Final Saturday, October thirtieth, the Our bodies By no means Lie dance firm had our second present since opening in August. The theme was all issues Halloween, haunted, and horrifying. Which suggests sure, I did a solo. Completely horrifying!

It’s a bit of outdated Southern folklore that evil spirits who come out at evening may be trapped in glass bottles hung in timber. The parable of those ‘bottle timber’ started with clear traces within the Congo within the seventeenth century. It may probably go additional again to Egypt, Mesopotamia and Africa with the start of glass bottle within the markets. The thought is that when positioned within the timber, particularly at a cross roads, the sprits will climb within the bottle and be unable to climb again down the slim bottleneck and can stay trapped there till morning when the solar will destroy them.
Shining a light-weight on all dangerous issues tends to reduce their energy, proper? At the least it does in mythology.
The thought of trapping these spirits fascinates me, I suppose as a result of I really feel as if I’ve so many ghosts of the previous trapped inside myself, my reminiscence and my physique. Not different spirits, extra like variations of myself that stay with me as a result of the concept the ghost of myself that didn’t have diabetes, that didn’t have a incapacity from the extreme neuropathy, that can have the ability to dance once more like I used to, is difficult to let go. I need to deliver her again to life and would gladly swap her for the physique I’ve presently, with it’s limitations and power ache. On this method, I can’t inform if my former self is trapped inside my reminiscence or if my present self is trapped throughout the former self’s shadow.
I haen’t totally made peace with this present model so I made this solo to assist, and to shine some gentle on these darkish paces the place I let this ghost reside.
I can’t say it was totally satisfying dancing once more, since I can nonetheless bear in mind so clearly what it looks like to leap and switch with much less weak point. The feeling of being unstable and fragile after I anticipate, from years of expertise to really feel swish and highly effective is disorienting on the great days, miserable and crushing on the times after I’m bored with this. I’m engaged on the concept being in my physique, and dancing, may be good no matter my bodily situation, particularly compared to a former or idealized bodily situation. I’m doing what I can do now.
On this method, I really feel totally current. And totally alive.
Are you holding on to any ghosts from our previous?