“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” —Alan Watts Grab Your Mallet by Austin Buchholtz Watching U-Theatre perform their mixture of dancing, drumming, martial arts, acting, chanting in "Meeting with Bodhisattva" is like removing the face of a clock to lose oneself in its ticks, chimes, and gongs—only to realize the coils and springs are human. The single-minded mastery of their crafts renders drum beats and gestures transparent to transcendence, as in the following moments.

“Everything you can imagine is real.” —Pablo Picasso Curlycues & Ink Blots by Austin Buchholtz The welcome dinner for Wayne McGregor Random Dance is held at Huber's, Portland oldest restaurant, hosted by longtime White Board members Richard Didzun and Bette Sinclair and everyone is in a jovial mood. Wayne McGregor could not tour with his company, since he is high demand these days, and I sit with a few of the dancers.

“I think on-stage nudity is disgusting, shameful and damaging to all things American. But if I were 22 with a great body, it would be artistic, tasteful, patriotic and a progressive religious experience.” —Shelley Winters

O! say can you see by Austin Buchholtz

Nudity is on everyone's mind. The performance by Daniel Léveillé Danse of Twilight of the Oceans promises to include the sight of the muscular dancers in all their glory. As I take my seat at the sold-out show, I note what a treat it will be to watch what to the Ancient Greeks, among many other cultures throughout history, was commonplace. In Portland 2009 C.E., we are at a time and place in history, though, when watching the unadorned body is still shocking enough that the audience must be forewarned, so as to avoid the disgruntled reaction of viewers expecting otherwise. Luckily in Oregon, we have well-established laws allowing nudity under many circumstances and locations, as freedom of expression or symbol of protest.

“We have too many high sounding words and too few actions that correspond with them.” —Abigail Adams

Language Lessons by Austin Buchholtz

In the car on the way to a welcome dinner for the English-based Hofesh Shechter Company, Norman Jankowski, a young percussionist with a smoker's rasp and a German accent, tells me he keeps Barcelona as a home base because it has soul. He asks about homeless youth panhandling on the streets of Portland. "Do they think it's 'punk' to live by asking for money, when the money they receive comes from within the system? That's not punk!" He has five shirts he'd like to hand someone on the street, partly because in Portland he finds appealing the prices for purchasing new ones. After we arrive and settle in, I ask him about how he got involved with the company, and he points me to another percussionist named Yaron Engler: "talk to him, the tall guy with the hair, and ask him about Tapeplas."