A SWEET SLICE OF MY STORY
I have been a dancer for as long as I can remember. My mom tells me that I was dancing around the house as soon as the doctors removed the casts from my legs. I was born with my feet and legs rotated severely inward, and at the time, it was common medical practice to put such pigeon-toes in casts in a misguided attempt to “fix” them. So, doctors completely immobilized my legs for the first six months or so of my life, a practice which is still unfortunately common. As I look back, I can now see clearly that my path as a dancer was shaped by the need to heal from this early trauma of my legs frozen in casts.
Developmental movement research shows that conditions like pigeon-toes or club feet (and many others) are only made worse by confinement such as casting. Babies progress through important growth stages during the first six months of by moving, wiggling, putting toes in mouth, bending, flexing, developing muscle tone. I was denied these early movements which should be the birthright of every human child. The physical problems named above can only be healed through movement—the persisent belief that immobilization can do anything but worsen the problem it quite bizarre. This explains why I have been dancing and singing and playing ever since my casts were removed. I dance to save my life.
PAIN AS OPPORTUNITY
On the bright side, this physical trauma has been one of my greatest gifts, as it has guided me towards the rich worlds of art and ritual that I may have missed otherwise. Great limitations and traumas are characteristic of many great healers and teachers. Somatic pioneer Moshe Feldenkrais developed his work in order to cope with severe dysfunction in his knee. Learning to view pain as an opportunity and a gift, instead of a disability or scar has become a central practice in my life. And it puts me in community with countless “wounded healers,” with whom I am honored to share company.
