Reflections: Dorothy Harris

I know I kind of left things hanging with my last post and that you're all desperately wondering about the fate of the silkworm. Fear not, the conclusion is still coming – I'm about halfway through composing it and, let me tell you, it's an emotional roller coaster. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll get grossed out and say "eeewww" over the close-up photo of a big, fat, worm. 

But before all that happens I wanted to post something that has nothing to do with houses, trees, or the fair treatment of insects (I get the hankering to do that sometimes). This is an entry I wrote while manning the Feats Festival of Dance blog back in July 2013. It's about the illustrious Dorothy Harris – Edmonton dance pioneer and guest of honour at this weekend's fiftieth anniversary gala for University of Alberta organization Orchesis. The blog I originally wrote the following for is no longer in existence, so I thought I'd give it a second life and once again send a big thank you into the universe for Orchesis, Dorothy Harris and the magnificent art form that is dance.

Because the University of Alberta's Orchesis has been such an important part of my own life, I wanted the first "Reflections" post to focus on Dorothy Harris—the dance group's founder. I had the pleasure of meeting Dorothy at an awards luncheon, where she regaled me with tales from her past lives—and I use the plural here because, when it comes to dance, she's done it all. Performer, dance educator, dance advocate—Dorothy is the reason Orchesis is nearing its fiftieth birthday and, because of what she created, modern dance at the U of A continues to be a positive force for students, alumni, staff and the larger community.

Dorothy Harris,
circa 1939.

Dorothy began studying dance at a young age and she notes that, as a youth, she didn't even know modern dance existed. It wasn't until moving to Wisconsin to study kinesiology that she was exposed to this particular (and sometimes peculiar) form of expression. There, she met Margaret H'Doubler, who in 1918 had created the first Orchesis dance group. Though Dorothy never completed her degree at the University of Wisconsin, her time spent with Orchesis made enough of an impression that—when she began teaching for the University of Arkansas' physical education department—she decided they needed an Orchesis program of their own.

After finding a husband in the young man who took care of Orchesis' music (she laughed as she told me, "I married an Arkansan!"), Dorothy headed to Edmonton for a job with the University of Alberta's Office of the Registrar. But dance quickly called her back when an opening arose in the Faculty of Physical Education. In 1964, Dorothy began an Orchesis dance group at the U of A and credits Maury Van Vliet, the Faculty of Physical Education's Dean at the time, for his support of dance education. "He really turned me loose and said 'go ahead.'"

Dorothy (far left) with a late 1960s Orchesis class.

From there, Dorothy—along with various colleagues, contacts and friends—spent the next several decades ensuring that dance had a place in Edmonton and beyond. They created the Alberta Dance Alliance and ensured dance academia was included in Canadian physical education conferences. According to Dorothy, there was always a strong dance presence in this province, but her focus was on creating connections between different styles and different individuals. In essence, to create a community of support and mutual respect. "The arts seem to draw such wonderful people. Everything we ever tried... if we believed in it—it worked."

A page from the program for
Orchesis' Dance Motif 1972.

As for Dorothy's thoughts on Edmonton's current dance scene, which she retired from over twenty years ago? "I think there are some wonderful things going on right now, but—about dance—I feel like I did that." Dorothy admits the only dance event she currently attends is the U of A's annual Orchesis performance, Motif. She still loves dance and all it represents, but has other interests now—such as gardening. Not to mention her children and grandchildren. "I've had the most wonderful life that anybody could have. It's all been very worthwhile—not just for me, but for all the people I've worked with and played with. I'm the luckiest person alive."

And now for something I think is pretty darn cool... While visiting the "Dance Dungeon" (a storage room at the U of A where the Orchesis archives are kept) with Orchesis' current director Tamara Bliss, I was able to obtain a video clip from Dance Motif 1972. The older Motif performances have yet to be digitized, which means I got to dust off my VCR (and if you're reading this and don't know what a VCR is... go ask your parents). I filmed the following video with a digital camera as it played on my TV screen, so please excuse the quality. Still, I think it's worth viewing, particularly in the spirit of this year's Feats Festival's theme. So, take a gander—and reflect for a little while.

To Duvet or Not to Duvet: The Not-So-Fluffy Side of the Bedding Industry, Part 1

Looks harmless enough, doesn't it?

Read this post as well as new content on the completely redesigned Of Houses and Trees!

Back when I was redesigning our master bedroom, I had a hard time answering a kind of silly question – do I want a duvet? Now, is it important whether we fall asleep beneath a duvet, a quilt, a comforter, or a pile of dirty clothing? No. Of course not. What's important is that we fall asleep in a warm home in a safe neighbourhood where our biggest problems are what type of bedding to buy. I know this. However, there is a dark side to everything – even blankets. Impossible, you say? Read on…

My original reason for not wanting a duvet was that they're lumpy. No, that's not the dark part – I'm still getting there. Every duvet I've encountered in the past wouldn't lay flat and what's the point of making your bed if it looks like there's a bunch of turtles hiding beneath the covers? (Ummm, I love turtles so that would actually be awesome.) I also tend to like myself a heavier blanket. I'm an unsettled sleeper and the weight helps calm me. Not that I've been diagnosed with a sensory disorder, but I sometimes wonder. (Turns out you can actually buy weighted blankets for people with autism, ADHD, etc. I'm intrigued…)

Happy geese doing geese like things - feathers intact.

I looked around for a heavy quilt that I liked, but when I came across the linen-coloured duvet cover from this post at one of my favourite Stony Plain stores, The Country Pumpkin, I began to rethink my duvet disdain. I knew I didn't want a down duvet, because I was pretty darn sure there wasn't a humane way to de-feather a goose. Still, I was curious about the down collecting process and – since I have a un-scratchable research itch – I did some poking around.

Unfortunately, I was right about the inhumanity because the majority of down is collected when the goose is alive. According to this Peta website, "undercover video footage shows employees on goose farms pulling fistfuls of feathers out of live birds, often causing bloody wounds as the animals shriek in terror… Once their feathers are ripped out, many of the birds, paralyzed with fear, are left with gaping wounds – some even die as a result of the procedure." Thank god the images on the page didn't load while I was reading the article, the words were horrifying enough. And while the down industry claims the majority of down is a by-product of the meat industry (meaning it was plucked from already dead birds), this website reveals that a 2009 Swedish documentary found that 50%-80% of down still comes from live birds.

So – no down-filled duvet for me. But what are the other options? Well, there's silk, but – again – how is it harvested? If a goose deserves my sympathy, than a silk worm does as well. As the saying goes, "everything under the sun…"

Click here for Part 2 of "To Duvet or Not to Duvet: The Not-So-Fluffy Side of the Bedding Industry" and please leave a comment below just saying "what's up" or answering these questions… What kind of bedding do you have? Does the treatment of geese or silk worms concern you or is that just me?