I was PMSing and quickly getting sucked into a "woe-is-me" attitude. All I wanted was a pity party for one, complete with red wine, dark chocolate and freshly popped popcorn to soothe my soul. The thought of putting on an emotional mask to go out into public felt exhausting. But I'd already purchased a ticket to see "Break Through" presented by Pole Speak at Body & Pole.
Six fearless and powerful dancers articulated my story with unflinching emotion through ingeniously conceived weavings of contemporary dance and the added element of four vertical poles which became animate representations of the dancer's own personal struggles, their source of longing, or their hope.
This was definitely worth the $15 ticket price and the schlep to BAM Rose Cinemas in Fort Green, Brooklyn. It's elegant architecture, spotless theater and delicious popcorn offered a comfy and spohisticated IndieDate night for an indie film buff like myself. PINA, a feature-length dance film in 3D with the ensemble of the Tanztheater Wuppertal, created such a vivid experience of texture, color, emotion, feeling, facial expression, simple gesture and explosive movement. It was as if I were onstage with the dancers, feeling everything they were feeling. I experienced the intensity of their longing, sadness, anger, pain, joy and whimsy as much as the environmental props (water, dirt, grass) that were intricately weaved into their storytelling.
My marriage ended the year that "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" was released and I was convinced that both Spain and Javier Bardem were my true destiny. I romanticized about running away to Barcelona, re-inventing myself and falling into the arms of my new Latin lover. We'd spend our mornings making love, afternoons making art and, in the evenings, slip into a cozy Spanish bar for wine, tapas and live guitar. Cut to: 3 years later and I'm still single and living in NYC. And although far less romantic, I've found a new Latin love called El Taller on the Upper West Side of NYC.
It’s amazing how emotional stuff stays stifled in the strata of our beings. We carry it around allowing its subtle and subconscious influences to affect our relationships and life choices. Imagine if we could unlock the negative, deep-seated emotions that deprive us of our power, joy, balance, creativity, love, and success?
