Thirty Days of Thoughts: Day 30

Tags

Ballet, Believing, choreography, completion, Composition, Conscious Living, courage, Courageous Vulnerability, Dance, faith, freedom, goals met, improvisation, love, modern dance, partnering, Soul to Soul, spirit, success

Well here we are, day thirty! I get to write my last entry into this thirty day challenge. I get to complete an arc and let go of this practice. For now. 

It has been delightful to write on a regular basis even if I fell short of the thirty consecutive days. I still feel very satisfied with the work and my progress on so many levels. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we still can succeed even if our attempts are not perfect. And that right there is a reminder of having humility in our work so that if we falter, we know we can still succeed. 

What I do find wonderfully fortuitous is that tomorrow I begin a wonderful sharing of my research in the Corps de Ballet International Conference. I am fortunate to be sharing my work on how I use the Five Elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine as a framework for teaching EBAS, ballet and all other creative aspects of my pedagogy arsenal. 

This sharing will start off with a more conceptual approach to the physical practice so folks can conceptualize the overarching principles and begin to see how they relate to the actual physical practice of EBAS as a bridge for the traditional form of ballet. This reimagining of how we animate the body to inhabit the practice of ballet might be helpful for those who are looking for support with bringing in new people and interest into the form. It is especially supportive of being inclusive due to its individual body centered approach. 

It is my hope that I am able to encourage a shift from a linear cognitive aesthetic approach to the art and to open a more multidimensional visceral imagistic opportunity for senatorial learning. This shift allows the body to be honored for its wisdom allowing it to be the focus and guide to the archeology of technique. As we excavate, revealing the heart of our moving spirit, we are cautiously aware of all that will be uncovered and revealed through its process. 

Part of the many difficulties in the training of folks is that we forget that the body houses trauma and that there are blockages, incongruencies and conflicts hidden in the depths of our physical being. Conscious or not. And if we are trying to transform the body we cannot forget that we too have to transform our spirit. We cannot forget that movement is in fact the only way to fully release and heal from our trauma. 

This approach focusing on the Five Elements allows us that collaborative and holistic approach to integrating the body bringing it back to its true nature and in harmony or symphony with its energetic self. This is incredibly inspiring to me and I am most excited to share it with folks from all aspects of the field. 

Now mind you, in working in these ways we do not diminish the training protocol and the necessity for neuromuscular repatterning. I’m fact, this kind of work increases the speed at which you are able to train dancers as they become conscious of their bodies in ways that support greater senatorial and neural connections to their work and their practice. 

Imagine an environment that is training awareness of body, mind and spirit so as to also be training voice and agency in one’s own relationship to their practice? Imagine also diminishing pain and also injuries as dancers are more aware of how to execute movements and choreography more wisely and judiciously?

Wonderfully, this way of working helps dancers find deeper connections to the creative process of making work as well. The elements are a support system as they all correspond to one another as well as have yin and yang organ relationships in addition to governing emotion, seasons, qualities, dynamics and above all; energies. You can see having this kind of awareness allows folks to tap into creative connections within their bodies and within the framework of a piece that are trying to create. 

As you can see I am super excited to share all of this with the conference and to share with you all that it is precisely this connection that has made the pathway for writing my books come into clarity. Yes, there will be a series of books related to this topic that points to technique, improvisation, composition, choreography and partnering. 

It has been this challenge that has given me the space to listen to what was being shared with me all along. It is this opportunity of doing that has sparked the flame and shown me how to go about sharing all of this. Even in this writing I have been inspired to write the other things and have been making wonderfully joyful progress. 

Even if this is the end of this particular cycle, it is the beginning of another. I get to share the next one with you as well and am looking forward to dropping little sections of it so you can taste it with me. 

Thank you for walking with me through these thirty entries and days! Thank you for your energy and your compassion. Whether you knew you were sharing it or not, it has been felt and appreciated. Thank you for letting me share and being a part of this transformational journey! 

