if . . .

... received notice there was a tenant in the bushes next to my studio/living residence ... am in the process of relocating ...  the structure and surrounding area are vacant ... the prairie gothic building was actually a place of worship in previous incarnations thus i refer to my place as The Temple ... there exists a tiny insignificant plot at the back dominated by white and purple flowering lilac bushes open to  the alley ...  ... on the edge of downtown ... located a stones throw away from the original train station turned into small mall ... surrounded mostly by apartments and housing "progressing" towards gentrification i allowed this tiny unkempt bush area to be a respite from concrete ... oh yes there is a lawn ... not exactly manicured turf grass but a collection of quack grass and the likes i watch over treasuring the dandelions, ants, ladybugs and multitudes of robins, magpies, ravens, crows and others ... close to the basement windows are thankfully a mix of ...

... we were returning from a walk to Azalea ridge ... a fellow walker had stopped on the bridge at trail's end ... a bridge from trail to street ... he was pulling what most, i believe, would describe as weeds ... wasn't sure if he was a worker or ... he stood up and continued down towards the bus stop ... he was singing quietly ... was struck by the genuinely beautiful melody and the pure voice quality ... listened to his warm, soft cadence ... he smiled as i passed and with joy shouted our "hello ... where are you from?" ... i replied and he nodded ... "ahh Canada" ... ... i asked my partner to invite him to keep singing ... after many requests he started to sing again ... my impulse was to record him ... instead after a minute of walking together i joined in following his pitch wrapping my tongue around the foreign korean sounds ... he stopped surprised, laughed with joy commending me on my voice ... we had, for a fraction of a second, connected ... his c...

... cities amaze in their ability to disregard, displace and disrupt ... my first weeks in Seoul confirm this statement ... at the moment i am an onlooker more than a resident ... persist, endure, follow & watch ...  ... i search for a form of reconciliation ecology ... inventing, establishing and maintaining a new habitat designed for a diversity of living, working and playing ... a place which possesses anima meaning breath, spirit and soul  ... at first, in the leaving, i imagined a radical break ... on arrival have learned to accept a certain amount of conservation of the past needs preservation ... perhaps even restoration ... the challenge is to generate a creative coexistence between the old and new territories ... to comprehend the mysteries of place a cultivation of morals & purpose are required ... i consciously accept the self-organizing complexity of this odyssey ...  ... i once dreamed of a place for a vibrant exchange of active creation and researchi...

after the rains this tiny creek becomes a torrent flowing  ... there has been a shift ... in my twenties walking the streets or forests of Europe, especially the Vienna Woods, was haunted by history ... longed the feeling of walking the land in Canada where even the urban wilds had a sense of newness ... of unforged paths not tread ...  ... certainly an illusion ... yet bathed in the illusion ... every return to Europe since that early first visit confirmed the weight of history, especially when in Paris and the surrounding landscape ... ... now walking the trails on the edge of Seoul a different sensation has taken hold ... am not walking with ghosts ... the carefully cared for paths exude a respect ... the past is not haunting - the ancestors support ... even living within ... the past is alive ... ready to be touched ... my feet listen to the stone placed which guides my passage ... the path willingly shares layers of stories to be honoured ... ...what has changed:  ag...

 ... walking on the edge trails of Bukhansan Park on a humid, late Sunday evening ... have taken to walking b efore sleep to cope with the heat ... it is 10 pm ... the path quiet, empty & silent yet lighted enough (not sure am actually allowed in the park but there is no locked gate, no English signage so will plead ignorance) ... enjoy feeling the way by foot loving the steep rocky climb ... reminded of my adventures on Keats island many years ago ...  ... the sound of a small creek on the left with quite a drop & the thick forest rising on the right  ... the path wide & winding ... tranquil ... ... thinking in Canada might be concerned about bears, coyote and such ... as if conjured to dispel my notions a huge growl rustles the bush beside me ... a large white dog appears ... then another ... another ... three beautiful white dogs one medium large followed by two others slightly smaller faced me ...  ... startled frozen in my tracks, to disguise my anxi...

 … after an exhausting one and a half hour walk in 33 degree Celsius heat, through the streets of Gangbuk, Seoul we arrived at cafe Espere … Internet reviews attributed this site to not only be the best coffee in Korea but perhaps the world … really needed ground coffee beans … still it felt crazy to make the journey under the blazing afternoon sun ... but they closed at six on Sundays so we had no choice … or did we … … we entered sweaty & disheveled ...  asked for beans only to be told by server/owner/ceo Robin Yun (Chunggu Yun) they roasted every Tuesday and were essentially out of stock ...  as Ae & Robin conversed i scanned the choices ... only two small packs remained ... both lacked what i thought was worth the journey ... on the shelf there was the type of espresso maker i used which gave a glimmer of hope ... Ae & Robin came to my side ... he suggested La Piedra from Peru (Raspberry,Vanila, Chocolate) ... my mind rejected even the idea of such a coffe...

