+This Means Rapture+

“Creativity is the source of novelty and of the growth and development of nature: ‘creativity' is the universal of universals characterizing ultimate matter of fact. It is that ultimate principle by which the many, which are the universe disjunctively, become the one actual occasion, which is the universe conjunctively. It lies in the nature of things that the many enter into complex unity.”

-- Alfred North Whitehead (1929)

Weird headspace.

We all sit here on this shelf in Santa’s Workshop. Little dolls made of plastic and glass – toy soldiers and beasts and Slinkies that find it way easier to walk down steps than up. We all sit here knowing – fully, that we own this power to compose magic and craft fantasy; and yet – I cannot help but feel slightly dusty. Been sitting on the shelf for way too long. And why are we all waiting to be picked up and bought anyway?

I am dancer. I am movement artist. I am motivator and risk taker and rump shaker.

Recently come to the realization that being completely submissive to your craft also means being proactive and submitting yourself to the insanity that ensues when you do not devote the amount of time you should to exercising heart and mind and soul – to pushing for evolution and revolution of self through self – and to allowing yourself to ride through love and hate and sadness for your translative process.

The plight of the artist – we call it.

Well, let it be known that today calls for a new type of movement.

Should many jump on board – call it the People’s Movement.

Should few – call it my spiritual conviction.

Came across some interesting stuff today written by an interesting human. Preview his book, “Ecstatic Naturalism: signs of the world” here.

Mr. Corrington put the jello in my head best by stating:

“the ecstatic release of energy need not be joyous. Indeed, in most cases it is not. The concept of ecstasy denotes self-transcendence and the move outward from a point of origin. “

What it really comes down to you see– is throwing the fear away...Being honest with yourself about your willingness as an artist to extend yourself past your notions of comfort, space, time and circumstance. I know that at least for me – that sort of honesty only manifests itself in the scariest of headspaces. Maybe I just haven’t learned to properly release yet…

Semiotic theory is typically restricted to a heavy focus on human forms of signification. Now, what Robert Corrington did, which is interesting to me – is delve into the semiotics of nature itself. I’d like to think of this in the context of my art – my dance, my painting, my daily meditation…

He situates the divide between “nature naturing” and “nature nurtured” within the context of classical and American pragmatism and insists that all signs - visually represented or otherwise – “participate in larger orders of meaning that are natural and religious.”

In a nutshell – “Meanings embodied in nature point beyond nature to the mystery inherent in positioned codes and signs.” So get the “F” up and go catch you some rapture! Trust, it’ll be good for you.

Focus right now for me revolves around living and regarding my art – all of my arts – as spiritual encounters. Each piece of choreography a spell to be learned, perfected and cast. Each step outdoors a sermon to be preached - as I slowly break myself out of the trap of specializing in a particular genre, or locking myself in a room in an attempt to achieve quality of movement…or even the trap of losing sight of my self worth.

Freedom.[BODY JERK nyc hip-hop dance can become something viable too. nyc hip-hop dance can be taken back. nyc hip-hop dance can be a method of radical communication. nyc hip-hop dance can be therapeutic. nyc hip-hop dance can make your soul light up. dance is my religion. I am a dance activist. You can be a dance activist too in the nyc hip-hop dance spheres. Open your eyes and spit out radical forms of communication. Where are all the nyc hip-hop dance activists?BODY JERK ]