Musing…
“Beauty awakens the soul to act” -
Dante
The title for this post could have been beauty, but it
needed to be zest. In combination, they are a force to contend with. You may wonder what the cascade of
flowers are - they
are hanging nasturtiums at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum of Boston. These are
edible flowers with a peppery taste. Zest for your palate, beauty on display - and now I’m growing them
in containers, eagerly awaiting the orange buds.
Charise’s Turn:
“True art is
characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist.” - Albert Einstein
That irresistible creative urge with an urgency to act can be
found in unusual places because it lives outside the perimeter of fear or
hesitation. Here’s a noble and extraordinary example: in Iraq a cellist, Karim
Wasfi, sets a stool on a bombed out street to sit and play a piece he has composed
titled “Baghdad Mourning”. This is
his neighborhood and his artistic activism. “I play to show life is worth
living – I can’t beat the bombs with my cello, but I can bring respect for the
dead.” (Wasfi quoted April 30 in The
Telegraph)
Segue to a more humble event organized by urban studies
professor and community activist Bill Hanna: Langley Park Day in Maryland. This
is a free health fair for the local Latino community, providing services otherwise unaffordable. There are festivities to draw the residents there, such as my
performance with Ancient Rhythms Dance Company. On the rented festival stage,
in the bright sun, I am dancing with a gold cane for the first time, mostly
self-taught over the course of a week. The accompanying Libyan music is hearty,
celebratory.
I could have played it safe with what I already know from my
twelve years of Middle Eastern dance experience. But my enthusiasm demanded
this artistic venture. I like the feel of balancing the cane on my head, twirling
it in my hand, striking it against the ground and swinging it back up to my
shoulder. While advised to use Velcro on my headband to secure the cane, this
seemed like cheating, so I counted on faith instead. I wanted to communicate
with my prop, not control it. My zest became contagious as Judith Hanna (Bill’s wife), a dance
scholar, writer, and professor, asked me to teach what I had performed.
“It is in the
compelling zest of high adventure and of victory, and in creative action, that
man finds his supreme joys.” -
Antoine de Saint- Exupery
Get
Fired Up:
How are you compelled to act? Let your enthusiasm lead - and
lead you right through any hesitation. The force of zest defies misgivings.