... taught my last university class June 1st after 37 years at the U of S  ... was an incredibly rewarding time of learning and fulfillment ... the present faculty gathered gifting me this drum ... at the final exam the students entered the room all together applauding gifting me cards and roses ... two unexpected & overwhelming moments ... i taught for the love it ...

Threadsuns  by Paul Celan Translated by Pierre Joris  Threadsuns  above the grayblack wastes. A tree-  high thought  grasps the light-tone: there are  still songs to sing beyond  mankind.   … can’t remember exact timeframe details now ... my partner was feeling sick with cold like symptoms … then i … the HomeKit produced a positive result for both of us this morning …   … yesterday after a morning of on-line teaching was exhausted … fell into a deep sleep …was lying in a field of packed snow making a snow angel … a cold wind blew over my face … my face felt frozen … the sun was shining strong … a force within me … i desired to reach up to grab the sun … if not the sun herself at least the sun rays … tried reaching up with arms stretching to touch the sky … had done this act hundreds of times & taught others this movement another hundreds of times … yet nothing moved … fingertips screamed “use your heart“ … my heart … how … wi...

... was most impressed with the community work/play of KsambDance troupe ... witnessed their summer presentation To The Heart ...  ... checked out their video Be Lonley - a response to "Covid news spread and restrictions became increasingly strident, KSAMB Dance Company thought, WE MUST KEEP DANCING!" ...  ... they reached out inviting my participation on one of their regularly scheduled Wild Card Movement Friday gatherings at Saskatoon City Hall Square ... witnessed their October 30th special edition, with video projections and audio by Miki and Nicole ...  ...replied "Wonderful work! All elements: sheets, light, projections, sound and playing with space. The elements, especially the gentle wind conspired to create a flowing free like comfortable disturbance of shadows, cocoons, wings, inner-outer spirits and wrappings of careful protection to struggles and strangulations. Fleeting surfaces capturing airy memory places ... nice “collaborateurs” ... my question is doe...

Participated in ITI/UNESCO Network for Higher Education in the Performing Arts / 2nd Student Festival (Online) Monday - Sunday, 13 - 19 July 2020 Here is AeRan’s take as she was invited to co-host the Korean on-line after show discussion. Her primary role was translator for Director Ha Kyounghwa of the Korean show Desire  and provide additional commentary. Upon watching and reflecting on the show she wrote the following text. Desire : corporeal expressions especially those created by the Korean body and Korean movement to tell the story of Medea. It was interesting to see the combination of Korean body verses greek mythology. To relate to the theme of the festival Home: Greek mythology is home or mother of theatre and the Korean body is the local home of where the actors are trained. In addition, according to what the director indicated, she utilized sources from Stanislavsky, considered to be the father of an actors theatre training. In this respect, the theme Home bring...

My colleagues put this together ... thanks to all with special thanks to Ryan ... many ventured into the basement drama room in the last days reaching out with heartfelt connection ... was so happy for that last week of face-to-face ...   ... the wonderful admin staff Renae, Sharon & Lana who were always there with joyous smiles, courtesy, diligence and loyalty sent this beautiful e-mail announcement to the system ... the e-mails and texts came ... each one was cherished ... colleagues posted touching tributes ... FB filled my soul with gracious comments ... reread then all ...  amazing ... was so lucky to have absolutely the most incredible students ... emotionally overwhelming ... wanted to respond to each ... tell them they had enriched my life ... the hidden secret is the student teaches the teacher ... THANK YOU!  It's a wrap ... to all colleagues and especially my beloved students the keys were turned in and giving space to the new ... hope you w...

