BWW Reviews: Martita Goshen's TURNING HOME Is No False Start

A step onto the stage, and the winds of our ancestors and the spirits of the racehorse seem to jostle through the skirts and hair of Martita Goshen. Each hand gesture, every head flit conjures up memories of native dances and old forgotten connections between horse and man. This is Martita Goshen's Earthworks' performance of "Turning Home," a tribute to American thoroughbred racehorses.

Goshen is a protector of nature, as well as dancer and choreographer. To Martita Goshen, nature is not a backdrop, it is spiritual experience. Growing up in Uruguay and Brazil as the daughter of a U.S. diplomat, her connection to the indigenous people and their deeply rooted connection to the natural world shaped and molded her into a daughter of the wild, one in tune with nature. Through her subsequent years, life has been a series of spiritual awakenings when coming face to face with wildlife and the living world. Dance, the language of her soul, is the tool in which Goshen speaks universally to people from countless tongues. In this program, Goshen pays special homage to icons Ruffian and Barbaro, two racehorses who were created to race, winning nearly every race they entered, setting records that still stand untouched, and who tragically suffered gruesome injuries that prematurely ended their lives.

"Turning Home" takes a look at the spiritual side of these animals. A spoken narrative accompanies the dancer as they enter the stage, telling their unique story. Original music by jazz trombonist, Art Baron, calls out, dissipating into the open space. Some of the dancers are the spirits of Barbaro and Ruffian themselves, others are jockeys and grooms. Goshen's choreography is airy and distinct, organic, fluid, reaching with staccato hand and head movements. Dancers in white flowing dresses open upon the stage. They are accompanied by the intriguing videos of Peter Richards: photos of the racers and their jockeys, the gravesite of Ruffian at Belmont Raceway, the Fair Hill Training Centers for Thoroughbred Horses in Elkton, Maryland where Barbaro was trained, and a short clip of the 2006 Kentucky Derby that was won by Barbaro.

Nine dancers, a jockey, and an equestrian spanning thirty years in age bring a human and genuine element to the evening. Solos, trios, duets. Together telling a story, together listening. Sometimes spirit, sometimes filly, movement qualities were ever changing from sweeping, flowing, reaching, to prancing, pawing, and trotting. Stunning performances by Patricia Durbin-Ruiz and Ruthlyn Salomons concluded the night as we watched the spirit of Ruffian return to the earth. In an hour the life, death, and innocence of the racehorse was unwoven for the audience and a deep sense of reverence set soundlessly in the room.

"Turning Home" is a term used in reference when the racers turn the final bend in a race. It's the defining moment when you see what both jockey and racehorse are made of, and through the video and dance, Goshen has shown just that. With every ounce of her being she pours this love and passion into her company, Earthworks, however the message does not just stop there. Goshen reaches out to hundreds of children in New York and New Jersey public schools, enhancing their knowledge of global concerns, self-worth, and humanity through dance and movement programs. A true artist and guardian of nature, Martita Goshen will forever whisper the spirit words of the natural world.

Photo Credit: Yi Chen Wu

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