"The late Bay Area choreographer Anna Halprin, who helped redefine dance in post-war America, liked to say that moving one's body for whatever purpose art, exercise, human connection is fundamental to life. I've always said dance is the breath made visible, and that covers about everything because once you stop breathing and the breath is no longer visible, you stop moving, Halprin said in the 2009 film about her life and career, Breath Made Visible."
"She pushed for a less rarified art form that could be improvisational, accessible to anyone and rooted in daily life. In a very Bay Area way, she also created dance pieces that were inspired by nature and practiced in outdoor spaces, including the famous classes she conducted on her home's outdoor deck in the redwoods, perched on the side of Mount Tamalpais."
"You do not have to be a professional to dance, she said. Everyone, at any age, no matter what their physical ability or ethnic background, can be a dancer. Halprin is just one of many Bay Area pioneers to strive for innovation, accessibility and diversity in dance helping to create a rich tradition here that has long nurtured all kinds of creative movement, dance lovers say."
Anna Halprin emphasized that moving the body for art, exercise or human connection is fundamental to life. She characterized dance as 'the breath made visible,' arguing that movement ceases when breath stops. She relocated to the Bay Area to embrace alternative and avant-garde ideas and championed a less rarified, improvisational art form accessible to everyone and rooted in daily life. She created nature-inspired pieces and led famed outdoor classes on her home's redwood deck on Mount Tamalpais. She insisted that anyone of any age, ability or background can be a dancer. The Bay Area hosts a rich, diverse dance ecosystem of professionals and amateurs in many settings.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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