All Voices Needed
Lift every voice and sing / Till earth and heaven ring, / Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; / Let our rejoicing rise / High as the listening skies, / Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. / Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, / Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us, / Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, / Let us march on till victory is won. — James Weldon Johnson
During the past year I’ve consciously questioned many things about my life for a number of reasons: one is that I’m leaning into a second calling or you could say that I’m experiencing my first calling in an expanded way. This has caused me to dig deeper into myself, as well as deconstruct the narratives that I’ve merely accepted from an earlier time where I experienced dance only one way: professionally, pointe shoes, tutus, tiara, and all only to discover the art form to be so much more!
Needless to say, it has been a humbling trek, but not without moments of awe and wonder. In questioning so much of my life all at once from the term “God” to what I’ve believed about the world, politics, prayer, grace, and love I’ve discovered a spaciousness that is both boundless and without borders. Deeper questions are arising about the roots of inequity, injustice, hatred, and fear. Many of these questions have been floating around in my psyche for decades, but in the rushing around and working in survival mode I’d not taken the time to ruminate, articulate, and discern what was happening. Presently, that leaves me walking through rubble in order to identify Truth found in the purity and light penetrating through a situation. The truth found patiently waiting for solutions to take form, re-shape, and inform a way of thinking I had not considered.
From a dancer/choreographer and movement perspective this would be considered the practice and rehearsal time. It requires placing the body into uncomfortable shapes and unexplored dimensions in space. It involves risks! Bending, twisting and turning around. It requires shaking a bit and shifting gears mid-stream for a better assessment, bringing forth a more harmonious work of art. In the process, what is required is finding a voice, at the very least expressing it when it’s different from the crowd. No justification is needed, but speaking truth, not just my truth, but the Truth of the cosmos is essential. One thing I’ve discovered is that quitting is not allowed.
Throughout the journey, identifying people who lovingly listen and don’t just commiserate with my moods without understanding what was happening inside me were few and far between. And then there were others who dared to challenge my perspective. To be totally honest, truth-speaking is nothing new for me. I’ve always looked at life as an exploration, and even though the medium of dance has been my primary mode of expression, it was the avenue of introversion that enabled me to contemplate physically various states of growth and dive deeper into becoming, perhaps without really knowing what was happening or even, what I was doing. The body is an honest carrier of truth, if we dare listen and pay attention. Or as Martha Graham said:
Movement never lies. It is a barometer telling the state of the soul’s weather to all who can read it.
I’ve always been curious and surrounding myself with people who challenged my thinking or attachment to old behaviors has been important to my personal and spiritual growth—even though sometimes, especially in those moments I’ve balked lacking any appreciation of their input. Only after years of more experience and maturity was I able to put that person’s perspective into a place that resonated with my personal growth or not at all. However, it was usually the most disagreeable words that I lodged somewhere in my body, hidden away until I was able to process them more thoroughly, often taking years as the thought would arise periodically nudging me along.
As ancient myths, stories, and parables remind us, change is inevitable for a new human being to emerge both internally and externally. We cannot hold onto the old ways of living and step into the new at the same time; we have to let go, often before we want to. As difficult as it is we must let go first and float in that open space of unknowing before catching sight of the new. I believe that is where we stand as a country and world. The signs are too catastrophic to ignore.
If I went back to my old ways of being or thinking I would not be able to create something new. And I’m definitely stretching into a new human being as the evolutionary process demands. Of course, my emotional self wants to determine if the experiences of becoming are worth it: good or bad, pleasant or unbearably uncomfortable — labeling the experience as something to be divided and categorized into a neat package. Whereas, perhaps accepting the situation(s) and taking a higher road filled with gratitude and exciting opportunities might be a different arrangement of my thinking that changes everything around me, not the least of which would be an expanded way of moving and sharing my story.
It’s something worth reckoning with.
We all have gifts. It is clearly a time for all voices to be heard and to resonate throughout the world. Not all of us are banner carrying protesters, but that does not mean our work is insignificant. There are prayer-ers, meditators, witnesses, artists, shop keepers and others who carry compassion and harmony deep in their souls. Though unknown and often unrecognized for centuries, they have been doing the quiet deep work of inner revolution that has an impact on the greater whole and the common good. This also is the kind of work that is needed now. And there are many ways to let that work flow — as healers, wise spiritual companions, musicians, dancers, loving parents, and volunteers.
Let no one be silent.
As Martha Graham said: "Movement never lies. It is a barometer telling the state of the soul’s weather to all who can read it." And, so, I try to listen to and heed the world soul in this way as well.