Shapes + Dancers = Creative Fun

I stopped by the children's section of our local library a few days ago and found the picture book Shape Space, written and illustrated by Cathryn Falwell, prominently displayed there. I noticed what looked like a dancer on the cover and so picked up the book to probe further. To my delight, I found that the girl on the cover really was a dancer--and in fact was a choreographer as well.

The book begins with the young girl peeking under the lid of a large red box. Inside she finds a huge collection of rectangles, triangles, semicircles, circles, and squares in a variety of sizes and bright bold colors. The rest of the book is devoted to her creative process--thinking about what to do with the shapes and then using them to build sets, to make costumes, and to toss, hop, tilt, swing (plus a whole lot more) as she choreographs her own special dance. At times, I had trouble finding the rhythm of the book, as it seems to change from time to time and the text rhymes in some places but not in others. But then again, if you think about this book as a "dance" itself, what dance would be exciting if the music and choreography were the same the whole way through, right?

When I was living in the San Francisco Bay Area a few years ago, I once performed a playful modern dance piece called "Off Your Rocker" (photo to the right by Andy Mogg), as part of the Natasha Carlitz Dance Ensemble. With the vibrant colors of the costumes and props, and with choreography that was actually inspired by children, the piece immediately came to mind when I read Shape Space. Isn't it fun when you read a book and it reminds you so much of your own life experience? So I just had to share!