Why write?

Communication is essential. I dance because I believe the shared, physical experience can communicate more than spoken or written language. But, in Western culture, we're trained to process information through reading and writing. There is well-documented research that individuals learn and communicate differently, but the written word remains a main form of communication (otherwise e-mails and texting wouldn't be so popular).

Several years ago, I shared a theatre-going experience with a very intelligent friend. This friend is a physician, well-versed in her field, and in addition to having an integrated knowledge about the body, is also very socially intelligent. We saw "Showboat" the musical. As in many theatre experiences, there are aspects of "Showboat" that demand the viewer suspend disbelief and rational thinking to experience the story in an appropriate amount of time, with an appropriate amount of singing and dancing, and lighting, set, and costume changes. This dear friend couldn't grasp the concept of time passing so quickly - some 25 years translated in 90 minutes in musical-theatre time. She questioned the costume changes, the character changes, the changes in lighting and set design. And her questions were valid because she had difficulty rationalizing the liberties that theatre takes in telling a story.

I worried that this dear friend, who I knew would be coming to see my own choreography in a few weeks, would not be able to understand my very abstract world of modern dance. And so, this blog began.

I understand that, as an artist, I may think and act differently than many people. But, I'm trying to understand other worlds and ways of thinking - be it medicine, science, business, sports, mechanics, ranching, farming, the military, or politics - so that I can bring dance and these worlds together. (They actually have a lot in common. Ranchers looking for good cowboy boots take as much time and attention as dancers seeking pointe shoes.)

I'm doing a lot of reading and talking with people from these fields so that I can understand your/their worlds and the way that you perceive it. I want to offer you an insight into mine. It is my hope that through this sharing of microcosms, that together we can diffuse the anxiety of the unknown and create a more colorful, beautiful macrocosm. With this blog I'm sharing my thoughts as an artist - on the process of working in dance and making dance, but also the process of being a person, as I view it, as an artist. Thank you for taking an interest in seeing the world from another perspective. Thank you for your time! I look forward to our communications, to hearing your perspectives, and to sharing this incredible journey with you!