Savanna (1995)
Peggy commissioned a second work from Molissa Fenley, and like Inner Enchantments before it, Savanna would enter the repertoires of both artists. But the circumstances around this later commission were quite different, as Peggy recounts here:
“In January of 1995 Molissa sustained a severe knee injury toward the end of her opening night performance of a week-long solo run at The Joyce Theater in New York City. The rehab from surgery was going to require many months. I knew that this sudden interruption to her creative life would be extremely hard on her and once she had her bearings I suggested this suddenly available time might be an opportunity for her to make me a new dance. My father offered a monetary gift as commissioning money for Mo and we set to work.
I had asked Molissa if she could choose music for piano so that the work could ultimately be performed with Andrew Burashko, and she chose a gorgeous score by Peter Garland, Walk in Beauty. Molissa led rehearsals sitting in chair, elaborating movements for the torso and arms with indications for turns, changes of directions and travelling patterns. I particularly love this solo, with its dark edges and fragility.
Savanna premiered in New York in December of 1995 as part of a four-part program of Molissa’s work for which I also performed Inner Enchantments. Michele Pogliana took on the 1993 solo Tilliboyo (to music by Foday Musa Suso), and Molissa premiered an exquisite new work, Regions, which opened with her dancing in the same chair she had sat in to choreograph Savanna..” PB
“I created Savanna on Peggy while I was coming back from knee surgery. I had started to create the dance before the surgery, and the video that I had of me dancing was really kind of scary! I was teetering, unsure of my balance, wavering - and yet I had convinced myself that I was dancing really well and even contemplated that maybe I didn't need to have the surgery. Well, luckily I did as that unsureness of step would have continued. Peggy was a delight to work with as I stumbled around trying to show her new sections - all great fun and sort of sad at the same time!” - MF
Read a review of the 4-part program at the 92nd Street Y here in The New York Times.
To learn more about Peggy’s dad - Murray F. R. Smith - and his ground-breaking work as a sports psychologist, watch youtube.com here
