Welcome to my blog for my new book of poetry, Memories, Thoughts, and Dreams.
To introduce myself and my book to you I've asked my copy/editor to interview
me and write a little biography about me and here it is as follows:
Guy Bala has been
called a renaissance man, a bon vivant, an epicurean, and a modern-day
bohemian, and rightly so -- for such descriptions fit him well. Inspired by the
"unsanctioned poets" of his youth -- Bob Seeger, Journey, Foreigner,
Styx, Fleetwood Mac and the Moody Blues, to name a few, Bala recognized early
on the critical importance of artistic
interpretation. Although an ardent fan of all traditional models of
literature, Bala believes poetry to have an immediate and universal recognition
of human emotions. "Words used everyday take on a profound simplicity.
They become lyrical and stay in our minds, like music. Indeed, poetry often
produces the most emotive sensibilities that strike at our hearts. We share
universal experiences, no matter who we are or where we live. Our
interpretations are different, and yet the
same."
Bala is a sensitive
observer of humanity and his observations are reflected in his work. "I
am intrigued with humanity. The art of being a human is something that
fascinates me . . . those things that make living a shared experience . .
. the colorful palette of emotional capabilities to express what one
thinks and feels. For me, these border on the ethereal."
With an extensive
background in the theatrical arts, particularly music, dance and choreography,
it is no surprise that Bala seeks to express his feelings with the same
artistic elements of movement and fluidity. He finds the poetic form the
perfect medium of self- expression. "The beauty of poetry is this -- it is
sublimely aligned with the same inherent flow of movement, of rhythm, and
lyricism found in dance and music. It is also pure in expression. There is an
honesty to poetry that flows from mind to heart. That is the power of the art
form."
In his latest work, Memories, Thoughts, and Dreams, Bala
reveals a sweet sensitivity that speaks sincerely of love, loss, and
loneliness. "I'm not afraid to reflect on my experiences and excavate my
thoughts concerning them. It's how I have come to understand myself."
A Michigan
Dearbornite, Guy Bala began his performance work as a circus acrobat. From
there, he quickly advanced to teaching gymnastics and choreographing
performance pieces of various genres for his students. He has appeared in a
variety of staged musicals as principle dancer, Fiddler on the Roof, Applause,
Mame, Follies, and the King and I, to name a few. He later studied modern
ballet in Royal Oak, Michigan and also studied and performed with the Ann Arbor
Civic Ballet.
While living on the beaches
of SE FL, Bala was engaged in 1991 to spearhead the recruitment and training of
one of the largest professional (upwards of 800 active) volunteer corps in the
U.S. at the Broward Center of the Performing Arts in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
He interlocked a mission of impacting the love of the arts with the necessary
hospitality nature required to successfully service as many as 25,000 weekly
patrons. During this tenure, he also produced a documentary, The Birth of an Arts Center,
depicting the anticipation and suspense of the Broward Center's premier
performance as they grandly opened with The
Phantom of the Opera.
Following the Broward Center
tenure, Bala then moved to a time and place of quiet reflectivenss. He settled
in Highlands, North Carolina, within the Nantahala National Forest. Here he
introduced a poetry reading program, "Poets at the Podium," for the
Bascom Center for the Visual Arts. He also wrote "A Mountain's
Sojourn" which was published in the Highlander on September 4th 2001.
Today, Bala resides in Tampa,
Florida with his two rescues, Aki and Rafiki. When not working on his next
artistic venture, he can be found in the kitchen, crafting a new gourmet dish.
A true bon vivant!
