OPIS

Many people think that community is created when everyone adapts appropriately. When we kind of “grind down” each other. I prefer to think that we don’t become better members of the community by limiting ourselves, but by growing into this situation. We don’t need to smooth ourselves out, but rather grow those parts of ourselves that help us connect without diminishing who we are. We don’t need to hide ourselves in order to blend in, but rather show ourselves clearly and attentively notice others who are also showing themselves. We are not pebbles that are rubbed and smoothed together by the waves, but living beings that support and nourish each other.

I took the photos above today to illustrate this idea. The trees growing near the Danube reach toward the sky together, protecting each other from storms and sharing the fertile soil. The small ivy plant and moss grow on the rotting trunk of a fallen tree, using the nutrients created by the long-gone tree.

Dance creates a space where we can practice nourishing togetherness without words. We can develop and grow those parts of ourselves that make us more capable of connecting, and thus we can be even more alive when immersed in community.

During the retreat, Gabrielle Roth’s movement map will be our guide. This decades-old method provides a solid foundation and much inspiration for all of us in dance. The rhythm of chaos invites us to surrender to the unpredictable whirlwind of life, to throw ourselves into whatever feels good. As Gabrielle Roth, creator of the 5Rhythms, writes:

“Chaos can be wild and expressive, but it can also be a less physically demanding dance, an inner process of shaking, vibrating, and letting go. Either way, the mind empties from the head into the body, awakening our intuition.”