Inscription was a collaboration between two friends. I have known Jeanie for several years, having first met her in a dance studio for a Dancing Through Parkinson’s class. As one of the teaching artists for the program, which is now in its 12th year and run by Invertigo Dance Theatre in Los Angeles, I have observed Jeanie's professionalism and discipline that are reminiscent of her background in ballet. Her dance training is evident in the class, and I see her as an expressive dancer who embodies great depth of emotion.

Although I have worked on several creative projects with Parkinson’s dancers, this project was in response to a graduate studies composition assignment. The goal was to create a dance film that focused on themes of visibility, choice, and agency. Jeanie and I both agree that the fight to get on with life and fight to overcome limitations begins with choice. For Jeanie, rolling over in bed and rising to get up is a daily struggle, but one she chooses to do each day.

Our conversation turned to childhood memories and the emotions they invoked. For Jeanie, these emotions were joyful and free from physical limitations. Inscription was a project with many firsts: for Jeanie, it was her first-time dancing in front of a camera, and for me, it was my first-time creating movement for film, shooting on an iPhone, and learning editing software.

The collaborative process taught me to be mindful of meeting Jeanie where her body was each week. The hours we spent on the green grass became an improvisation between me, Jeanie, and nature. We exchanged thoughts on visibility and how the body is in a constant state of redefining its relationship to built environments and social norms.

Each rehearsal in the park, we encountered symbols that guided our process. After our first day, Jeanie and I stumbled upon a lovely chalk drawing of a little girl with a big smile and a fluffy dress. I quickly grabbed my iPhone, and asked Jeanie to get down on the cement to see if there might be a link to the drawing. After looking at the footage, I saw a connection. Chalk became a medium we incorporated into the natural environment. Jeanie traces around her body as a symbol of “I am here!” And yet, chalk can be washed away in the rain, or rubbed out with a swift brush of the hand, blurring the outline of self to the world. As a former elementary school teacher Jeanie’s work required many hours standing in front of a chalkboard working on penmanship, mathematics, and book reports. In fact, her first noticeable symptom of Parkinson’s was difficulty holding chalk and writing legibly. Inscription has layered meaning to the impermanence of chalk and of the body.

I am proud of the film and moved by Jeanie’s grace and resiliency. The best outcome of this experience was getting to know Jeanie better while creating moving images of beauty, fears and truth.