Choreographer Kyle “JustSole” Clark's dance piece I Am The Road.
Many years ago, I wrote lyrics to a song called "I Am The Road" - it was turned into a record by Eric Eman Clark and Markus Enochson and released on Masters At Work Recordings in 2002. It was a house music record, and had relative success in that genre (and a great remix I loved by brokenbeat producers across the pond, Bugz in the Attic, too).
Anyway, that was a long time ago and quite frankly, I don't often think about the musical projects that I worked on back then. But yesterday Eman called me and said that he had just watched a news segment about a new Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performance coming up, called I Am The Road - and yes, they were using our song! I quickly looked it up online. Lo and behold - it was true! A few quick postings on Facebook with lots of congratulations... one thing lead to another and we were connected directly to the choreographer, Kyle "JustSole" Clark (no relation to Eman) from Philly. He let us know how much that song inspired him and his wife in their lives, and he invited us to go see the show with him next week! My mind is spinning just imagining what it will be like to watch; knowing that our song inspired a choreographer to create a dance, not to mention the dancers dancing to it and the audience experiencing it all. And did I mention that it's being performed by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater?! Mind blow!
I keep this blog Travesia Artistica (Artistic Voyage) as a means of documenting (mainly visual) art, arts events/exhibits/activism and the like, and my journey within that. I don't even necessarily post about my own artwork here, not much anyway. But this is something that I feel I should acknowledge as it pertains to my Artistic Voyage, so to speak. Oftentimes as an artist - whether writing or painting - I create alone. I think a lot of artists can probably relate to that. Even when I do share my work in public, I don't always get direct feedback, and therefore don't fully understand if/when other people have been impacted by it in any way. Finding out that Kyle not only listened and danced to "I Am The Road" back then, but was touched by it enough to think of it now (14 years later!) and use it as a means to inspire his art, is amazing. He's used it to help create his own work of art and actually a dialogue between genres, mediums and even (if you really think about it) across time. For me, it is a full-circle moment and I feel so grateful to understand that I am a part of the rhythm of life and creativity. Not to mention, as anyone can probably tell by the lyrics, "I Am The Road" is a very personal story about my own struggles and triumphs, which makes it all the more amazing to know that it is inspirational to others.
I'm eagerly anticipating watching Kyle's presentation of I Am The Road with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater! In the meantime, for anyone who is interested in tickets, I'll post the link below. As well, I will include YouTube links to the song, "I Am The Road" for anyone who feels like dancing.
Link to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, info on I Am The Road performance and tickets:
In I Am The Road, a pulsating ensemble work, hip-hop choreographer Kyle “JustSole” Clark treats audiences to a generous glimpse into his life as a dancer. Capturing the struggles and triumphs of a young ambitious artist finding his place in the world, Clark presents his personal journal in dance form. House dance music by Vikter Duplaix, Jeff Samuel, Nuyorican Soul, and Markus Enochson illuminate Clark’s depictions of taking risks, falling in love, and remaining true to one's self.
Here's a link to a YouTube video that someone posted of "I Am The Road" original version:
YouTube video that someone posted of "I Am The Road" Bugz in the Attic remix:
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