Dancing Into Overtime-and a Tribute to a Stilled Voice

Independent Weekly, The; Durham, N.C. › August 06, 2009

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Summary

Repeatedly, each dance group and each dance form had to claim the space as their own, in a series of switchback segues over two extended acts. One result for all participants was something fairly valuable: an indication of how successfully their work did or didn't "cross over" when presented to an audience not previously exposed-or persuaded, or prejudiced-by their work.

That is how long poet, playwright and performer [Chris Mueller-Medlicott] had to communicate his insights on the world-and the sharpest realities of living in a body challenged by cerebral palsy. Six years after his family first learned that a childhood diagnosis of profound mental retardation was profoundly wrong-that he could comprehend language even though he couldn't communicate through any conventional means-Mueller-Medlicott died on Sunday, April 2 at the age of 21.

It is not my intent to compliment the physical disability with which this young artist struggled his entire life. But it must be noted, particularly in an art form where the value of dialogue is so frequently neglected, that Chris's extreme economy of expression, mandated by the sheer labor of each communication, effectively focused our attention on how precious each word was, and how tenuous all communication is. He hadn't the time or strength for a lot of connectives, indefinite articles or figures of speech. His words had to speak immediately, to the core of his experience. The result vivid, unexpected, crystallized turns of phrase that captured individual insights with the razor sharpness of haiku.

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Extract

Dancing Into Overtime-and a Tribute to a Stilled Voice

Since the balcony was closed, the main floor of UNC's Memorial Hall was packed last Friday night for an event that is now being termed the inaugural TRIANGLE DANCE FESTIVAL FOR AIDS. Final reports: 530 people-easily one of the largest dance audiences outside of the American Dance Festival that I have ever w...

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