Articulation of Change?

Stepping out of your comfort zone is a hard thing to do, whether mentally or physically. For this reason alone I was impressed with the show that I watched at ABT last night. On one of my few nights off I decided to take my sister and go peek at the last two pieces on the program Wednesday night. I didn’t know what to expect, as it was my first time watching our premiere ballet of the season “Glow-Stop.” From the minute the curtain went up and the frenzied pace began I was mesmerized by what was happening on stage. It is such a rush getting to watch your friends dance as they do in this piece, exhibiting a sense of abandon rarely seen in classical ballet. I won’t go into too much detail but I was very pleasantly surprised with what I saw last night especially since it was so far out of the “comfort zone” that can be established with various forms of movement.

Why is it so difficult to initiate change? My dad wrote me an incredible email the other day concerning this issue and I will never be able to put it as eloquently as he did but I’ll try. Fear is such a stifling thing because it brings up the ideas of success and failure. These are polar opposites, but both representing change, which takes initiative. I was reminded of this when watching “Glow-Stop” last night; I was reminded of this in class just this morning. Resistance to change is a draining and useless thing but something that is also unavoidable. It is getting over this resistance, whether to a new movement pattern or new mental pattern, that you allow yourself to become freer. You can only resist so long before you have to give in. Easier said than done, right?

It sounds obvious to say that being scared is a natural thing. I find with myself that being scared is often what I am scared of, a bit of a mind twister. When suddenly I am not aware of who I am as these feelings come into my head I retract and try to overanalyze. Like with dance, your mind works in similar ways, things will work easier when you relax into the movement of your mind and body. Like with “Glow-Stop” last night, success CAN be found when stepping into uncomfortable territory. Here I go again with one of my “YOU” speeches directed at myself. It’s just one of those days.

Sometimes the life lessons that we learn from such a young age (i.e. “focus on the positive”) seem impossible to adhere to. The more that I expand myself and my mindset, the larger the umbrella known as my “comfort zone” will become. I am learning that I am comfortable with some things I had not thought before, and uncomfortable with other things I used to love (crappy Hollywood movies i.e. Marie Craponiette.) This blog is all over the place today as my brain is working through new ideas; I feel about as articulate as President Bush.