Emma’s Dance was written during the summer of 1994 for Scott Mendoker to celebrate the birth of Scott and Annie Mendoker’s child, Emma Rose. The work is a little unusual in that it concentrates not on the birth itself, with its sense of joy and relief, but on the struggle, fear and doubts leading up to the birth. One can hear the emotions moving back and forth between complete exhilaration and deep concern. The work ends with the birth and settles into a spiritual calm.
