“You were once wild here. Don’t let them tame you.”
–Isadora Duncan
presence, breath,
the mystery of
the body–
here and now,
never once upon a time–
wild eternity
full of what
is—translating and
transforming
each step through
the labyrinth that is you–
synchronal, alive
This is a Kick-About prompt (the quote from Isadora Duncan) that I never posted. I had an idea to do collage illustrations, but the photos of Isadora dancing made me want to try to capture them in gestural drawings.
I haven’t used pastels in a long time, but I can see why Degas chose them so often to render his dancers. The body becomes transformed by dance, lighter and more transparent. Otherworldly.
For NaPoWriMo, and also linking to the dVerse prompt from Grace, The Body & Poetry.
K. 
I love these pastels! Beautiful.
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Thanks Maria.
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The gestural images are amazing … as is your poem.
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Thanks Helen. I had good inspiration.
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Love these. A bit of a coincidence, I’ve just written a labyrinth scene with crane dancers…
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I’ve read about those rituals. I would love to actually see one.
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I’d like to go back 3500 years to see one!
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Back to the source.
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The body becomes transformed indeed! I love your drawings and the phrase “rampant grace.”💜
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Thanks Romana. That phrase seemed to sum up Isadora Duncan to me.
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Love the verse and the pastels Kerfe! You, like moi, are also image & verse — and skilled at both.
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Thanks Rob. Words and images are always in tandem for me.
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I love these pastels! They seem to give you a sense of freedom, too.
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Thanks Merril. I hadn’t used them in years, they were just sitting in the box with the colored pencils. They definitely call for a different line than pencils do. And I need some fixative–they are messy.
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I remember using hairspray as a fixative.
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I’ve done that too. They make more eco-friendly ones now, a necessity when you live in an apartment and can’t go spray it outside in the driveway.
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😀
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Beautiful. Never be tamed, never once upon a time. I especially like the dancer #2.
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Thanks Manja. She lived her words.
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I love it all but what I love best was the word pairings you used to begin and end each shadorma. presence – eternity and full – alive. The dancers feel birdlike, so light and airy.
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Thanks Jade. Duncan just opened herself up when she danced. Like flying. (K)
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You’re welcome. Not sure I ever saw her dance.
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She died in 1927, so there are only still photos which are amazing in themselves. But you can see contemporary interpretations of her dances on film. She really changed the way dancers moved.
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These pastels are so liberating! Dance has always been my favorite weapon against inertia. And the line “never once upon a time” is resonating with me now as I’m reading Carlo Rovelli’s The Order of Time: “If nothing moves, there is no time, because time is nothing but the registering of movement.”
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Thanks Sun. Dancing is a great release.
I like the idea of time equaling movement. Great book title too.
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A lovely post, simply brimming with bliss, K!
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Thanks Lynn!
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Beautifully illustrated in both word and art.
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Thanks Carol.
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I love your artwork and poem. Its as if the images are gracefully moving; filed with life.
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Thanks Grace. She was filled with life, dancing and beyond.
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Stunning, Kerfe. Thank you for sharing.
Yours,
David
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Thanks David. The human body is a wondrous thing.
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I love the color and movement in these pastels.
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Thanks!
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I love your dancers… !
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Thanjs Evelyn.
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absolutely love the joy and freedom expressed here!
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Thanks Kate. Dance is liberating.
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for sure Kerfe!
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Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous write Kerfe!! Wow! 💝💝
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Thanks Sanaa. I enjoyed this prompt.
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