Being Static Drives Me Nuts
This is one of those winding train of thought stories that I engage in often when I am pondering the universe (much to the chagrin of my 14-yr old daughter, Avery):
This past Thursday afternoon, I was driving home from work. Being a curious sort, I was listening to Terry Gross interviewing American Dancer, Twyla Tharp on Terry’s NPR radio show, "Fresh Air." It was an insight-filled and engaging interview and interesting to me on many fronts. Please bear with my meandering thoughts that follow.
Ms. Tharp is a luminary in American dance and pushed to soften the boundaries between classical ballet and modern dance. My impression is she is also—and has been for decades—a thoughtful, energetic, and creative leader in her field. A creative rule breaker. A bold spirit. Clear in expression. And open to whatever is next.
I love bold spirits. I love breaking the rules of creativity. I try to be clear in expression. And I am definitely open to whatever is next.
I have long been a fan of Terry Gross and “Fresh Air.” And many other on-air NPR personalities. Historical sidebar: I have been an avid NPR listener ever since 9/11/2001, when the local Washington, DC NPR affiliates were pretty much the only news outlets breaking thoughtful commentary and panic-free analysis amidst all the hysteria and panic on that fateful, historic day.
But I digress. Back to ballet.
I never explored ballet when I was growing up in a sports loving family with a career military dad and all brothers. Childhood activities outside of school were football, baseball, soccer, and basketball. And boy scouts. And camping and hiking. Kind of a legacy 50’s era throwback assumption of what was “manly,” without really thinking about what that meant and, for me, what I was leaving out in a life so narrowly defined in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, when I was younger.
My first career as an infantry officer in the US Marine Corps did not challenge those stereotypes much. The Marine Corps “grunt” culture is strong. And a little unyielding. In some regards, it has evolved slowly over the years.
But changes in attitudes can be driven from interests discovered in odd places. Many years after my Marine Corps career ended, my then 4-yr old daughter, Emma, entered her first combination tap and ballet introductory dance class at the Metropolitan Fine Arts Conservatory (MFAC). Emma HATED tap. “Too much noise,” she exclaimed (she has incredibly sensitive hearing and a very soft voice) and too frenetic and chaotic in style. But she LOVED ballet with so much grace and fluidity and deliberateness.
In fact, she loved it so much, that when it became time for high school, she attended a small Performing Arts day school (here’s a shameless but enthusiastic and sincere plug for Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA) Academy in Alexandria, VA). Performing ballet many hours per day in addition to all her regular HS academics and a wide range of performing arts classes as part of the core curriculum.
Okay, back to Twyla Tharp. So, I got interested in ballet because Emma thrills to it. And studied it intensely for nearly 15 years. I want to support my daughter. And I am invariably curious about most things in life, so learning about something new (to me) has been a joy. So, Ms. Tharp bantering back and forth with Terry Gross inspired me to google her when I finished my drive home.
One of the search engine returns brought me 25 interesting quotes of Ms. Tharp’s. One of which resonated with me intensely:
“The only thing I fear more than change is no change. The business of being static makes me nuts.” "The High Priestess of Creative Movement". The Academy of Achievement Interview, www.achievement.org. June 25, 1993. Found on AZ Quotes.
That interview was compelling. This quote is compelling ^ squared. I had to write this post to share my joy at learning about someone new to me. And someone who is a kindred spirit in the joy of life.
I could go on for pages, but I’ll just do that internally for now. Terry Gross, as always, I enjoyed your show immensely. Twyla Tharp, I am happy to learn of your career and influences through your interesting and engaging interview.
https://www.azquotes.com/author/14552-Twyla_Tharp/tag/creativity
Empowering big dreams
3 年Great article and VERY relatable.