Love and Light

Thirty Days of Thoughts: Day 29

Tags

awareness of light, Believing, changes, choice, choices, Conscious Living, courage, Courageous Vulnerability, enchanted life, enchantment, faith, joy, Joyful, light, love, sharing in light, shifting paradigm, spirit

As I approach the end of this challenge I feel a strong sense of gratitude for embarking on this journey and all that has revealed itself in doing so. In the doing and being of it all I feel a sense of satisfaction and joy in seeing something through in addition to a sense of freedom and openness for an endless flow of creativity. 

In one of my readings yesterday I was struck by the notion of changing the energy of my to do list by reframing it by calling it my “get to do list”. And just like that it holds a new energy and a new light. I get to do so many wonderful things in my day and that reframing sets a tone and a vibration for a positive and engaged practice of doing. 

I get to do this challenge. I get to write. I get to do EBAS. I get to read. I get to research. I get to walk with my dogs. I get to take them to the dog park. I get to eat well. I get to hydrate. I get to care for myself. I get to meditate. I get to practice my presentation. I get to be good and do good. I get to be the light that is the flame of the universe. 

It was a profound rewiring yesterday and just what I needed to add to this practice of writing and the positive perspective just doing the challenge has shifted for me. I encourage you to shift your language and vibration by doing the same. It’s as if the small addition of get transforms the energy to a higher level and is full of gratitude. 

Yesterday was just so lovely because of it. Even though I was doing a movement healing and wellness session followed by a tech rehearsal for my conference, I was in a state of joy because I got to do it all. And isn’t that a delight that we get to do things as opposed to having to do things. 

What if we never asked the question of ourselves and others of “what do you have to do today?” What if we asked one another what do you get to do today? Would that not change the vibration of our relationship with that person? Might it set a different tone for the work they get to do out in the world that day? Might that energy, light and joy be a beacon for others? 

It is really lovely how such a small shift is capable of transforming the direction of energy and thought. Such a small shift to transform the intentions of the day. And in this way we are never without creativity. We are always able to get creative and to live in the flow of creativity. 

I get to post this 29th entry of a 30 day challenge today. I get to celebrate small successes and see myself finishing this journey with a wonderful energy. I get to enjoy the sense of accomplishment and carry that energy with me all day. I get to live a day filled with joyful energy. 

And so I close by wishing you well. Yes, I get to wish you well. What do you get to do today? 

Thirty Days of Thoughts: Day 28

Tags

Ballet, Believing, choreography, Conscious Living, courage, Dance, Dance Appreciation, Dance Forms, dance makers, dance making, dancers, destiny, faith, improvisation, manifest, modern dance

I was reminded of a memory from four years ago when I was in Arezzo, Italy teaching a EBAS Level I teachers certification workshop. I used to love going there on a regular basis to teach dance and to spend about 6-8 weeks there at a time. It was such a gift to settle into such a lovely place surrounded by folks who wanted to be submerged in the arts and in Italian culture. 

I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a part of the Academia del Arte’s summer arts program for about 6 years and then to continue a collaborative relationship with their program by returning to teach certification courses off and on for the next four years. It was such a delight and certainly a creative luxury. 

Now that we are on this side of the pandemic and there are openings happening, it’s time to open the heart for the next European opportunity. I am not quite sure where that will be or even how it will come about, but I am putting it out there that I am ready to collaborate in ways that combine dance and being in beautiful places with engaged and passionate people. 

And now it is out there. Time to give space to it so it travels to where it needs to land. It has worked many times before and with an open heart, it will connect again. 

Oddly this is how all of my study abroad relationships began. Having conversations with the universe opened conversations with people. First was the lighting and dance program in Costa Rica that created so many wonderful opportunities and was the seed for creating my project based company, Amaranth. The unfolding and work that evolved from that has been mind blowing. 

The second opportunity was the Arezzo one where I was searching for places to host a new study abroad program in Rome. I sent an email to request information about spaces and would you know I ended up on the summer arts faculty at the Academia. As I mentioned before that unfolded into a ten year relationship that was simply magical. 

Most recently, after the shift and changes of Italy I was sitting at a recruitment table for VCU when I was approached by Michael Foley to see if I would be interested in working with him and USF to build the semester study abroad program. He was taking his brilliant summer program and blowing it up to create the larger semester program. It was brilliant and began a lovely collaborative relationship that is still unfolding. I am so grateful to him and all of our students who get to have this incredible experience. 

