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The phrase “a chasing after the wind” occurs five times within the passages I have selected. This short dance video was created in reflection to that phrase. My creative process is about responsiveness rather than execution. In my first post for this residency I wrote out a clear artistic goals for myself.
Find the complete progression of the work linked below.
Ecclesiastes 1:8-18
Ecclesiastes 2:17-26
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Ecclesiastes 6:7-12
Ecclesiastes 8:6-17
Artist in Residence 2016: Stephanie Miracle Part 3
By
Stephanie Miracle
Credits:
Curated by:
Spark+Echo Arts, Artist in Residence 2016
2016
Dance
Primary Scripture
All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
That which has been is that which shall be; and that which has been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it may be said, “Behold, this is new?” It has been long ago, in the ages which were before us.
There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, among those that shall come after.
I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
That which is crooked can’t be made straight; and that which is lacking can’t be counted.
I said to myself, “Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”
I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.
For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Ecclesiastes 1:8-18
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September 19, 2016
The phrase “a chasing after the wind” occurs five times within the passages I have selected. This short dance video was created in reflection to that phrase. My creative process is about responsiveness rather than execution. In my first post for this residency I wrote out a clear artistic goals for myself. But over these several months I can see that my work takes a less direct path. For all of the work in progress videos I had intended to use locations near my home in Essen, Germany; but while at an artist residency in Ghent, NY I spent several days collecting video of me dancing in the fields. After looking at the material I began to see a connection to the texts in Ecclesiastes and it sent me on a journey of questions:
Is chasing after the wind a bad thing?
Is it meaningless in that is cannot see what you are after?>
Is it meaningless because it is un-catch able?
What or who is the wind?
Is the wind strong or gentle and thin?
Should the wind move us?
In this video I am seeking after something, something that is not seen. My movement is often passive, not extremely vigorous. I see that I am grasping at something. I move the camera in search of “it”. The days I worked in the fields the air was thin. I did not have much to clutch. I did not feel the wind on my skin or through the trees. Where did you go, wind?
from Stephanie Miracle on Vimeo.
Spark Notes
The Artist's Reflection
Stephanie Miracle is an American born independent choreographer and performer currently based in Essen, Germany with her husband visual artist Jimmy Miracle. She earned her MFA in Dance at the University of Maryland and a BA in Dance from Belhaven University. She is also a teacher of Klein Technique™ and holds prestigious honor of being a 2014/15 German Fulbright Fellow in the Performing Arts. In 2015 she joined as a full-time dancer with the Folkwang Tanzstudio/FTS. In addition to performing with the company she often works in collaboration with Henrietta Horn (DE), Carla Jordao (PT), Ana Farfan (MX), Paola Ponti, (IT) and Anna Shchkleina (RU). She is the director of Fakers Club, a site-specific performance experiment based on film and serial television.
Stephanie's choreography has been described as “iconic and nuanced…with an irreverence that makes you smile unconsciously”(Rick Westerkamp, 2014). Often in vivid technicolor, Miracle’s works are crafted with a cinematic sensibility and follow subtle narrative threads. In addition to creating choreographies for traditional proscenium theaters her unique aesthetic finds special significance in common spaces for example, parking lots, bus stops, woman's prisons, hallways, staircases, and rooftops. in Germany, Hungary, Mexico, Russia, New York City, and Washington DC by various institutions including MetLife Foundation, Exchange Festival, Dance Place, Supernoval Festival, Open Look Festival, Performatica, Belhaven University, ES WIRD SOGAR SCHÖN, Barnes Crossing, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
Other awards include the Smith Scholarship Grant to attend ImPulsTanz in 2012, dance artist-in-residence at OMI International Residency 2012, DC Innovation grant in 2013, Bates Dance Festival Merit Scholarship 2013, Goldhaber Travel Scholarship 2014, and NextNOW new work grant 2014. Her collaborative piece “Drafting Plan” was awarded Best Duo at Barnes Crossing Festival 2015 in Cologne and at the 2016 SzoloDuo Festival in Budapest. She is honored to be a 2016 Artist in Residence at Spark and Echo Arts.
Stephanie Miracle
About the Artist
Artist in Residence 2016: Stephanie Miracle Part 1
Artist in Residence 2016: Stephanie Miracle Part 2
Treasure Heart
Artist in Residence 2016: Stephanie Miracle
Stephanie Miracle
Other Works By
Follow the developmental journey of Stephanie's project by reading her first, second, and final post as a 2016 Artist in Residence.
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
What is crooked cannot be straightened;
what is lacking cannot be counted.
I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;the more knowledge, the more grief.
(Ecclesiastes 1:14-18)
Everyone’s toil is for their mouth,
yet their appetite is never satisfied.
What advantage have the wise over fools?
What do the poor gain
by knowing how to conduct themselves before others?
Better what the eye sees
than the roving of the appetite.
This too is meaningless,
a chasing after the wind.
(Ecclesiastes 6:7-9)
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