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Notes

A Personal Message April 2004

Greetings everyone! It is nice to be back to dancing, though my physical recovery continues (More on that below.). I have moved to Northampton, Massachusetts, a beautiful place to heal. There are many lovely places to walk and enjoy nature, and lots of great eateries, clubs, evening events, performances, and social dances. I am beginning to teach a few classes, rediscover myself in my work, get a new group of people dancing, and help folks in the local community improve their dancing. I will also be organizing some special events with some very talented friends, and I hope those of you who are farther away will come for a visit. Please help me by passing on the word that I am back.

As most of you probably know I was the victim of a traumatic attack in November of 2001. The good news is that my life is back on track and I am having more fun dancing than I have had in a very long time. Thanks so much to all of you who have expressed your concerns and support for me during these last years. I have not been able to answer many of you until now. I hope this message reaches you, my many friends with whom I have been out of touch.

At the time that I was attacked I had been on the road for seventeen years. It took almost two more years to realize my commitment to myself to stop traveling. I wanted to settle in a livable community, lead a relaxed life style, transport myself as much as possible on foot, and make working out and my personal practice of dance a priority.

I have managed to do all of those things. First, I sold The Tango Catalogue to Solo Tango of Buenos Aires. They have maintained the office in Boston and they continue to provide many of the services to the tango community that I began. That is gratifying to me in many ways. Second, I chose the town of Northampton as a place to live. I am also happy with that decision. This is a small town with a vibrant cultural life. It is also a physically beautiful place in the Connecticut River Valley surrounded by scenic hills and a few mountains.
There are many active dance communities in the area. Tango, Swing, Salsa, Improvisation, Modern, and Folk to name a few. The five colleges in the area provide a constant flow of artistic, intellectual, and political events. In the six months I have now been living here I have only scratched the surface of getting to know everything that is going on.

My life here has been almost exclusively focused internally up until now. When I came here I had been in a cycle of injury, sickness, recovery, and setback that had kept me sidelined from dancing for almost two years. Even before that road life had taken its toll and I was starting to suspect that age was getting the best of me. I am happy to report that it was not. I had simply fallen out of touch with the disciplined practice necessary to maintain my good conditioning.

These days I am taking class, dance technique and yoga, 5 or 6 days a week. I also work out regularly on Pilates equipment. I also have several wonderful practice partners, and I have been lightly social dancing in the local community. I have been making new friends and making time for reflection and the experience of nature. I have lost 20 pounds and feel better than I can remember feeling in many years. This spring is really a test of my abilities to return to working. It has been more than six months since my last setback.

One of the nicest aspects of my new life is how appreciative I am of the experience of dance. I don’t think I ever took the gift of dance in my life for granted. But I did work very hard at promoting dance, traveling, and creating work. I remember what it was like to feel frustrated when dances didn’t feel satisfying enough, to be wishing for more depth or more variety, to be worried about who I might work with or partner. I am not claiming that these concerns ever fully disappear, but I can say that I have learned all over again how to appreciate each and every moment that is given to me to dance. How very special it is to have dance be a part of my life. Each dance, whether by myself, with a partner, or in a group, is special to me.

I must tell you about my daughter Ella Grace, who has just turned two in January. I am a known donor by choice, to a single mother by choice. Our original agreement was made with the idea that I would be a road warrior and that my role in my daughter’s life would be unpredictable and irregular. An unexpected silver lining to the trauma of the last years has been the opportunity to be a predictable and regular presence in Ella’s life. Her mother and I have also become great friends, and our unusual alternative family brings me great joy and a sense of connection that I am so thankful for. These are the most elegant and graceful (pun intended) relationships that I have ever had.

There is much more to tell. One of my goals during this retreat from traveling is to write. There are many ideas percolating. I will try to be in touch more often.

I close with a political statement.

Political apathy is no longer an option. Apathy supports the status quo. There are too many problems to solve. Developing and empowering communities is the peaceful path to ending violence, both at home and overseas. Dancers should be aware of this reality. We dance when we can gather safely. That is when we can exercise our right to assemble. Remember that the tango almost died in Argentina during an era when the public was denied the right to assemble.

The Bush administration has abandoned all but the pretence of teaching peace and democracy to the world. While the Democrats don’t necessarily offer a complete change of course, just the act of changing administrations will send a necessary message to the world that we, the American people, repudiate the culture of fear and exploitation, which has been carried to an unacceptable extreme by an unelected president.

Friends, colleagues, dancers. It is imperative that we dance, that we debate, and that we vote!

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