Another delightful experience has been a six year relationship with Perth, Australia where I have had the incredible opportunity to build a relationship with that community in ways I never imagined possible. Teaching Master Class workshops, EBAS teachers certifications and setting work on three colleges and companies has been delightful. It will be nice to return in 2022 for certifications and hopefully a creative opportunity as well. It would be glorious to open a relationship with folks in Sydney to share the work there as well. 

And so now, I open my heart to the next opportunity to share EBAS, Fundamental Conscious Movement and many creative projects wherever there is the space and willingness. I release this into the universe to connect and engage folks that are hungry to connect through these unique ways of holistically training the body and creatively engaging one’s voice. It will be a delight to see where these energies take me. 

Thirty Days of Thoughts: Day 27

Tags

ally, champion, communicating, community, Conscious Living, courage, Courageous Vulnerability, gay, Gay Pride, love, Pride, Soul to Soul

Sitting down to write and tackle today’s entry I was focusing on a completely different thought than what I am about to share. I was writing the date in my doc and received a DM from a dear friend half a world away. The messages touched me so and I just feel that perhaps it was sent just in time so that I could speak to it. 

The message that was sent was one of love and support from an ally and friend. She expressed and acknowledged the ending of Pride month and wanted to let me know, as well as the friends she knows who are dear to me, that we are loved and in her thoughts. 

This simple message communicating love and support is so moving and so gracious. In many ways this is a show of not only live and friendship but also of being seen for all of who you are. Something that is rather difficult for people to do or accept in others. To be able to live in the fullness of your being and be welcomed into the fold of others is really an amazing thing. 

So many people live in fear or in denial because they are unable to be their complete selves. It is difficult to have to walk a path that is not yours or does not allow you to be the complete being that you are. It can be painful and debilitating in addition to destructive. 

When you are brought up in a world made for others you don’t ever feel you belong. When there is no representation for you to see yourself and to recognize yourself in others, the tendency is to hide away out of shame and fear of rejection. And this is precisely why it is important to celebrate Pride the way in which we do. It is important to be present and visible for those to see that they too belong. 

To be present in one’s full self is to be at one with oneself. To stand in the center of your world without fear and without harassment is empowering and freeing. It should be an inspiration for others and should be celebrated all year long and within every day and in every action of our being. One can be proud even in simply being. 

Even though I am an artist who lives presently in my work but don’t necessarily focus on queer issues, who I am still lives within all of my work. My strength, sensuality, intimacy, passion, drive, curiosity, courage, sensitivity, softness, weakness, quietude and power are all a part of each work I make. I create multidimensional worlds in which all people are welcome to be a part of rather than a viewpoint that expresses a single thought. 

Images connect to the humanity within all people and speak to the nervous system and freeing of the neuromuscular blockages of trauma that so many have felt. My work, through the lens of a queer man acts as a compassionate bridge to see oneself and ones humanity within it. The work is a safe place where the dancer doesn’t have to put on a character but only simply to be their full selves. Just as the audience does not have to understand anything outside themselves but rather feel a soulful connection to what is within. 

So yes, I am a queer artist making work that is accessible to all and am proud to be present in that work amd present in the making and sharing of that work. It has always been a desire to represent myself fully in my work, the classroom and in my personal world. That in itself is activism. And for that I am proud. And for that I celebrate. We celebrate. 

This is why a small message can remind us of the work, the necessity and the importance of being present in all that we are and to take time to fully celebrate our complete selves. It is important to be a champion for others. And I am grateful for the allies in my life who remind me they are there and there is love. 

Thirty Days of Thoughts: Day 26

Tags

Believing, Conscious Living, courage, Courageous Vulnerability, faith, love, Soul to Soul, spirit

Well welcome to July! Can you believe it is the beginning of July already? I am not even sure I know where June went with all the hustle and bustle and whirlwind of creativity. What I do know is that I am super grateful for the month for all kinds of reasons. 

