What You Seek is Seeking You
I was recently asked in an interview by my friend, film maker Joel Goundry, what my why was in creating 'Wandering with Wonder'. After thinking about it for a minute, I answered silence. This may seem strange because this new Canadian work features the music of 5 extremely talented Canadian composers and we just finished filming the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra recording all the music, but I didn't mean the kind of silence that is devoid of sound, I meant the kind of silence that allows us to connect with ourselves and the natural world around us. The kind of silence brought to us by a beautiful flower, a spring breeze, a gracious and vulnerable dancer or a lilting piano solo surrounded by an orchestra.
It may then seem even stranger that I chose to celebrate wrapping up almost 7 years of production on this project, three of which were during a global pandemic, by going to Las Vegas, one of the loudest adult playgrounds in the world, but it wasn't strange to me at all. The noise of this project has been so loud in my head for so long the only antidote to cure my brain of its thoughts was to bombard it with so much stimulation I was able to finally relax and take in the beauty of what we created. Rumi writes in the poem below 'that what I want also wants me', and I believe this adage can be found anywhere. I found it in the care of my friend Kerry and a group of strangers at the most amazing piano bar as we sang together and celebrated Joanne's 75 birthday - no I hadn't met Joanne until we walked into the hotel -, an amazing hospitality manager, Paul Anthony, at the restaurant Spago, who decided my friend and I needed to be sat at the best table in Vegas, overlooking the fountains at the Bellagio because we had met him 14 years earlier and it was his birthday and when we recognized him he decided we needed to catch up and be spoiled, and through the beauty of Derek Hough's dance show, ‘No Limits’ where he generously showcased the work of other dancers while casting a spell on us with his flawless moves. In the middle of a concrete jungle my brain found silence and rest and I haven't slept so well in years.
I learned a lot making 'Wandering with Wonder'. I learned if something changes there may be something better around the corner, we are all better when we work together as a team even if we can't be in the same room, and Wonder and Awe can be found anywhere if we are silent and listen.
Many times, over the last three years especially, I have gone out to the Leighton Art Centre, a special place I worked at as a young woman and sat in one of the shelters scattered throughout the property to talk to Barbara Leighton about this project and what it means to me. When the film crew and cast showed up to the land on Sunday, June 26 there was not a cloud in the sky, a bluebird greeted me as I went through the gates and we had the perfect sunset to film Yukichi Hattori’s Eagle Dance to Chris Andrew’s music. I knew Barbara had been listening and was ALL IN. I can't wait for you all to see what we have created for you. I know the post-production work isn't over yet but in the fall watch for this work on the Red Deer Symphony's website. It is going to be 'Wonder'full.
