Richard WhiteJanuary 01, 2003john korsrud, Jeff Corness

Ritual Passage

Richard WhiteJanuary 01, 2003john korsrud, Jeff Corness

Ritual Passage

2003

About

Ritual Passage is an evening of works linked together to create a poetic narrative. Transformation, encounter, and the shifting of consciousness are the underlying themes of this work.

Ritual Passage takes the shape of an archetypal rite of passage, involving a symbolic descent to death and an ascent, or return, to life. One dancer takes the role of protagonist or initiate, undergoing this process of transformation; the other dancers are the agents of transformation: they are the “other” encountered on the journey. The work unfolds through a series of scenes of encounter. These encounters happen in specific places that are part of the inner landscape, and one develops from the other. The passage from one space or scene to another becomes then a metaphor for the stages undergone in a shift in consciousness.

This is an extended project that encompasses work conceived and created in the context of two different cultural traditions or world views: that of Western theatre dance and dance in the traditions of the Haida community of Skidegate. The project as a whole sets up a structure that puts these radically different worlds into a state of dialogue. Envisioned in a suite of dances created in the context of a First Nations community. The subject matter in both these spheres is the theme of ritual passage.

Jamieson writes, “Ritual Passage is the second phase of a three-phase process. My overall intention is to create and present work that articulates a new way of seeing the relationship or connectedness of the different worlds that I have been dancing in over the past several years. This process involves a transposition, a transporting or crossing over, carrying the ideas and concepts and discoveries I have made in a variety of ‘theatres’ back to the language of the stage.”

This suite of dances is made up of three duets and two solos. The duets are Raven of the Moon, Baby Raven, and Necessary Encounter. The solos are Dogfish Woman, Percy, and Solo for Wen Wei.

This work was performed in Vancouver, as well as in Zagreb, Croatia on Saturday, June 7, 2003, 8pm at DK GAVELLA, Frankopankska 8.