Meredith Talks Dance and O,ral Records
As promised, today we bring to you another Miami artist who participated in O,ral Records, a project in which we partnered with O, Miami and Miami-Dade Transit to collect transit riders’ stories and hand them over to artists to create new works. As most projects are, it was a learning process. We quickly realized that getting people to share their stories is not as easy as you might think. We also gained new respect for our local artists who devoted their time and creative energy to telling a story that was 1) not their own and 2) about transit, not the most interesting topic in the world. Through the weeks of collecting stories and watching the creation of new works, we learned even the simplest of human experiences holds a story. And there is no better place to find a good story than on public transit. We were so inspired by this project, we decided to not only share the finished product with our Buskerfest Miami family, but we decided do go a little deeper and introduce you personally to the artists that worked on creating our O,ral Records.
Second up is Meredith Barton, Florida native, lover of life and dancer extraordinaire. Read on to learn about her life and her art.
Buskerfest Miami: Can you tell us about your process of interpreting the written story into dance for the O,ral Records project?
Meredith: Since dance is an abstract art form, I knew I was not going to present a literal piece of work in my interpretation. On top of that, the written story I interpreted was intense and serious, so I really didn’t want to overdo the drama by dancing out the words of the story. I wanted to focus on the feeling that I thought the people involved in the story had during the public transit experience. I made decisions and followed a creative path based on that.
Buskerfest Miami: What is your current relationship to dance?
Meredith: Dance has this affect on me: I believe I’m either about to make a huge transformation or choose to quit completely and run away to live in the country. I am always growing and always changing–physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. These changes, consequently, have an impact on my dancing. Life as a dancer forces me to embrace these changes, and while I am immeasurably grateful and excited, I can also feel severely overwhelmed and inadequate. What I am learning now is that it is okay to swing from one side of the pendulum to the other, feelings come and feelings go and I can find peace in knowing that.
Buskerfest Miami: Who is your favorite dancer/dance company?
Meredith: Mikhail Baryshnikov. I’ve been in love with him since I saw his life size poster hanging at my old dance studio. Torn ballet shoes, a drip of sweat at his temple, and the veins in his calf muscles…a true dancer! Or so I thought. Seeing videos of him proved he was in fact a true dancer, but at first look, those three physical attributes, to me, were equivalent to a true dancer.
Buskerfest Miami: Tell us about your artistic background.
Meredith: When I was three years old I started dancing in my mom’s small dance studio–Creative Ballet and Gymnastics. When I was six I continued studying at The School of Performing Arts, starting with tap and ballet. This became my “dance home” until I graduated high school. At SPA I studied ballet, pointe, tap, jazz and modern, and throughout high school I was a member of the student company, Ballet South. I continued dancing through college at New World School of the Arts with a focus on Modern and Ballet technique. I choreographed my first piece of work at NWSA, and had the pleasure of studying dance composition with Brigid Baker, (my current mentor and teacher). Now I dance with WholeProject, a local contemporary ballet company, under the direction of Brigid Baker.
Buskerfest Miami: What is it like to be a professional dancer in Miami? And why have you chosen this city?
Meredith: It is hard to say what it is like to be a professional dancer in Miami because I don’t have another city to compare it to. I have chosen this city specifically to study with Brigid Baker. I believe in the work that she does and I am constantly being challenged. For me, I couldn’t ask for more.
Meredith in Brigid Baker’s Wonderlawn
Photo by Justin Trieger
Meredith in Brigid Baker’s Wonderlawn
Photo by Juvenal Correa-Salas
On stage or on the dance floor in Little Havana, you never know when you might see Meredith, but you can bet she will be dancing!
Stay tuned next month for our next O,ral Records artist!
Much Love,
The Buskerfest Miami Fam