Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Amy Wilkinson, Dancer

My condo looks like a cross between a burglary and a packing hurricane. Shoes. Laundry. “Definitely take” and “maybe take” piles here and there - travel documents and toiletries spread hither and yon. And of course there are a variety of packing conundrums to solve. For example: How do I pack my Q-tips so they don’t scatter all over my bag? Will 6 double A batteries be enough to last the trip? Where did I put my travel eye glasses? Do I bring ear plugs for my roommate in case I snore??? There are final bills to pay, plants to water, and friends to say goodbye to – many details and last minute preparations for a two week excursion abroad.

Underneath this superficial chaos is a thrill that runs like an electrical current. It is the thrill of adventure and of seeking the unknown. Travel, like art-making, requires you to experience each moment fully in a way that we are not often forced to in everyday life. While I am driving to work, let’s say, I am often thinking about picking up milk at the supermarket, or worrying as to whether or not I left the coffee maker on, or wondering if the gray hair I see in the rearview mirror is actually a figment of my imagination. There is no urgency to the experience of driving to work for the 10000th time – no need to soak up the sensory stimulation of sitting in familiar traffic in the city that is home. This changes when you travel. Every moment provides a new perspective, a new challenge, a new view. Nothing is mundane - Everything is exciting.

Dancers know the feeling of total commitment to the moment. It is one of the reasons we do what we do – surrendering to the experience of now. When a dancer does this the performance is magnetic.

With this trip C.D.I is combining dance and travel and therefore heightening the experience of both. My hope is that we will all be open to the adventure. China will undoubtedly be a place of great beauty and complexity and I think I speak for everyone when I say we're all so excited to embrace the opportunity to travel there. Next stop Shanghai dumplings!!

3 comments:

  1. I've never participated in a blog but for CDI, it's a must! Amers, so great that you're the official blog master--can't wait to hear more about your first impressions of China...Much love to CDI--I am thinking of you all and attending this adventure via blogworld. XO -Kari

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kari! We all miss you. So much to see and experience here. You'll get to see posts from alot of the company... keep checking back! Sil

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kari! Garret and i are reading this in our hotel as the sun rises over the Huang Pu river - we miss you and love you so much!!

    ReplyDelete