there in the river next to us, falling in love with these bodies falling with and on me. I became the dyeing/death happening right there next to us, piling up in an eddy of release on top of one another. The earth grounded me down deeply.

Element: Air

The breath of life inspiring the play, the jumps, leaps, lightness of youth as we grew up ...

Element: Fire & Wood

The fire! the cabin was burned down! I walked out into the coal crumbling floor to lay healing hands and kimonos as my foot broke thru to the ground I sat and wept for the fires around my own house in Boulder. Then later, the sauna became the fire which warmed my soul, my soles, my salmon-skin as we sang and chanted and shared the heat ... The next day took us to the driftwood beach where we completed our self portrait drawings; as we danced them for each other.

Retreat:

I am seeing a possibility of a retreat, a work session, a gathering where we all live in one house a few days before and a few days after 11/11: Nov 7-12? Creating the score, designing the costumes & just being on the beach together as we celebrate the life of the salmon and our own.