Perform and be Present
Pre-performance checklist: Pliés? check Leg swings? check Head rolls? check Costume? Make-up? Tongue-twisters? Instrument tuning? Hand squeeze circle with your fellow performers? check, check, check, check, check, check, check Balancing breath preparation before you step onstage? . . . . . It’s the end-of-the-school-year performance season for many universities and performing arts programs. We have spent … Continue reading
Serendipity
When you are battling a conflict, making a tough decision, or simply seeking comfort, it can feel serendipitous when the perfectly expressed sentiment finds you. You could be grappling with a problem for weeks and someone says exactly what you needed to hear, or you read something that gives you an “a-ha” moment. You might … Continue reading
Asking for Help
It was only two weeks ago that I was standing on the backseat of a bouncing Land Rover headed through the Serenghetti, the Tanzanian national park that has long been documented by the likes of National Geographic and Discovery. I am so grateful that I got to visit Africa right around the one year mark of … Continue reading
Where We Are is Here
I am celebrating my birthday this month. I usually allow the occasion to slip by fairly quietly. The artist Paul Gauguin has a famous painting Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?. A birthday can be occasion to reflect on these questions each year. It makes sense that we spend … Continue reading
Becoming a Part of
I have been living in New York City and Brooklyn for a total of 17 years now. It is a hard thing to explain, but I don’t really remember what it felt like to live anywhere else. Something about the vibrancy and sensory texture of this city, driven by pulsing energy and a relentless pace, … Continue reading
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