On The Wings Of Community

Words by Hannah "To suggest where a creation or community might have etched its beginning could be an endless search. It might have ignited within the spark of a fleeting thought or it might have laid as a song in a stone since time began, caught for what feels like eternity - waiting, waiting, until someone, somewhere awakened to it. As we stand at the closing of the year, it is such a potent time for me to reflect on what has take place and taken form within our amazing dance community. It is this I knew I needed to share... When we wish it so, we can hear them, we can feel them, we can dance them; the dreams and heartbeats of all our ancestors, not just human but those of the animals, the birds, the trees and the plants. When we truly wish it so, we can find our tribes; our tribes of feather, of stone, of plant, of fire, of weathers and storms, of humans and creatures, of cyber or solitude, of universe and spirit. These tribes, these communities are present to us everywhere within every waking moment when we chose to open ourselves to their language and feel. I wrote the heart of these words down on paper in the companionship of tree canopies and bursting riverbanks, around playgrounds of mushrooms and countless hidden creatures. To ‘hear’ all that they were ‘saying’, I needed to be alive to the possibility that we have such capacity to communicate far beyond words; that every single thing I encounter and am awake to has something to share. When I speak of and to community, I never speak solely to those who walk on two legs. It’s fair to say I probably spend more of my time communing with what appears not to be human. My belief is that one of the greatest attributes to the creation of communities is the huge kaleidoscope of life and spirit, surrounding us and offering itself to us, in support of what we are doing. Within the flight of the crow I may understand trust and direction, from the deer’s fleeting dart I might re-member gentleness and grace. The "crack" of thunder could bellow to life deep in my bones while the vision of the mighty Oak may pour reminders of love and strength into my heart. The list from these wild encounters goes on endlessly and it is not that I put greater emphasis towards these aspects of 'community' than that of the beautiful humans that gather, simply that I know, I need to be a voice here and now for the forces that really have brought so much life into our dance. As I write these words tears fill my eyes at the wonder and beauty of it all. Like all I have mentioned above, each and every dancer weaves something so rich into the fabric, into the web, no matter if they simply join us once or if their life begins to revolve with enormous passion around the dance. We drift into a wordless place of trust and movement, resting from the chatter of daily life and finding a space where we can witness ourselves and each other. This is belonging. This is community. All of it. All of life. Timeless and ever forming. I have a million more words. I have no more words. All of it, a dance. ** Written in deep appreciation for all who have stepped onto the dance floor over the years and understood our passion for holding this work. For all the musicians, artists, poets and storytellers who feel and embody the fabric of life through their creativity. For the incredible humans who continually inspire leadership to be co-created through the synergy of minds and hearts, and written in deep appreciation for the dreamtime of all life; all that has come before, all that is now and all that is yet to be."