I wonder if he realizes that he’s speaking to one?

The pure irony of it all is multiplied by his next revelation that he wants to move to America – and ‘where am I from in the states??’.  Later on he'’ll probably pick up a wee curry, before heading home to show his girlfriend his new tattoo of the Chinese letter for ‘peace’ and book his holiday to Turkey.

(download)

Click here to download:

Hope_for_refugees_immigrants_a.zip (868 KB)

To be sure I moved to Scotland from the States out of choice and under absolutely no duress. There is no comparison in my story to the very brave individuals who have arrived in Scotland having fled unimaginable horrors, given up everything, to come to a cold, dark land where your language has no meaning.

 I must admit I love the word REFUGE. It signifies comfort, nurturance, and ease.  What a remarkable position to be in - to give someone release from his or her suffering.  We should boldly be offering respite whenever we can.

I started going to Sri Lanka to deliver dance workshops to the kids with the charity Funforlife in January 2009.  The war was still going on.  The most defining feature of war – silence.  It’s the moments before which are terrifying, the whispers, the what ifs - like a horror film building a suspenseful end.

We were working with a mixed group of Tamil and Sinhalese kids of all faiths, including large groups of orphans and refugees.  In all of my time working with them I never thought ‘Oh you poor children’ but rather ‘Oh how beautiful you are’.  The realization of it all came afterwards. Not knowing if I’d see them the next time I would go back, not knowing for the orphans what kind of future they’d have anyway…

I feel really lucky that I’ve been able to connect to the local Sri Lankan community (3rd largest in the UK!) here in Glasgow.  Over the past 18 months and three Sri Lankan trips I’ve gotten to meet so many of them and have developed close friendships with quite a few.

It was these cumulative relationships both in Sri Lanka and Glasgow that inspired me to create the performance piece HOPE/is a thing with feathers.  The title comes from the Emily Dickinson poem:

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;

Yet, never, inextremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

It seems really apt to the situation not only in Sri Lanka but also for people seeking peace throughout the world.

In March I had a residency at the Workroom (centre for Independent Dance in Glasgow located at the Tramway) working with local Bharathanatyam dancers (Tamil dance form deriving from Southern India).  The choreography is a montage of work influenced by dance and movement I facilitated and witnessed with the kids in Sri Lanka as well as new work with the Glasgow dancers.  The soundtrack will similarly have the layered quality and is to be orchestrated by Nathan Portlock who also worked with us in Sri Lanka and will be mixing in tracks from there.

I am really excited, but there is so much to be doing.  Nathan is coming up to Glasgow from Birmingham on Monday for a few days to get some last recordings and work with the community, in the meantime I am pulling together the last bits for the exhibition, and getting the film organized AND fine tuning the choreography…

I feel quite fortunate that I have such wonderful folks working through it with me though.  I feel a better person for it.

If only I wish I could get that Asda boy involved…..

Kate E. Deeming

Back and Forth and Hope will be on at the Tron on Saturday June 19. Call Tron box office on 0141 552 4267 to book.