Trevor

Trevor passed away 6am Wednesday 21 April 2021

"Indeed Beautiful Trevor. The dashing, suited gentleman and fine kilt wearer. Feel privileged to have shared fun, warm and happy times. When we had that afternoon of costume making, out of bin bags and masking tape, I unexpectedly gave Trevor a look of 1980s Boy George. A truly gentle gent. Lovely and poignant to revisit photos film footage especially the tender, beautiful duet with Debs. Rest in peace.❤️🤍🌹☀️Xxx"

http://shallal-arts.blogspot.com/search?q=Trevor 

hallal

https://vimeo.com/awen 'As we get older'

https://vimeo.com/showcase/2403490  film 'Passing By' Trevor and Debs

 "many people said one of their favourite people was Trevor.
Gestural communication in dance is a wonderful way to communicate with Trevor to appreciate his cheeky, twinkling humour and innate sense of style!"

I'm grateful for many things and knowing Trevor is one of them. He has passed on peacefully at 80 after increasing dementia, so he is at peace. 

My grief is strong and looking at it it has lot to do with history and politics.

 

Trevor acted courteously and interested in everyone and their families, friendships. He was always in supported living while i knew him and i think had spent quite lot of his life in it.

So who knew him well ?over a long time? family but they lived far away, who was there on a day to day basis, staff can be fantastic but change and they don't know that ie. 5 years ago you really enjoyed something or......they might not be in a placed to 'fight your corner 'make that extra effort that means you can do something, or can but not always...

Who "has your back' as a friend would say?

Trevor gave so much and couldn't always speak clearly but communicated well!

I've written about him often in this blog, often i see now on his birthdays. Always one for an event.

I felt very privileged to know Trevor, he once gave me for no apparent reason a bottle of champagne in a blue plastic bag and another time a bunch of fake daffodils i still treasure in my 'office.'

I want to write more but think i will leave the space for comments from us all and add to it later...

In Shallal Dance Theatre we will stay on zoom over lunch on Friday and we will have a minutes silence and start to create work to remember and honour him

Childrens fire..some thoughts before work

 As i walked today before work, our holiday 'performance' session, and thought of our ideas, I saw a link ..i hadn't seen before in our journey, through this pandemic, to potentially more 'political' work,

What is political? "the person is political."

having started work in the 80's with highly vocal voices demanding Access, and to be heard, seen considered

I fully support it but within Shallal we haven't aligned ourselves to Disabled Artists, a founding artist of Shallal said indignantly, " i don't have a disability" and he didn't, he could dance the socks off anyone in the room, he needed support with some aspects of his life but not in dance and creativity.

I am in awe of the creativity and talent and generousity of all the people i work with.

I love to see their authentic voice as Adam brought out, there was no direction in that filming a few suggestions and respectful listening from us all.

So back to Sam and George whose video for childrens fire i saw yesterday.

It was their enthusiasm, (at the beginning of their days out each week, a private arrangement, they both flourish in) for meeting up with some of our local XR to support them as they set out from Lands End to walk to London, so in our circle as we chatted that day and they told us about it, i realised nearly everyone in the circle: supported that impulse to act now, they were already involved, or had friends in that or similar responses and shared their sentiments and saw the need for Action!

For 30 years we have supported the voices of those in Shallal as valid, to be heard, considered, known and society has changed...to enable society to continue well we don't have 30 years to change our attitudes and actions of how we live..so we are now 'political', and always trying to a find a positive way through.

"Beauty will save the world" - Dostotevsky

Showing how people want to work together, value each other, share and contribute! all ages, abilities everyone

so 

Today ...with one extra person, Shallal has a symbiotic attraction at it's core, Jade, wanting to do photography/film, we are meeting and our holiday session is dedicated to future generations, 

not ourselves, not even our bigger family, society but to those ahead of us, who trust us to do what's best for them, unselfishly, lovingly, bravely...

we have so many gifts on this good earth, let's not trample them underfoot in our greed and hurry for something temporary and fleeting and then look back at a barren desert and miss those 'gifts' we didn't care for and find ourselves with not enough to survive and thrive on.

Here's to putting the 'Children's fire' in the heart of our decision making and carrying it to others.