thinking of ed tyler
i like this photo of ed and i miss him. speaking still of improvisation, he was someone who took improv extremely seriously and was very deeply involved in the process that creates powerful images and movements in performance. i think many of us could learn from that, from the idea that what appears in front of an audience is only the product of what’s come before it, what the dancers have created together and how the concepts have evolved. i think we could all take our improv performances and processes much deeper.
there’s a great tribute to ed in this issue of rob bettmann’s bourgeon, on page 55 of the journal featured at the top of the page.
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Thanks for posting that Amanda.
I am very grateful to Colleen Cokell and Ginger Wagg for creating the memorial.
I’ve been thinking about ed recently too. I am doing another issue of bourgeon right now. It will be out soon. I don’t want to dwell or anything, but I think about the fact that he’s not gonna be in this issue. I still struggle with the ways he failed me, and the ways I failed him. You can’t live with it all the time, but it makes me sad that now that the memorial is done he will fade from our collective memory.
Spoke with a friend last night who is ambitious. She told me of her desire to ‘leave something good behind.’ I guess the question on my mind - and I’m older - is no longer what I want to leave behind, but for whom I am leaving it. This friend, she’s planning her life to her 40’s (and she’s younger than I am.) I suggested she plan it out all the way. To her death. It’s easier to plan the beginning than the ending maybe?
Somehow I think if our ‘career planning’ went all the way to our dying day, perhaps things would be different.
Comment by Rob Bettmann — October 5, 2007 @ 5:03 am
“but for whom I am leaving it” –never thought about it that way. makes a lot of sense.
Comment by Lotta Lundgren — October 5, 2007 @ 6:24 am
Thank you so much for this picture of Ed — it’s really a nice one. Ed came to me about 3 or 4 years ago looking for work and we were friends immediately. He had that strong magnetic thing inside of him.
I’ve been thinking of Ed for the past couple of days . . .
Comment by Gregory B — October 26, 2007 @ 2:15 pm
thanks for writing. it’s very bizarre and disturbing how he–or anyone–can just slip away, so that over time it becomes almost like he was never here.
Comment by Amanda Abrams — October 26, 2007 @ 8:19 pm