Break on through to the other side...

Session 3, Day 6
So Day 6 was quite the break-through class. While going across-the-floor we talked about 100 vs 300 percent in terms of, I guess, energetic output. And while, yes, it is a worthy exercise to do the movement at 300% for the sake of feeling your edge. I encourage you to work at this 300 level all the time. That’s not to say, be careless and throw or push your body past its limitations. But everyone in the class tends toward the side of playing it safe. So right now, I think it’s best to explore the danger zone a bit more. I think we’re all responsible enough for ourselves to not get too carried away. And if I saw someone getting carried away I would definitely step in. But in my opinion, no one is there. I mentioned that I feel like we’re waiting for someone to give us permission to go all out, go 300%. When in actuality, when it comes to really performing and giving it your all, no one other than yourself can open that door. Sometimes it helps, to just accept the fact that you will look like a fool every once in a while. But the more you live through embarrassment like that, the more you realize that it’s not a big deal. And when you can laugh at yourself and pick yourself right on up, you’re actually congratulating yourself for being brave enough to just go for it all. When I was younger, I participated in this “audition” for a dance conference scholarship that took place on stage, in front of about 1,500 people, at the closing event after a week-long dance convention. I danced my heart out. So much that I totally lost my grounded-ness and ended up on all fours in the middle of the combination. I absolutely had no recollection of how it all happened. One minute I’m feelin so good and the next, my nose is inches from the floor. Needless to say, I didn’t get the scholarship. But falling on stage in front of so many people was worth all the compliments I received from my colleagues, the people who have seen me dance over the years, and who know me beyond a 2 minute audition. My point is, accomplishments don’t always come in the form of awards or scholarships. It’s really you that determines whether you’ve met your goals or not. I, as teacher, am nothing more than a friendly, sometimes harsh if need be, reminder of the reality that everything you need in order to be successful is already in you. And remember, time in the studio is for no one else but yourself. So let this place be the one place, if nowhere else, where you can experiment, fall and really test your will.