Most people recall that catchy childhood ditty, the one that reminds us how the "foot bone‘s connected to the ankle bone" and so on. On Thursday, Feb. 9, dancer and comedienne Claire Porter takes anatomic art to a new level in "Namely, Muscles," to be presented at 8 p.m. at Sweet Briar College‘s Murchison Lane Auditorium in the Babcock Fine Arts Center.

Porter portrays Dr. Nickie Nom, County Forensic Orthopedic Autopsy Muscular Anatomical Surgical Specialist, who is reading from her new book of poems called "Namely, Muscles." This informative – albeit slightly irreverent – body of work includes such pieces as "Psoas – The Tender Bender," "Names on your Nerves," "And Now a Word from Our Tendons" and "Tongues," just to name a few.

Claire Porter performs her one–woman show, "Namely, Muscles." Photo by Eleanora Alberto.In her ode to the hip flexor, Porter – who wrote all of the poems – quips, "The psoas, you see, is the filet mignon of the tender loin. So why so tender this bender?" In "Detached," Porter lauds the muscles via haiku: "Hush, bygone lifters. Flesh, sinew, lean, tissue, brawn. You were fixed to bones once."

Apparently, there isn‘t much that‘s off limits as Porter works her way from head to gluteus, through 68 major muscles of the body and more than 30 poems. "In Boulder [Colo.], someone leaped up at the end and yelled, ‘What about the rotator cuff?‘ " Porter recalled. "He thought I was actually the forensic scientist I portrayed. Several weeks later I created a poem dedicated to the rotator cuff and to him."

As a child growing up in Connecticut, Porter studied dance, played sports, performed with a high school troupe called the Starlettes, and even tried to choreograph her dog, Dudley. "He had a mind of his own," Porter said, adding that the experiment did not go well.

When it came time for college, however, Porter‘s interests leaned more toward the scientific than the artistic. After earning a bachelor‘s degree in mathematics from the College of New Rochelle, Porter worked as a computer programmer for General Electric until her life took an un–choreographed spin.

While watching a performance by prima ballerina Maria Tallchief, Porter felt herself being lured back onto the dance floor. "I was 21 when I saw Maria Tallchief," Porter said. "The next day, I contacted a dance studio and signed up for classes immediately."

Porter worked for GE for three years, studying dance in the evenings, and then moved to San Francisco, where she worked for URS Systems and spent her evenings on the dance floor. "Then I went back to school and worked part time in the computer lab while dancing all day and evening," said Porter, who earned a master‘s in dance from Ohio State University. "Pretty soon, I no longer went to the computer lab. When time came to work again, I began to teach kids dance and dance as exercise. So, it was a gradual process."

Since then, Porter has traveled the world, teaching, performing and entertaining audiences at universities, theaters and special events. She has performed "Namely, Muscles" – in whole or in part – more than 40 times since the fall of 2002. In October 2005, her one–woman show was a hit at the National Dance Education Organization‘s (NDEO) Annual Conference in Buffalo, N.Y.

"She took the audience on a joy ride by the simple, but sophisticated, use of words, pronunciations, gesture, movement and absolutely delightful facial contortions," conference director Tressa Crehan said. "The culmination of all these talents made for a most delightful evening. I personally don‘t remember feeling so fulfilled after any show for a very long time and I was not alone in this reaction. The NDEO loved her performance and her."

Madeleine Scott, director of Ohio University‘s School of Dance agreed. "‘Namely, Muscles‘ is a delightful romp through the body presented by Claire Porter whose vocal and movement range are unparalleled," Scott said. "Porter‘s romp through the body is like a jaunt through a great botanical garden – full of delights and wonder."

Although Crehan acknowledged the Buffalo show was aimed at dance educators, she said it has broad appeal. "She made you laugh, [and] allowed you to catch your breath, only to make you laugh even harder. This particular performance can be enjoyed by anyone, but due to the material was extremely appropriate for this group. Although the material contained and is based on Latin anatomy terms, don‘t let it fool you – it is for everyone."

Tickets for the performance go on sale Monday, Jan. 30, at the Sweet Briar College box office, in the front lobby of the Babcock Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for non–SBC students, and free for SBC staff, faculty, students, alumnae and children younger than 12.

For reservations and more information, call (434) 381–6120.

– By Suzanne Ramsey, SBC staff writer