Pirouettes…that classic ballet technique
of turning on one leg. I can’t do them. That is, I can’t do them with effortless
grace. A key to pirouettes is to
maintain one’s center of balance. The
body and mind in alignment with space and time.
Recently, my pirouettes have been
somewhat off-centered, tilted a little towards the East Coast as my body and
mind adjust to a life transition this past year.
When my husband and I looked at houses
in Tucson, AZ a little over a year ago, we never thought that we would
immediately find something we liked. We
never thought that we would summarily take the leap to a two-city
lifestyle. Our approach to life has
always been very measured and planned.
Slow and steady…that was us.
There was the security in staying within our geographic comfort
zone. We lived in the NY area for over
20 years. We raised our children
there. Both of our careers are based
there. We were surrounded by a blanket of
friends and family there. We had history
there! My center-of-balance was firmly
planted on the East Coast! Or so I
thought.
Sometimes, things just happen. Opportunities arise and that little voice
inside starts to whisper enticingly, “yeah…go ahead…take the leap.” It was uncharacteristically impulsive of
us. We talked about the transition a little…but
we really didn’t go into great depths about the pros and cons. Mainly we listed these general thoughts: the kids are grown and self-sufficient; our
current house is too big for the two of us; we’re healthy enough to do
something different. That’s about it…a
few minutes of discussion. No long,
drawn-out “should we’s.” Our friends,
family and colleagues were shocked. We
shocked ourselves! We looked at each
other and said “why not.”
Why not indeed! It’s not as if we were leaving NY
forever. We were just adding another
place to call home. Three months after
we saw the Tucson house, we found ourselves on a cross-country drive from NY to
Tucson to begin a new chapter in our lives.
The road trip provided us with five days of fascinating experiences, but
that is a subject for another blog!
Suffice it to say, this is a huge country and every corner carries its
own wonders and uniqueness.
My primary focus upon settling into our
new Tucson home was to find a place to dance.
I can live anywhere, as long as I can dance. I was fortunate to find several studios that
offer a variety of disciplines, from classical ballet to improvisation
techniques to traditional hula. I wasted
no time to start dancing and very quickly began to feel grounded into my new life
in Tucson. It is interesting how dancing with others can
provide one with a sense of community.
The dialogue of dance envelopes me within a circle of shared experiences
among dancers of all ages, genders and experiences. My deep conviction that everyone can and
should dance begins to take firmer shape as I find myriad opportunities to
explore and expand my movement vocabulary with others who, like me, just want
to dance.
I hold an idealistic streak within me
that believes if people danced together more, there would be more happiness and
understanding in this world. All
right, I admit, it is a simplistic world view.
Obviously there are many issues and problems that can not be addressed
by dance. However, I have a deep-seated need
to be a part of the conversation about dance and the positive role it can play
in creating community. In our world of
fractures and factions, collaboration and community become vital, healing
ingredients. I just need to figure out
how I can combine my love for dance with my need to make positive contributions
to our world.
What exactly does all this mean? It means that I am embarking on a grand
adventure of exploration. One that I
hope will help me develop skills to connect with people through dance …to
create movement together….to discover the dancer within us. We all have it…the ability to dance. I want
to be a part of that discovery and I look forward to working in environments
where dance is, or becomes, a natural part of everyday life. I want to search, investigate and learn about
the dance thread connecting all of us as human beings.
As I continue my daily dance practice, I
spot an illuminating light bulb moment.
My center of balance is not dictated by geographic space….it is
determined by wherever I am at any given moment. Home is not necessarily a physically-limited
area…it is a feeling of belonging and that can happen anywhere as long as I am
open to being part of the communities around me. New York will always be a home to me….but
Tucson is also a home now. As for my
pirouettes….I shall constantly be practicing and adjusting my center of
balance. After all, I intend to
pirouette not only between NY and AZ, but also globally as I work to
fulfill my dream of dancing around the world.
This dream takes many shapes in scope and projects, but at the core is
the image of joyous pirouettes within communities of dancers. There is that little voice inside again, “yeah…go
ahead…do a double pirouette!”
So off I go! I await the chance to dance with you!
