PERFORMANCE
RAINDREAMING DUET
For many years, I played in a duet called Raindreaming with Gwen Jones. We often blended Western acoustic and world instruments into new combinations, such as the Japanese koto and guitar shown in this photo and in the sample song below entitled "Undercurrents."
For many years, I played in a duet called Raindreaming with Gwen Jones. We often blended Western acoustic and world instruments into new combinations, such as the Japanese koto and guitar shown in this photo and in the sample song below entitled "Undercurrents."
photo by Irene Young
music for dance
Terry Sendgraff's "Hovering" was winner of the Isadora Duncan Award for Performance. Left to right: Kayla Kirsch, Gwen Jones, Terry Sendgraff
Terry Sendgraff, Gwen Jones and I spent many glorious years collaborating on dance performances. We performed extensively, from participation in the first Aerial Dance Festival in Boston to the Isadora Duncan Dance Award festival at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.
Terry was prolific as a choreographer and it was a wonderful adventure to watch her "birth" many performances. As musicians, Gwen and I figured out which sounds and music could further bring each piece to life. Other times, Terry created pieces inspired by our improvisational music.
Terry was prolific as a choreographer and it was a wonderful adventure to watch her "birth" many performances. As musicians, Gwen and I figured out which sounds and music could further bring each piece to life. Other times, Terry created pieces inspired by our improvisational music.
Award-winning filmmaker, Fawn Yacker
CAN YOU SEE ME FLYING FILM SOUNDTRACK
This is a PBS documentary on dancer-choreographer Terry Sendgraff by award-winning filmmaker, Fawn Yacker. The entire music soundtrack was created by Raindreaming and you can catch a few images of Gwen and I at a much younger age in this film. To view the documentary, click links below. It is a lovely biography of an amazing dancer who is now towards her 80's and began performing at age 40...
solo performance
In 1995, I created my first solo performance entitled Worldwide Web: A Search for Self. The Internet was in its early stages of development and the show focused on the navigational challenges of finding one's place in the world web. The digital age was changing our relationships to people and things ("you can cut and paste anything"), and humans were trying to keep up, continually challenged by emerging ethical issues.
The performance included personal storytelling, music, humor, and ritual. It was installed in a multi-level building of unfinished lofts, and participants started below in the early childhood room, climbed a ladder to the world of adulthood and work, were birthed through a canal (hallway) with dancers and soundscape and finished in a great hall with an assembly of instruments and a 22 foot sculpture of mother earth. It was a cathartic experience and I gave it my all. I was awarded a Creative Artist Fellowship from the City of Oakland for the set design.
MUSIC FOR CHILDREN
Miriam Abrams and I had a brief stint composing and performing children's music in the duet Kayla K and Podners - including a performance at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA.
At the time, we were both recovering from demanding leadership positions at nonprofit arts organizations and needed a creative outlet. We recognized a need for music for children that reflected themes in their lives - changing families, self image, navigating relationships. Our process was simple: brainstorm ideas together, select one idea each, go in separate rooms to create, come back together to present, give feedback, revise, record.
