I AM AWAKE IN MY STILLNESS

Dear ones,

i meet you this month with gentleness and anticipation for a new season of Spring. Of beginnings, of hope, of vibrant and invigorating change. We have collectively been on the dawn of expectancy since last March when our entire lives as we knew them halted abruptly and we began a 12 month (and counting) gestation of hopeful biochemical salvation. as we reach a paradoxical anniversary of lock down, reflection of what the past year has gifted us (or perhaps shoved upon us). . .let us sink into the promise that stillness is often the protective incasing of great becoming.

drawing inspiration from nature, as i often do, i am reminded of the examples we see when a lake or large body of water stills. when the surface appears like glass and its untroubled tranquility allows for great reflection. make no mistake - we know much energy and preparation is at play under the vail of serenity. shifting currents are ebbing and flowing, fish are active, water flora and fauna are in active operation. what is on the surface doesn’t give us an accurate picture of the work being done, down below. an opportunity arrives when we can hold these two complexities in endearment, and activate or become deeply conscious in those moments of stillness to see clearly what needs to surface.

THE MOVEMENT WORK

as we relate this to movement this month, i want us to consider what stillness in the body offers us, what it invites us in to. it’s easy to dive in to the work and put the body on autopilot - meaning for us dancers, “in motion”. i want us to ask the body to move at a slowed pace and for us to become available to our other senses and parts of self to unpack this mantra. how can we move in stillness? what does this look like viscerally, what does it feel like kinetically? can we feel movement around us spatially as we are anchored in stillness? how can we be active in our energies and efforts across the four parts of self, but still find a stillness in the body? the law of physics defines that everything is in constant motion, even when something appears still. can we awaken this inside our improv practice and gain a heightened sense of acuity in our physical instrument and creative lives?

the key here is awakening to what is happening in the submerged. being still can just be being still, if awareness is not drawn deeper. activation of our mindfulness is what enriches our stillness and provides a nutrient dense sea bed for beautiful understanding and new growth to take root, or availability to excavate what is no longer serving us (both in life and inside our movement vocabulary). we’ll call the application of this “active stillness”.

WHAT WE SHOULD ASK OURSELVES AS ARTISTS

-what does stillness in my body create in motion elsewhere?

-am i fighting or aligning with stillness and how does this serve me?

-does stillness enrich my creative process/endeavors?

-do my current views about stillness offer space and invite me into growth?

-what does “active stillness” tell us within choreography and movement choices? what significance do i draw from this?

in ways of this particular duality, this month, can we hold more space and perhaps even grace for our continued positioning in stillness? can we engage in the deeper work? can we find a revival within our movement from the awakening within? i know we can, amen.

light + magic,

kenzie

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