"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."
"On pretty much any day, professional artists and passionate amateurs of all ages are in studios, ballet schools or community centers. Or they are going out to clubs to salsa dance or for freeform, ecstatic "movement journeys", or they are meeting up with friends at home or in the street - learning, creating and refining dance moves, either to express themselves, be seen or be part of a community."
Anna Halprin emphasized that moving the body for art, exercise, or connection is fundamental to life and called dance "the breath made visible." She relocated to the Bay Area over 70 years earlier and developed improvisational, accessible, and nature-inspired work, teaching famous outdoor deck classes among redwoods on Mount Tamalpais. Halprin insisted that everyone, regardless of age, physical ability, or ethnic background, can be a dancer. The Bay Area nurtures innovation, accessibility, and diversity in dance through pioneers, studios, schools, community centers, clubs, and informal gatherings. Professional artists and passionate amateurs meet daily to learn, create, and share movement.
Read at The Mercury News
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