First I must say that despite not getting my thirty days all in I am still grateful for the process and all the rich energy that has come from it all. That and just the energy that is a result from going ahead anyway. Just doing the job regardless. And isn’t that in itself a lesson to just do it regardless of the outcome? 

I am continually reminded of that very important lesson, just do your job. Be good by doing. Do good by doing. Just commit and let the work be carried by the divine. All too often we feel as if we have to carry the ball across the finish line but really, we don’t. We have help. Yes, all the magic that the universe is capable of if we simply set the job in motion. 

I have been recognizing this time and again this month. Doing the work regardless of what might become with a faith that whatever does is what is best. Just today there were two happenings in which the energy and creativity I was working with showed up in two folks I interacted with. The divine occurrence fell into place and now I know the next steps I have been waiting for. No push, just patience.

Can we be patient in our presence? Are we capable of waiting for the line? Waiting for the step? Waiting for the right information to complete whatever creative project we are working on? And perhaps it doesn’t just have to be creative either. It could be in every aspect of our life, too. 

It is rather peculiar that in being present we have to be patient. We have to wait and create the space for the magic to exist and to work. We have to be open in our faith to let what unfolds be even more than we could have ever imagined or dreamed. What if there are energies out there conspiring for even better than we can imagine and yet we just simply can’t open our hearts enough to let them be filled. 

So I move into July with just five days left of writing to complete my thirty day challenge. Proud of the completion but even more satisfied with all that has come of this delightful journey. Let’s see how many days will actually come of all this giddiness. 

Enjoy your month and start it off by doing something delightfully in line with your heart. Be congruent in your spirit and just let the heart open so it can be filled with whatever it desires. Oh, and be prepared for the overflow. It can happen.

Thirty Days of Thoughts: Day 25

Tags

Believing, Conscious Living, Courageous Vulnerability, faith, love, Soul to Soul, spirit

Remember that one is never “in” or “out” of love; one IS love. People simply have mistaken the in and out for the beings that pass through our lives. So if the heart is aching, it may only be that one might not be able to comprehend the shift in ones life. But be mindful that love has not left you, it is you. You are the physical embodiment of love. Walk in that light today and look at someone and tell them you love them. Even if it is whispered soft enough with only an internal intention. You will be heard regardless. Consider this my whisper to you.

Thirty Days of Thoughts: Day 24

Tags

Ballet, Believing, Conscious Living, courage, Courageous Vulnerability, Creative Flow, creative process, Creativity, Dance, dyslexic, faith, healing, letting go, love, momentum, progress, queer creativity, releasing, releasing fear, releasing shame, Soul to Soul, spirit, Writing, writing as a practice, young relationships

We become who we are by simply being and doing. We evolve into our fullest selves when we are present in our lives and paying close attention to the moments that accumulate the momentum to break open the space for our spirit to flourish. We must always be in a state of active being, doing and creating. 

Every single one of us is a creative being. We are solution seekers, problem solvers and dream makers. All of us are alchemists turning our own very lead into our own very gold. That is why we are constantly being reminded that there is plenty of abundance and prosperity for each and every one of us. It is ours to make, do and be. 

As I have been writing all month in the personal challenge I have written on an accumulative DOC so that I can see my progress; my momentum. And yes, as I have taken responsibility for not writing every day, as I scroll through my writing I realize I have “exercised” this muscle a lot. I have created momentum regardless. 

It’s another example of incremental success that I have to acknowledge and then also be grateful for. Oddly I do write in my journal of morning pages daily. That practice has come from Julia Cameron’s, The Artist’s Way. A practice that changed my creative life many years ago that I continue to keep. It has helped to quiet the mind and clear the space to face the day with a sense of openness. What is different about that and these writings is the next step of sharing the thoughts in a public forum. 

The step of vulnerability is a huge shift. Opening one’s thoughts to others is a little revealing and takes courage and confidence to stand in one’s own ideas and ideals. Especially when you are dyslexic such as myself. It is easier to hand write in a journal and not have to worry about writing and getting the spelling and grammar correct. Or to be able to carry a through line for your reader. But the risk far outweighs not doing so. Especially when you can literally see your momentum. 

