| Station III – Jesus Falls The First Time Artist – Juli Hays-Nadler – Photograph In my own spiritual direction I have been asked to become more aware of where I feel most joyful, most full of life in the present moment. I have discovered that these moments quite often happen in sensory experiences...primarily involving music and dance. For me, if I leave my head behind, dance has the potential to become my prayer, may connection to joy, to the moment, and thus to my Creator. This image of Afro-Brazillian dancer and teacher Contra-Mestre Mariano was inspired by his incredibly expressive gift of dance; at times overflowing with strong spiritual overtones, telling the dramatic stories of African men and women enslaved in Brazil, at other times dancing in full celebration of the joy of life. When working with Mariano to create this image of Christ falling for the first time, I asked for his visual interpretation of a man, fallen, a man who I imagined felt betrayed, disheartened, confused and fearful about the difficulty of this path he was about to walk. The image before you is his interpretation of such a man. |