Do you know?....Rebecca Hope Terry


Rebecca Hope Terry or as many know her, Hope is a remarkable artist: singer, dancer, writer, choreographer, actor, healer.  I won't sum it up here, for fear of missing some wonderful facet of her so check out:

 http://www.themovingcompanyperformance.com/Pages/About%20the%20Artistic%20Director.html

And now, a bit of Hope's impressions on the process and production of Fujiwara Dance Inventions' EUNOIA.
WHat were your first impressions or thoughts about EUNOIA the poem and the dance project when you first got involved in Denise's process?

It felt sort of like a monster. EUNOIA is a monster of a poem, mammoth really. An exciting, brilliant, super-charged mammoth.  It was all very intriguing, but I admit that part of me wondered if it was impossible. As the process began to shape itself I realized that it was still a monster, but a nice one.

What is the greatest challenge of your role in the project?
Getting my self out of the way. Embracing freedom. The piece is invented, that is, I don't feel that there is another piece like it, or another method, or another approach like this one we have for Eunoia. It takes a tremendous amount of faith. to let go of 'tried and true' methods and risk being a crappy artist/ dancer/ actor. Sometimes I felt like I was falling, falling. I would just leave my disbelief at the door and free-fall into unknowingness. It is a fragile time full of grace and potential. Denise is such a gracious person, so I knew it was safe to take the leap. I'm such a lucky gal!

Do you have a favourite poem from Eunoia? 
I don't have a favourite poem as they really are so different from each other. I do enjoy being in the moment and I love hearing and watching everyone in the work.  If I can get my self out of the way and let the work or spirit or me or whatever that thing is that moves through us, the vessel - well it feels like a love of life and love of being empty and full at the same time.

What has been your relationship with words-and-dance in the past? 

I had a pretty severe stutter as a kid, so 'words' were not easy, let along 'words- and-dance'! Learning not to hold my breath helped as well as singing and dancing (very badly) in a high school musical.

Professionally, I first started working with words and dance in Vancouver in 1992, when I was working with Lee Eisler of Jumpstart. We were working on a piece about Frida Kahlo. I went on to study Meisner with Jacqueline McClintock, and theatre, and clown and voice with lots of folks in Toronto. I have created various one woman pieces Flame, Weather and works with lots of different dance and theatre directors, like Patti Powell, Ross Manson, Michele Coleman, Mark Christmann.

Gosh it is sort of endless  - this journey of discovering where literal meets abstract - where words and movement meet- I have been really fortunate to have had the support of great, searching, artists. My teachers and directors have been pivotal, like life-saving sort of pivotal. 

How do you think the 4 year process of Eunoia will inform or influence your own work in the future? 

I now know that one doesn't have to be in a constant state of misery or artistic strife to create good work so thats a relief. Phew! 

I suppose that I have shed my skin a number of times over the last four years. I'll steal what the graffitti artist says, who spray-paints the Highway 403 overpass with the words "I'm possible" What the heck does that mean? Not sure, but something in me rings when I read it. Maybe that is what will be in my work, fewer 'answers' and more mystery.

EUNOIA
world premiere
March 19-22, 8pm
Enwave Theatre
as part of Harbourfront's World Stage 2014

Tickets:
http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/worldstage/eunoia/

horeography by Denise Fujiwara
Featuring Sylvie Bouchard, Claudia Moore, Rebecca Hope Terry, Miko Sobreira, Gerry Trentham and Lucy Rupert
Understudy Lacey Smith
Sound by Phil Strong
Film/Animation by Justin Stephenson
Lighting and technical direction Roelof Peter Snippe
Stage management Marianna Rosato


photo of Rebecca Hope Terry courtesy of the artist's website.

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