Welcome to the Georgetown Lombardi Arts & Humanities Program (AHP) newsletter. In this week's issue, Deborah Riley recaps this year's Day of Dance which was held on Friday, March 24, and we present the 2023 Lombardi Voices, which is available for download. We also spotlight Expressive Writing student Rose Avent, who was recently honored by having her poem, "Abuela," selected for Arlington County's Moving Words competition.

"Experiencing our Humanity:" Artist-in-Residence Deborah Riley Describes This Year's Day of Dance

Front Row (l-r) Anthony Hyatt, Abby Perelman, Deborah Riley, Akosua Hawkins, Katie Harris Banks

Back Row (l-r) Jessica Denson, Emily Jenkins, dani tirrell, Carrie Monger, Marcia Howard

The year's Day of Dance was directed by Deborah Riley. In a recent interview, Deborah describes her experience and the power art has in transforming healthcare settings.

Could you share a little of the background behind this year’s Day of Dance at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center?

There has been a long history of the arts throughout the Lombardi Cancer Center. The Day of Dance started in the mid 2000s. This year, we had eight professional dancers, a dancer/musician, Anthony Hyatt, and a dancer/singer, Akosua Hawkins. Together, we walked and danced through the hospital landing in nine locations. I think of us as a kind of prayer ribbon winding our way through the hospital, although the energy changed to reflect what was happening in each location. For example, in a large space such as the Lombardi atrium, we had set choreography to Akosua’s beautiful singing. In other places, we improvised with various structures, responding in a quieter way to Anthony’s violin. Our job is to bring grace, joy and beauty to a space.

Could you describe some particularly memorable moments from spaces in the hospital where you performed this year?

In the main hallway we were all connected in one, watery-like wave. Then we separated and danced in duo's and trios. We loved the different kinds of reactions and appreciation. Sometimes people would applaud or they would ask, “what are you doing?” It was so great to see the smiles on people’s faces. The hospital can be a place of stress. To have people reflecting delight and joy is very rewarding. In the main hallway that day, there was a lot of energy. It was a festive atmosphere, in which Anthony was very exuberant in his playing. Another place that stood out was the Department of Neurology on the seventh floor. When we got there, the dancers infiltrated the space, some in the hallways, some in the waiting room. Anthony played a beautiful, warm, calming piece. The staff came out from their offices and stood in the hallways, watching. Some of the patients got out their cameras. It felt like a container of grace that everybody held together with a lot of compassion. It was really palpable.

What do you make of people’s reactions to seeing dancers performing in a hospital?

I think the smiles come from seeing unexpected beauty. It's like when you're walking down the street on an early spring day and you see that lone little daffodil. You just smile because it's so cheerful. Art can take us out of our busy head – “I have to park the car, I have to find the elevator, and then I have to find the right floor.” Art pauses that and allows us to remember who we are. Sometimes, when we do too much thinking and planning, we forget to breathe. An encounter with artists puts us in our bodies, and therefore puts us in our own humanity. And dance is unique. It’s not like writing, for example. Dance is ephemeral. But it can live on in our memories. There will be an echo of what we did that remains in the hospital. When some people walk past the historical photographs lining the hospital’s main hallway, they may remember that the dancers were in that space.

“Lombardi Voices” is Now Available for Download

We are pleased to announce that the Spring 2023 edition of Lombardi Voices is now available for download. Each year, the Arts and Humanities program publishes a collection of poems by participants in our expressive writing program. Lombardi Voices is made possible with support from the Kathleen A. Beard Endowment for the Arts and Humanities.

For more information and to submit poetry for future editions, please email Arts and Humanities director, Julia Langley at [email protected].

Expressive Writing Student's Poem Selected in Arlington County's Moving Words Competition

Each year since 1999, Arlington Transit and the Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington hold the Moving Words Adult Poetry Competition and select several poems that will be displayed inside ART buses between April and September. Poets from across the D.C. Metro enter. AHP expressive writing student, Rose Avent, was one of this year’s winners. Her poem, “Abuela,” was chosen by this year’s judge, author and Marymount University professor, Holly Karapetkova.

Rose, who was a teacher in Arlington for many years, said she imagines that one of her former students might see her poem while riding the bus and remember her. “That would mean a lot to me,” she said.

Two poems, “Generosity” and “Avocado,” by Rose also appear in this year’s Lombardi Voices, available for download above.

The Georgetown Lombardi Arts & Humanities Program (AHP) promotes a holistic approach to healthcare for patients, caregivers, physicians, nurses, staff members, and students through the use of music, dance, expressive writing, and visual arts. These therapeutic modalities are normally provided throughout the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., and online through Eventbrite courses. The AHP is a program of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.