Sojourns Are Not Always Physical

Every year is different is a truism that in the very nature of life and consciousness is immutable. When looking back on a given year, those differences carry more or less impact depending on the perspective of the observer. For me, 2018 was a year filled with sojourns for work, the deaths of great influencers on my life, and a kaleidoscope of self-reflection.

Some of my favorite street carts with flowering plants, white guavas, pomegranates & apples.

It can be difficult to keep track of the years in which I did certain projects that had me traveling away from my home in New York, but out of necessity, I have kept a travel expense diary specifically in support of filing my taxes each year. In this past calendar year I did a couple short projects in Erie, PA and Chicago, IL. Then after starting my Fulbright in India, I’ve been in Mumbai and Delhi. Somehow, at this point, it feels like I travelled far greater distances and to many more cities than the four mentioned.

Roadside businesses.

Maybe this perception is fed by the fact that in my work as a peripatetic “visiting” teacher/coach, each institution I may “visit” is a world, culture, and population onto itself. In India, the organizational cultures within different companies and academies can appear to be very isolated from each other, as perceived by me as an outsider. In the USA, one is keenly aware that no matter where you might be teaching or doing class (in India, saying “taking class” usually means teaching the class), it is highly probable you will run into someone you know. Here I have found that very few dancers and teachers are familiar with the training and personnel at different institutions. At least that has been my experience. But irrespective of the outlying “wandering” individuals the cultures of each institution can be as different as deserts and jungles. So maybe I feel like my travels go beyond cities and countries and have included sojourns to Mercyhurst University, Joffrey Academy, Peridance, Ailey School, Taylor School, NYU Tisch, The Danceworx, Sumeet Nagdev Dance Arts, Sadhya, NarenJayen, Triveni Kala Sangam, Nai Disha, and the other institutions I visited in 2018 for more than just a photo opportunity.

I have often posited that when visiting densely populated cities, one’s experience is limited by the sensate reality of being amidst a crowd, seeing buildings and humanity stretch to the horizon, smelling and hearing the unseen evidences of urbanization beyond one’s other senses. So whether I am in Kingston, Jamaica (population about 1 million), or New York City, USA (population about 8.5 million), or Mumbai, India (population about 19.9 million) the sensation of being in a large cosmopolitan city is relatively similar. It is only when you find yourself travelling by car or train and realize how far a city’s boundaries extend that the proportional smallness of your experience in that city might sink in.

Two wheels and three wheels for family, supplies and group outings.

But more than the travels in my mind, are the personal associations and experiences that etch a physical place into the mettle of my being. Geoffrey Holder, the “un-Cola” ad man and revered choreographer, once told me that his favorite cities in the world were the ones where he fell in love or discovered a “crush”. For me, it is the shared experiences with friends and associates, irrespective of the far-flung locales, that has given me compassion, drive, social consciousness, patience, tolerance and belief in my own worth. And so the passing of both iconic and personal influencers on my life in the past year, has also dimmed my connection to the places where I often longed to return. It seems pointless to list names that will mean little to most of you reading this, but suffice it to say that it is the shared experiences that have most enriched my life as a global wanderer.

Solitary reflection does help to put life in perspective, and as I have mentioned previously, transitions are very individual experiences. Returning to NYC and then returning to Mumbai brought their own moments of introspection as jetlag between ten and a half hour time differences alone disorients one’s sense of time and location. I am acutely aware that in a jetlagged state that those around me are not feeling as disoriented as I might be at any given moment in my first few days. And at almost a week later, my sleeping habits and mental acuity are still erratic.

It can be easy to believe that the image one presents as a jet-setting VIP in a given field is a deserved entitlement. But the reality of being a freelance professional is a constant reminder that nothing lasts forever, and that you are only as good as what you can do day to day. It is true that my lifetime of experience to date is still something I can rely on to be productive, but the grit and self-discipline required to fulfill my daily responsibilities while keeping up with networking on future projects is no less challenging than twenty years ago. A little discussed aspect of no longer being a performer, but working in the Performing Arts, is the necessity of self-promotion and justifying why you are where you are.

As a Fulbright-Nehru grantee here in India, it has been necessary for me to explain my background and expertise on multiple fronts. Almost no-one in the Indian dance world knows who I am, and Paul Taylor may be a name some have heard, but Paul’s association to Martha Graham and her connection to early twentieth century “orientalism” in dance is a connective line that is most helpful to bridge the question of why I am in India. On the other side of my Indian experience is my interactions with other academics and non-dance involved individuals, to whom my presentations on my career as a performer has been most helpful in explaining why I have been privileged with a grant that allows me to teach without expectation of remuneration from the local institutions. The resultant media coverage and word-of-mouth seems to have elevated me to a certain level of “notoriety”, leading to people independently approaching me for help and advice. The usual first thought that runs through my head when approached by a stranger soliciting my opinion is, “I’m a fraud! Don’t believe anything you’ve been told. There are so many other people in the world whose knowledge and connections would be better for you.” Then I suddenly realize that I am the person that is in front of these earnest aspirants to making a difference with their dancing or contribution to the field of dance in India. And I do have a breadth of experience within the industry spanning forty years and multiple countries. So I do my best, while reminding them (and myself) that all I have to offer is one person’s perspective and experience in a constantly changing world of Art.

Mumbai street cats.

This first week back teaching is taking a physical toll, and I am hoping that it is only because my body is adjusting from the long flights. My last week in Mumbai before I took my holiday break I definitely scheduled myself for more than I should have, and I have learned that with age, I definitely need more recovery time. When once I just needed a hot bath and a good night’s sleep, I now crave a whole day off! So I am trying to manage my scheduling better in these last couple of months.