So the other day, whilst heading to a surprisingly good vegan joint for lunch--introduced to me by a wise vegan friend--on break from a television studio near you, I was very pleased to bump into one Ms. Jennifer Tipton. Know many lighting designers who was anointed with a MacArthur "genius" grant? Nope. She's it. She's the total bomb.
We chatted briefly. I've been fortunate to work with her directly, and indirectly, many times over the last 25 years. Turns out she was headed to Lincoln Center for a Paul Taylor technical rehearsal, on a sunny Spring day, and it made me so happy to see her and to remember my time with Taylor 2 and my immersion in her lighting. It was to be a brief tenure, as I was off to grad school in short order, but the experience lives extra large in my psyche; it's a cornerstone of my particular house of Backstage Practitioning of the Show Businesses.
We did a month in India. And then a month in Buffalo! In February!!!! Good times. And many lec/dems in Gymnatoriums, and a few shows with a full lighting rig, and a few shows with only a handful of dimmers and a small boatload of PAR cans. And I remain so proud to have been there, and back again,
The eloquence and power of Mr. Taylor's work cannot be overstated; its essential contribution to American culture and all-encompassing impact on audiences worldwide is nothing short of a gift to our planet.
You'll forgive me if I preach to the choir -- but it's been too long since I've rolled a Marley (for the uninitiated, see here. My Garsh but I love YouTube), and my chance encounter with Jennifer reminded me that I need to go see some dance. At Lincoln Center. Like Soon.
You could, too. You won't be disappointed. And you'll come out into the Plaza and look around, and you'll know something about your fellow humans that you didn't notice before. And that will make you a better neighbor. Because you'll love yourself just a little bit more.
Dance On!
