Confessions of a Choreographer #8 – In my bedroom

As I child, I remember running into my bedroom every day after school, locking the door and turning up the music. For  3 to 4 hours a day, my room had become my stage. A platform to dream endlessly and create choreography. For a brief moment, I had an audience. An audience that would witness a crazy story from my head come alive. I would smile at the end allowing myself to soak it all in. A magical moment I could never explain in words.

But my bedroom was more than a creative place to grow and develop. It was my safe space. A studio without mirrors or ballet bars. It was a space where I could just be and I didn’t need an audience to recognize it or witness it.

Dance and theatre have been more than just a hobby. It saved me from whatever external pain or hurt that I was going through. It gave me a reason to live. It gave me hope and an opportunity to express myself even if just to myself. And it’s with that hope that I learned to be more confident, express myself better and eventually give birth to limitless.

As a contemporary dancer, we are often told to dig deep into a place of truth. It is essentially what makes a performance come alive. Its that rawness. That honesty. And to share that or any part of yourself with an audience is a gift. It can make people connect if done in an authentic manner.

I gravitated to that honesty. I no longer wanted to hide behind a closed bedroom door. I began to remove hundreds of layers that guarded me, protected me and kept me from truly feeling. Truly feeling hurt, pain or love. I worked on letting it go and letting it be. I allowed my fingers to write the stories and trusted my vision to choreograph honest pieces that meant something. I wanted to take this to another level and have enough courage in being more open and to lead a group of performing artists, by example.

Today at rehearsal, the Limitless family sat in a circle of truth at the Winchester theatre. Where each member took a turn to speak from their heart. Where we deepened our level of appreciation, connection and strength with one another.

 

And next week on Friday July 8th, we take all that we have learned from our rehearsals, workshops, social experiences and we present our limitless material at the Toronto Fringe Festival, Factory Theatre Mainspace. With courage, conviction and commitment, the limitless family have pushed their own limits and allowed growth to occur. It has been an honour to witness that growth and to be part of a beautifully strong and diverse collective.

For me personally, I would like to honour and show gratitude to the very art form that saved me and prevented me from falling of a cliff.  It kept me breathing, living and hoping. And to think  that this journey all began in behind closed doors, in my bedroom.

To feel art is a gift
To be art is Limitless

For now, this is my confession.

Limitless Productions in association with The Toronto Fringe Festival Presents

Forbidden Fruit: EVOLUTION