I also recognize momentum in the affirmation/meditation books I read as part of my morning rituals. I started two new books at the beginning of the year and every day I watch myself open the book and find that with every turn of the page, I get closer to the end. I build on that success one day at a time. Again another visual reminder that slow and steady wins the race. 

I also should share that as a young guy, a child and teen, I never read. I was so busy outside doing and being that I never really picked up books. It wasn’t something I did, was part of my family upbringing or was an interest. So not reading was big in my slower development as a writer and kept me safe from the uncomfortable recognition that I was dyslexic. 

All that said I remember being shamed and humiliated by my first love when he ridiculed me for not reading. Telling me I would never finish a book in my life and never be smart enough to read as much as he did. Crazy right, that as a 17 year old you hear someone you love shame you for something you can’t help, haven’t learned or has not been a part of your culture? 

Nevertheless I have accumulated quite a library in addition to diving deeply into my research and my work. That as well as reading for pure pleasure. Book by book filling shelves by shelves and building my own transformation by simply doing and being. And every time I close a book that I finish, I hold that book up and say, “Well, there’s another one Scott”.

So one book at a time, one page at a time, one moment at a time and we then have momentum. We can see our progress not only in the accumulation of material, but in the transformation of ourselves. We are able to then recognize the shifts and changes in our voice, our awareness and ultimately our gifts. 

Bit by bit, choice but choice, change by change; we become our fullest potential.

Thirty Days of Thoughts: Day 23

Tags

Believing, Conscious Living, courage, Courageous Vulnerability, faith, love, Soul to Soul, spirit

As the last week of June begins and July is just on the horizon it is nice to just take in the breath of this moment and celebrate what a lovely month it has been. Such a glorious creative journey in addition to creative momentum building full of great opportunities and connections. 

It feels good to be alive in the creative process especially after the past two years of working through the pandemic and trying to just keep swimming to hold onto any type of grounding let alone healing. 

The time spent in the chaos was a time for returning to awareness and a great deal of heart work. Doing the work of healing and revealing. It was a way of working and researching but in a very different kind of way. It was an introspective research period of asking questions and waiting for the response. Waiting patiently for an answer if one didn’t reveal itself all that quickly. 

Learning to listen, to truly listen, has been a blessing and a savior for the past few years. Although the false self was feeling the need to produce, the authentic self kept true to just being as an antidote to pretending to be creative. 

There were moments when I would look around and everyone was making for the sake of making for fear of becoming irrelevant that I just had to dig in and claim that that is not the maker I am. Standing my ground to be patient for the medium I love to return was the way to reclaim the voice that got lost in the doing rather than in the being of the art. 

I was reminded about my conviction to be ok doing what I do and to accept the fact that I may never be able to make three dimensional kinetic worlds in person again. There was a simple acceptance of letting go and yet strong confidence that it was just a matter of time. I do what I love because of the humanity of it all; the connection and physical engagement. Not for any other reason. 

All this to say that there is much empowerment in staying the course, your course. There is much agency and voice in doing the quiet work regardless of what a culture might say or even demand. You are relevant in the silence as much as you are relevant in the noise. And maybe, just maybe even more expressive in the explanation of nothing.

Thirty Days of Thoughts: Day 21

Tags

abundance, Believing, Conscious Living, prosperity, quiet heart, quiet mind, quiet reflection, quieting the heart, quieting the mind, Soul to Soul, spirit

I sit on a fragile branch

Perched in anticipation

Quietly and patiently 

In this moment there is no expectation

Continuing to believe

Abundance is just the other side of shadow

To quiet the mind while sitting

Softening the heart 

Prosperity fills the space that is allowed

Thirty Days of Thoughts: Day 20

Tags

Believing, champion, courage, courageous heart, Courageous Vulnerability, creative energy, Creative Flow, creative process, creative spirit, Dance, faith, gay, love, queer, queer champion, queer creativity, Queer spirit, Soul to Soul, spirit

6/25/21

If we do the math we can clearly see, and I can clearly admit, that I have been unsuccessful in writing for thirty consecutive days this month. Yes, I have failed. But, I am just fine with that. Where I have succeeded is that I am writing anyway and will complete thirty days just not in a row. And this right here is resilience. 

