A Blink

Another year has passed in the blink of an eye. It is the winter solstice. Just as we dive into the heart of winter, by some generosity of design, we will simultaneously begin to see and feel more daylight. Perhaps this pattern is something we can identify in life: a pattern of contraction only existing beside an inevitable, ancillary expansion? I am comforted by the realization that we are either inside of one or the other, and that one always succeeds the other: a contraction or an expansion. I observe the artist who practices moving within these patterns and works to express the journey that lies between them.

I am swimming in the profound loss of my mother as this year comes to a close. I feel this change throwing me into a cyclone: a storm that will eventually drop me, but where and when I do not know. All I know is that change is the constant, and this loss is built into the design. During this time, I am deeply grateful for the spaces that have held me and others through times of turbulent change. The world of Capoeira has been this space for me, and the work of the Berkeley Capoeira Collective exemplifies the supportive efforts for community building that I value. Similarly, The Field Center serves as a project and space that supports artists in the simultaneous development of their craft and the building of their community. Without the support of community, these valuable spaces cannot exist.

Both of these organizations need support. I ask you to please consider giving donations as a truly tangible way to support artists and the cultivation of essential community in both the East and West coast. We cannot do this work alone. It takes a village to raise an artist. Together we make the village.

The arrival of the new year brings travel that will allow for me to be in creative process and inquiry. On January 1st, I will return to Benin, West Africa to work with Francesca Pedulla in her project TRACES. This year, we will create a performance and film where we will examine tradition and contemporaneity as they exist through multiple locations and perspectives. In February, I will join Nita Little in Australia. Nita is a tremendous artist and mentor; I am eager to be in study with her and be of assistance however possible. Finally, I will travel to Thailand to teach and visit a school started by my grandmother that still serves dozens of children each year. I look forward to sharing more with you as my adventures unfold into this new year.

Thank you for all of your support!