Dance Therapy
By Bill Roundy
Richard Daniels returned to dance a few years back after a 15-year absence, as a way of coping with his HIV infection. Today, he says that the only reason that he is still around is because of dance.
''I think that anyone who dances will tell you—it exercises the body, the mind, and the spirit,'' he says.
Daniels gave up his dancing career following an injury in the early 1980s, but for the next 15 years he continued to work in the dance world as a company manager, fund-raiser, and consultant.
Daniels and his partner, Curtis Sykes, a lawyer and also a former dancer, were traveling in Europe in 1992 when Sykes fell ill. After avoiding a medical establishment he did not trust, Sykes was eventually diagnosed with HIV. So was Daniels.
''At the time there was only AZT, and there weren't many options in terms of treatment,'' Daniels remembers; and both of them were getting sick, fatally for Sykes. It was five weeks before his partner died that Daniels returned to dance.
''I ran into an extraordinary woman [Janie Brendel] who is a dancer, performer, and teacher,'' he recalls. ''She wanted desperately to do something for me. At the time she was teaching about four different days a week, and insisted that I attend her dance class.''
''It was the single most extraordinary gift that anyone has ever given me,'' says Daniels. ''I would crawl out of the hospital on my knees, metaphorically, and she would help me stand.''
Daniels made dancing part of his wellness programs in dealing with HIV, and the process gave him something to focus on.
''It was probably the most arrogant thing I could do,'' he says, ''I thought dancing in the face of death seemed absolutely flippant to me. I really threw myself into it.''
Now, Daniels says, ''I'm physically stable—quite strong, although by technical standards, I continue to be disabled by HIV.''
Daniels pays tribute to those who have been important in his artistic life, with Thirteen Anniversaries, a solo dance piece premiering June 12, set to the music of Leonard Bernstein. This is the first time that Bernstein's estate has permitted choreography to be developed for these compositions, which were created as ''greeting cards, as memorials, for birthdays, anniversaries, deaths,'' says Daniels.
The composer dedicated 27 short musical works, ranging from 30 seconds to four minutes, to someone important in his life. Daniels selected 13 of the compositions, and re-dedicated them in ways that felt appropriate.
''We listened and listened and listened to the entire group,'' says Daniels, ''and certain ones touched me in certain ways. Sometimes there was an aural response—something that I heard it the music that described an attribute.''
Daniels crafted the pieces in collaboration with pianist Steven Cantor, and improvised movements to go along with each song, which evolved into the finished works.
In the piece dedicated to his partner, Daniels says, ''I was recalling some very playful, private, personal moments, and yet, I also refer to physical decay.''
Daniels is also interested in acquiring work by other artists who are living with HIV, and has performed in benefits with the group Dancers Responding to AIDS. He is also developing a piece to be presented in November, based on his experiences living with HIV.
Daniels performs Thirteen Anniversaries on June 12 and June 13 at 8 p.m. at The Flea Theater, 41 White St. Tickets are $15, for reservations, call (212) 226-2407.
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