Friday, June 5th is one of the most auspicious days in the Tibetan Buddhist calendar (in Tibetan, "Saga Dawa Duchen"). This day celebrates Buddha Shakyamuni's birth, enlightenment and parinmirvana approximately 2,600 years ago. Here is a video of my niece dancing and singing with her teacher celebrating.  2020 유튜브로 만나는 연등회 공연 4. 소을 소리판-꽃바람 부는 4월 초파일

... an open letter  signed by board members of the Conseil québécois du thé âtre produced this translation courtesy of Dayane Ntibarikure (PACT) and Gariela Saltiel (Segal Centre), with additional support from Mishka Lavigne in a post titled This is not Theatre ... ... having forged the label "educator of the imagination" to describe my work with students in the domain of theatre/drama or rather the domain of the incarnation of the imagination ... i take a paragraph from the letter ...  replace "theatre" with "education" ...  exchange "audience" with "student" ...  perhaps scandalously exchange "performing arts" with "pedagogy" ... now have created some semblance of meaning to my days of unknowing ... "Education is the art of gathering. Without direct encounter with the student, education does not exist. Without this delicious and dangerous awareness of the fallibility of the humans there in front ...

Another moment from last year at the rRemai mModern. We stood in a moment of meditative silence watching a window curtain flapping the breeze Michael Snow's Solar Breath (Northern Caryatids)  ... threw red balls BODY FLUID BLOOD by Puppies Puppies ( Jade Kuriki Olivo ) conceptual, performance and installation artist ... reflected on light gazing at Marie Lannoo's See Nothing, See Everything #6 ... ::Note:: ... video by colleague Gabe Penna ... a warm hearted, passionate educator ...

picture & writing posted on Facebook  ... my class last year ... even the guide was a former student ... the work at the back Fringe … (depiction of a Native woman’s violently slashed back, stitched together with delicate red seed beads) ... part of the incredible Rebecca Belmore Facing The Monumental exhibition ... the temporary closure creates a huge longing ... visits to the rRemai always both soothed & challenged the soul … photo from the rRemai April newsletter ... ::Note::   ... rRemai mModern used a photo of my GFA class in their promotional material ... even the guide was a former student ... the work at the back ...  Fringe ... from Facing the Monumental ...

(Director Notes for the show not to be.) A still from the archived video from tech rehearsal My sojourn with the present embodiment of Autobiography of Grass Tomb began in 2003 during a first visit to Korea. Fascinated by the rich traditional arts i searched desperately for a Korean play in English translation and successfully downloaded one from a site now long defunct. Grass Tomb by Oh, Tae-sok & Dong Nang Repertory Theatre of Korea was described by the translator Ryu, Yung-kyung as “personified abstractions”. A short read of thirty-five minutes made it ideal for research in university classes. I played with the script for a few years in first year acting classes eventually developing something articulated as soul work .  My partner AeRan Jeong, an incredible performance artist and esteemed academic, introduced me to the Korean Arts - the mask dances, Temple stays, Pansori instruction, Piri lessons and a vast array of Korean theatre from puppets to drumming. ...

View this post on Instagram Nominated by one of my dearest former students @empyclaw 10 day, 10 photo 0 explanation challenge. 10 times you felt fierce as an artist. A post shared by Raymon Montalbetti (@ifsphere) on Jan 28, 2020 at 7:39pm PST

Jessica a Ceremony is a reimagined reworking of Jessica by Maria Campbell and Linda Griffiths. The book of Jessica: A Theatrical Transformation documents the collaboration between Maria Campbell, Metis writer, playwright, filmmaker, scholar, teacher, community organizer, activist and elder and Linda Griffiths (1953-2014), a Canadian actress, producer, writer and one of Canada's most lauded modern theatre voices as together they created the award winning play Jessica . To honour the 45th anniversary of Maria Campbells's memoir Halfbreed (1973), regarded as a foundational work of Indigenous literature in Canada, the E.D. Feehan Theatre Guild brings you the story of a young Metis girl struggling to find her voice.  A story that resonates even more today. The cast diligently sourced the original script by improvising around scenes to develop their own path which they wish to share with you. We welcome you to join us on our journey. Elder Vitaline conjures up the spir...

... the huge yellow bellied bird flew directly at you ... it was early afternoon ... bright ... yesterday had been dark ... the clouds had let you sleep ... not today ... the festering open sore on your ring finger from the burn of many days and miles ago worried you ... ... the bird flew at the window ... you gasped ... it wanted to peck at the sore ... you clean the sore with your tongue ... you’ve been told saliva is the best medicine ... you don’t remember who told you or if it’s true ... still you suck the sore ... ... mosquitoes silently sucked your blood at night ... you wake to mounds of red blotches ... don’t scratch ... press your nail next to the redness and make an exclamation mark ... you’ve been told that helps ... actually you just made that up ... yet you believe it does help ... ... how much of everything you say is made up ... you peel away ... this is what comes back in memory ... let time slip away ... the will to stop dying ... you don’t care if you ...