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| Photograph by Michelle Ava, artistic director of AVAdance |
Musing…
“Maybe I need more
work than when I was 20, but I have more depth…not to perform, but to be
present. Just to be. To be present
with the whole of yourself. It’s an inner faith I’m talking about.” - Alessandra Ferri, quoted
in The Washington Post, July 10,
2016, about dancing the role of Juliet at 53, with the American Ballet Theatre.
Charise’s Turn:
Time, for me, seems to be going around, not exactly forward. A birthday comes around, a holiday, a remembrance, another class or workshop,
another piece of writing coming into fruition, another performance. There’s a
building of memories, of knowledge, of experience in such a way that if time
were linear, it would be vertical, not horizontal, in it’s stacking up effect. Why the talk of time? I never thought I’d be
performing dance in my fifties, especially partnering in a duet. But in the
past nine months, such an event has happened twice, on two stages in
Washington, DC, under the direction of Michelle Ava, founder of Joy of Motion
Dance Center. We are now looking at developing a third collaboration.
What was required? Letting go of the idea of a limit - not an actual limit, but the idea of a limit. This is where you
come in (stage right, or left, or straight out of the audience). This is where
I address you: how are you hanging on to an idea that is untrue, that is
getting in the way of your true ability? Let’s stand in silence for a moment
with the question. What comes out of that silence?
Get Fired Up:
Embrace your abilities, time after time.
(Video of collaborative performance is on my website “Services” page.)
