Reading transports me—it removes me from the present moment and expands my understanding of people in so many different contexts, of nature, of this world and past worlds. It imagines future worlds and lets me in to take a look.

Books are rich and varied in what they offer us, and our freedom to choose them and take in their offerings is one that I, like so many, hold dear.

I think about all the books I have read to research the themes, events, and issues that I have chosen for the Ensemble to explore: the Mothers of the Disappeared in Chile and Argentina; women accused as witches in 17^th century America; trees and the urgent need to preserve them and appreciate their value; mass incarceration; and racial injustice are just a few.

What I have read has opened my eyes and allowed me to move inside possibly unfamiliar territory in ways that expand awareness and feed my heart and my understanding.

Then I translate what I have learned and what I have experienced into the body, into dance—taking images that have caught me and using those as a basis for exploring with the Ensemble—improvising, finding the bridge between words, ideas and movement—visceral spontaneous responses emerging. Together with the dancers, I weed through what has emerged, culling the extraneous to find the essences and then shaping and weaving them into a tapestry that communicates, moves, and builds understanding further.

This summer, several Ensemble members and I had a six-week dive into improvisational exploration. Mellissa Craig, Emily Daly, and I welcomed newcomer Kallie Baboolai into this investigation of the foundations of improvisation and how to use this incredible process to discover new ways of moving through spontaneous expression.

The new piece that will premiere in fall of 2025, Books and Other Endangered Species, will be a celebration of books and reading placed in the context of book bans that are more common than ever—bans that target specific groups and make it impossible to access these precious links to awareness and understanding.

Book bans are signifiers – disturbing steps toward authoritarian control that cannot be ignored. If we do so, we are choosing to forget history — Nazi book burnings are a stark reminder of the road to which such actions can lead.

There are less than two and a half months until the election. Please be sure to VOTE and work in whatever ways you can to get others to the same. The outcome is in our hands.

Don’t miss our next A Response and A Call presentation on September 26 at Hartford Public Library’s Community Room at which Mellissa Craig will lead us in an exploration of the way books impact Hartford communities of color in Story Power: Reclaiming the Narrative. Mellissa has been touring Hartford libraries and senior centers investigating the special meaning of books to these populations. Take the first amazing step in our celebration of books to be continued throughout the year.