What I have been seeing reveal itself is a comfortability in writing on a regular basis and being more present to see things during the day that sparks creativity or connection of dots and information that I am working on. It is rather exciting to be realizing there is so much I want to talk about and share. 

An example of this was on a walk with the boys yesterday as we were honoring the Strawberry Supermoon. I was needing to title my presentation for the Queer Artist symposium coming up in August and while walking in nature and being present among the trees, it hit me. Very clearly the title dropped into my awareness and was spot on. 

Once that happened I walked in silence with the boys and came to a clearing. What I noticed first was a man moving his arms in such a way that was not typical gestures for someone standing by themselves. It was a pulling and gathering motion with his head looking up with a great deal of focus and concentration. As I looked to the place he was staring at in the sky I realized he was flying a kite. 

This made me smile. Here in this clearing a grown man was out taking advantage of this beautiful day to be by himself and fly his kite. He was unleashing his child and doing something atypical of a grown man on a lovely afternoon. 

As we walked more closely to him we caught one another’s eye and I smiled. He returned the smile briefly as he quickly returned to his focus and work of managing his work. A brief acknowledgment of knowing and then off we went. 

This really made my heart sing as it reminded me that we all need to just do the things that make us happy regardless of age, place or culture. Yes, go fly that kite of yours and do so proudly with great joy and with confidence and grace. 

And so my little pack kept on walking. We headed back along the trail that took us deeper into the woods and the conversation with the trees. Yes trees do speak if we are willing to listen. And I do credit the trees for the title I mentioned earlier. They offer some great creative connections if one listens. 

After a little bit of walking we began to hear some music. It sounds faint and almost as if it is coming from a transistor radio. I don’t yet see anyone as there are trees between us and the place where the sound is coming from. Clearly someone is on a different trail close by listening to a soundtrack for their walk. 

We continue walking and all of a sudden, in a little clearing, I see a man on a bike peddling carefully to manage the terrain on his bike. It is strange because he too looks like a little boy doing his best to keep his balance and not fall over. It’s almost as if he just learned how to ride a bike. 

But the really interesting thing to me was his score that accompanied this whole unique image. He was listening to some seriously deep twangy country music and living his best life on his bike. And there it was again, a reminder to just do what makes sense to you and to play the soundtrack of your life while you are doing it. No matter what. You don’t have to do it well, look gray doing it or need to be with anyone to do it. Just do it. 

And of course I smiled and continued walking. And just a few steps away, as the sound moved away from us in the opposite direction, it hit me. The images I was fortunate to see were a reminder that we all should just fly our flags. Regardless of the flag and it’s meaning, if the meaning isn’t hurtful or from a place of hate, fly it with pride. 

This was super profound with it being pride month and all. And so I smiled and recognized the need for myself to be more proud and to express and share the flag, or dare I say many flags, I have to fly. And yes, I have made a commitment to up my gay and be more visible not because I don’t live out loud, but because perhaps I simply just need to be visible for folks that might need a champion for them. 

So this brings me back to the title that hit me so magically at the beginning of my walk. What spoke to me was very much a way I have been living my creative life and very much a part of my multidimensional queer life. The title being, “Present in Ones Power: Embracing Queer Body, Mind and Spirit. 

So there it is, one of those flags I talked about. And yes, right now at this moment I am flying my flag and super excited to fly it for this queer workshop. And, just to fly my flag at any time to be that champion and safe place or person for someone who has yet to be able to fly theirs for whatever reason. Being present and proud through whatever work I do is a flag in and of itself. 

Happy Pride folks! And be sure to check out the Queer Embodiment and Creative Process workshops at Dogtown Dance in Richmond, Virginia July 3,10, 17, 24, 31 and August 7 from 1:00PM-2:30PM. There will be all kinds of wonderful interactive presentations and sharing and yes, all are welcome. Hope to see as many of you as you can make. I will be the last person to share on August 7. Come out and watch me fly the flag in real time.