Three

Something interesting is happening… The number three keeps repeating itself in my life.

It first started with my friend John who has a theory about the number three which is really interesting and I have never forgotten… I remember hearing it and thinking: Hum! That makes sense.” I do not remember when I first heard it, if it was in Miami or NY, but I think it was NY. (I’ll ask John to explain it in his words).

After John’s 3 theory, there was Cunningham (again!) with his triplets. Triplets are part of the Cunningham technique. It’s the repetition of a movement three times. “One two three - one two three.” Like with everything in the Cunningham technique, you could go in any direction with the triplets (forward, backward, side to side, diagonally, etc). The point is that that’s really important in the Cunningham technique and something that differentiates him from all of the other techniques I am familiar with (which I know it’s very limited so if anyone knows of another dance technique who uses the number three so importantly, let me know).

At that time I didn’t think much of the triplets. I liked them and found them fun to dance (and hard also), but I didn’t analyze it too much… But today I just realized something about the triplets… I finally made the connection which took me sort of long to figure out, but now I think I got it… Will get into this in a minute.

After John’s 3 theory and Cunningham’s triplets, there was the creation of my first men’s collection, which was inspired by my boyfriend, a merchant marine. I used the number three for deciding lots of things because I was at that time “celebrating” having met my boyfriend three years back. I know it sounds corny, but it’s true. If you look in my “Querido Marino” post (in Spanish) you will see that when I was asked to write a short text explaining one look of the collection, towards the end, I write: “The stripes in the sweater switch colors every three rows because I’ve known him for three years.” (I know, it’s corny!) And since that I love using the numbers 3 or 6 or 9 or 12, etc to decide things or make patterns.

After John’s 3 theory, Cunningham’s triplets, 3 years having met my boyfriend in the year 2006 (I met him in 2003 – just realized that), and falling in love with the numbers 3, 6, 9, 12, etc., I started to read a little more of how Cunningham uses by chance operations to create dance because I wish to apply the same concepts to the creation of garments (I still don’t have the methodology very clear, but I’ll get there)… So one of the first things you read about him is that both Cunningham and John Cage were both into zen and used, among other things, I Ching “operations.” So I went to wikipedia and read about it… even posted the definition of it’s title here in the blog. And it is also all about trigrams (3) and hexagrams (6)… It says:

“The text of the I Ching is a set of predictions represented by a set of 64 abstract line arrangements called hexagrams… The hexagram diagram is conceptually subdivided into two three-line arrangements called trigrams”

So I didn’t make the connection at first, but now I’m imagining that this is where Mr. Cunningham got the ideas for the triplets… maybe I’m wrong, but it makes sense.

After John’s 3 theory, Cunningham’s triplets, 3 years having met my boyfriend in the year 2006, falling in love with the numbers 3, 6, 9, 12, etc., and I Ching’s hexagrams and trigrams, I had an encounter with all the dices I took from the gala party I helped organizing for the Cunningham Dance Foundation (I was an intern in their Development department and got there just in time to help organize that event, one day I’ll talk a little more about this experience)… There were dices everywhere and we had tones left in the office… Maybe I exaggerated a bit, but I grabbed some without thinking much (seriously there were tones left over, no one cared about them, I did and should have taken more). Anyway, I LOVE my dices! They are so cute (red with white dots) and I use them for making decisions, deciding by chance and always keep them around… and today I got them all together and realized I had 6 dices. Do you understand? With 6 dices, I can perfectly play with I Ching. Three and three. 2 trigrams, 1 hexagram.



PS 1: I’ve known John and Paula since 1999. Paula and I were college roommates. Later on, both of them were my roommates in Queens, NY and (most of the time in a huge loft) in Jersey City, NJ. They are getting married this year in November.

PS 2: I was in Miami from the beginning of 1999 till the middle of 2003 and NY from the middle of 2003 till the end of 2004.

So 2003 was a year of transition for me and one that has changed my life forever.

In fact, 2003 is a VERY important year… That year I backpacked in Europe for two months after quitting my “nothing to do with me” job and ended up traveling good part of trip by myself (I started with a friend but she decided to come back in Barcelona). My friend Annie said I was never coming back (to Miami) and she was right. I got back from the trip going straight to visit my mom in Uruguay. The SAME DAY I met my boyfriend in a VERY random way; it was love at first sight… That was crazy… and it was at that time that I decided to go live in NY… In August I got back to the States after three months away and left Miami to go to NY. Moved in with John and Paula first temporarily then permanently. I got to NY and the next day I was already working with the Cunningham Dance Foundation… Everything worked perfectly (thank God!). The Cunningham Dance Company was having the opening night for Split Sides, a piece were the music was done independently from dance by two bands: Radiohead and Sigur Ros. If you know them, you know this is not some average thing. I saw the opening night, the only day the bands played live (I think) and that was VERY special. This year I also met very important people like Cathy and Abi… Met the Cunningham Dance technique, got back to dancing after almost 5 years of not taking formal dance classes, etc.

I'm missing NY and its freedom.