Meet Mary Hill | Doctor of Dance History/Education, Somatic movement therapies, Film Maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mary Hill and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mary, what role has risk played in your life or career?
For me, risks are like death and rebirth, and it is a labor of love to die and to be reborn. Ego-dissolution is very painful, yet part of the initiation of transformation. Building a business, or an identity or a work of art, and then, letting it go, so that a new vision can explode into blossom, is terrifying and joyful. My rational mind labels this creative drive “insanity,” yet the storm of the new vision impassions me to break all barriers as it manifests into being. This is how Lightbodies and the films emerged.

When I completed my Doctorate in Dance History, also receiving a Doctor of Philosophy Excellence in Scholarship Award, at Temple University in Philadelphia, I stepped off of the academic ladder. I wanted to explore somatic pathways of mind/body/psychic healing and opened what is now, Lightbodies Geometries. Now, I am exploring how visionary experiences can be expressed through music, dance and film. These films have come about through medicine retreats that I attended with Carol and Kevin Johnson of Vida Brillante. Carol and Kevin are my dear friends, whom, as well as shamanic, are fantastic musicians, singers; artists.

At the inception of the second film, “Shadow Flame, Shadow Gold; Winds of the West,” (February 2023), I broke both my wrists rehearsing and have no idea how I flew up in the air and was slammed down, as I caught myself. With four breaks, a dislocation, two surgeries and two plates I could not use my hands for a month. Recovery was very painful in every way. The same Fall of 2022, there was a total solar eclipse and a second total solar eclipse in April 2023. The intersection of the trajectory of these eclipses was right above the “Cave With No Name,” outside of San Antonio, TX.. Carol and I decided to do ‘Shadow Flame’ before the second eclipse in that cave, in order offer our healing energies. We only rehearsed it together one day for scheduling reasons, and had only one day to film. As the most visually and acoustically impressive part of the cave was the most difficult surface to dance on, I had to toss a lot of the choreography. We hauled a riser 127 feet down on ropes to give Carol a platform to sing on. Carol and I improvised much of the music and dance as it was being filmed. The Sound Design, by Kevin Johnson, won at the Nice International Film Festival this summer. Chuck Shanlever was the Director of Photography, and he and I edited most of the film together.

“Winding Way, Winds of the South” (June 2022), was our first film together, and was filmed in a theatre black box, at Arts Fort Worth. The film is about death and rebirth in the image of the serpent shedding its skin. Visually, through fourth dimensional-like tracers, it refers to the Sankrit idea of ‘Linga Sharira,’ or the ‘Long Body,’ that P.D. Ouspensky referred to in “Tertium Organum,” as the fourth dimesional body in time (pp.38-39). At the end of our fifth take , we heard thunder from outside and decided that this was a sign to use this take. We kept the thunder sound in the film.

Presently, I am working on an underwater piece, as I build a vocabulary of movement and experiment with the aqua-dynamic qualities of different materials. One day, inadvertently, I wrapped myself up like a mummy, while moving in all directions underwater in chiffon (too much drag). As I inched myself to the pool’s edge, was glad this wasn’t a larger body of water, at this stage. This winter, I am looking for an indoor diving pool to work in, or will be wearing a diving suit.

Despite the risks, I fell in love with art at a very early age, and love swimming in those currents. Art, for me, embodies the mystical into the physical, and in this way, is more of a shamanic practice. Joseph Campbell wrote that, whereas, the mystic seeks to detach from the physical world, the artist, like the shaman, seeks to voyage into the phenomenal worlds and embody these experiences through the expression of art/ritual. (“The Inner Reaches of Outer Space,” and “The Masks of God. Primitive Mythology”). The expression of Culture we call ‘Art.’ The expression of Nature we call ‘Love.’ ‘Art’ is the expression of our Nature.

What should our readers know about your business?
I deeply value the freedom to create, explore , express and share my insights, discoveries and journey with other people, and offer a space for people to move into their journeys of discovery, and be heard and seen. These journeys are always multi-leveled — we might start with aligning the body, then move into unravelling deeper somatic patterns, which can often lead to emotional breakthroughs and release, and thus, facilitate mental/psychic strength and clarity. Consciousness is freedom. Sharing authentically is love and community.

Preparation, exploration, and engaging in the moment, whether teaching, creating, or performing are essential to the success of a goal. Designing clear, crafted strategies and malleable structures, combined with being sensitive to seeing, listening and responding to people and situations in the moment are paramount to being present. In this way, the wave of transformation can occur through us.

The work that I do is intrinsic to my life. If my work ceases to be relevant to me, then, I transition to what is interesting to me. Playing and working are hopefully, integrated. I am not the retiring sort, but am an explorer, inventor and creator, wherever I find myself.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
-I would take friends for a walk in the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, then go to the cultural district and see the museums — Kimbell, Fort Worth Modern and Amon Carter. We would lunch at the Modern.

-Go to the Fort Worth Stock Yards, visit the Rodeo, drinks at the Drover Hotel, then Dinner at Joe T. Garcias

-See a concert at Dickies Arena, drinks and/or dinner at Bowie House

-Fort Worth Water Gardens, Concert at the Bass Hall, dinner at The Reata

-Fort Worth Zoo,

-Clearfork shopping, eat at Press Cafe, Rise, or Mesero, movie or walk the Trinity Trails

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First, I am deeply grateful to the Divine Beings that bring this Reality into Play. Special thanks and admiration to my sister Victoria, brother in law, Blake, and nephew, Julian Dutton, for standing and blazing in the face of great tragedy for their autistic son and brother, Reid. Martha Graham brought the mythic into dance and was a true high priestess, who honored the Feminine and overshadowed the cheap burlesque — I am forever grateful for her vision. Through Mike Oldfields’s music, I learned how art can be a ritual practice of transformation moving into worlds and into our souls; deep regards for the powerful medicine. To Ralph Metzner, P.D. Ouspensky, and W.Y. Evans-Wentz, who have journeyed as consciousness scouts, and have given us maps into envisioning multi-dimensional experiences. To Benny Vaughn for his light, friendship, insight and unwavering encouragement, as these projects unfold. To Rozanne Rosenthal, for her friendship, generosity, depth, humour, and support; truely believing in this work. Anthony Defelice has been so gracious and excellent in providing technical support and guidance, along with his Amplus Agency team. Melanie Murray, Carol and Kevin Johnson have guided me through psychic experiences and have journeyed with me as Soul Family; such a gift. I so appreciate Giuseppe Racano for helping me when I was very wounded, so I could recover. To all of my friends and clients who have supported our work together, for I have learned so much from you; love and thanks to you all.

Website: https://www.lightbodies.net

Linkedin: Mary Hill

Image Credits
Amplus Agency, Nice International Film Festival, Mary Hill