Creativity takes Courage

The above, a quote from artist Henri Matisse, are words that have encouraged and bolstered me through my working life in the world of dance. Whether teaching, choreographing, rehearsing, or engaging in the administrative tasks necessary to support all the artistic endeavors, these words have often helped me as I approached new projects or difficult tasks. They endowed me with a sense of optimism, a belief that I not only would survive the process but grow from it, as long as I had the courage to 1) begin and 2) work with openness to my creative instincts.

As we are faced with isolation and uncertainty in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all being forced to adjust not only our social lives, but our work habits as well. However, those of us in dance and other performing arts are particularly affected, because our work is extraordinarily communal in nature, involving groups of people coming together to create dance, play music, or present theater, in front of an audience. On top of the economic anxiety brought on by not being able to work and the fears for arts organizations being faced with devastating financial losses due to cancelled performances and closed schools, how do we cope with the loss of the sense of togetherness and community that our work routinely brings?

People are trying to fill the void via social media and online content – videos of performances, streaming classes, and uplifting projects like this one here https://www.facebook.com/AlvinAileyAmericanDanceTheater/videos/203773687564296/ from the dancers of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The website Dancing Alone Together https://www.dancingalonetogether.org/ was created with the goal of being a central resource for the new and growing digital dance world.

All of this is important and necessary as we learn to navigate these uncharted waters. And I have been telling my students for years how lucky they are that they live in the internet age, because when I was a young dance student in rural Clinton, Oklahoma obsessed with all things ballet, books and Dance Magazine were my only resources. “I had photos,” I tell my kids, “you can watch Marianela Núñez any time you want on YouTube.” But video is not the same as attending a live performance, or being in the studio with your teacher and your fellow dancers. And I hope we remember that when we come out on the other side of this crisis.

It’s going to take creativity and courage to get through this. This blog is going to be one of my outlets during social isolation. I don’t really know where it will go, although it will be centered around dance. Faced with too much time on my hands, and worried about what the future will hold, I decided to 1) begin and 2) work with openness to my creative instincts.

Courage to us all.