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Imaginary sound-track:
"Walk Like an Egyptian," The Bangles
"My City Was Gone," Chrissie Hynde, The Pretenders**
I went back to Ohio, but my city wasn't gone. Columbus.* It had gotten bigger. I lived and worked there, as an encyclopedia editor, right after college.
*I think Chrissie*** Hynde, songwriter, was referring to Akron, another of my Ohio cities (grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles)! **AKA "The Ohio Song"
On this current visit, most of my time was spent on or near the Otterbein campus, in Westerville, Ohio, or downtown on Main Street at Columbus Dance Theatre working on a dance theatre production of Cleopatra, with text from Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, new music, and new choreography, which I got to see spring to life from the words and music and mind of choreographer Tim Veach. My sister is playing Cleopatra, and I'm lucky enough to be involved as a coach for the actors.
While I was there, I got to meet Hannah Stephenson, a poet I'd only met online as The Storialist and as a featured poet at Escape Into Life. What fun to have an in-person conversation!
Above: The Death of Cleopatra, Reginald Arthur (1892). Public domain. Look at that amazing toe cramp in her foot. The asps will be played by child dancers!
***Random coincidink: I call my sister, the fabulous Christina M. Kirk, Chrissy. (Unlike these painted Cleopatras, she won't be showing her boobies, and I hope she doesn't get a toe cramp.)
7 comments:
Welcome back! I always run up against bittersweet nostalgia when I return to a city from my past.
Welcome back Kathleen. I would have liked to have heard the conversations you and Hannah had.
I wager it was or they were creative.
I love Columbus. My wife was born there. Her father was a minister there. And I used to travel there quite regularly for AM General the maker of the military Hummer. I negotiated a few contracts there with the US Governments procurement offices DCSC later DSCC off of Hamilton st.
Very clean city.
Anyway, hope you had a good time
Welcome back mi amiga.
How wonderful that you and Hannah met up!
I call Chris Chrissy, too. :-P
I also have a dancing choreographer sister. And this Thanksgiving I'll be grateful if I don't have Cleo's toe cramp. Have a wonderful holiday.
It WAS wonderful. You are totally delightful, Kathleen! :)
And it was fun to learn about the Cleopatra project...do keep us posted!
Is this cool? You bet your asp!
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