Dear Friends,

This summer has been shaped by residencies and travel.

In May, my collaborators Ellen Smith Ahern, Joseph Hall, Maree ReMalia, and I gathered for a week in Lebanon, NH to continue building The Moving Dialogue Project. This was our third residency. Although I love working with these three artists, this project has felt a bit like pushing a square through a triangle. I can’t quite put my finger on what’s not working. I wonder if I’m trying to merge too many different ideas?

In residency for The Moving Dialogue Project - Lebanon, New Hampshire

In this project, we've been asking: How can embodiment foster empathy across differences? Can creativity and non-verbal expression transform our relationships? But the truth is, I already know the answer - of course art does this! If that's true, then why am I trying to make work that demonstrates it? I think I've gotten caught up in trying to prove the value of art instead of simply making it.

The amazing ceiling at the Beyond Polarization Residency conference room.

In July, I traveled to Prague to co-present at the Beyond Polarization Residency. (Yeah, so awesome!) Just like in The Moving Dialogue Project, I've been merging movement and dialogue to facilitate tools for navigating conflict. When facilitating, I see and hear the discomfort people feel when I ask them to move around the room. This idea, that play, joy, and our bodies are not typically part of "learning" continues to astound me.

I've been using all the amazingness and discomfort people experience around dance to teach about conflict. The arts help us practice not knowing the answer and remind us that there is more than one way to see and be seen. I know I'm always teaching the thing I most want to learn about...I want to become more comfortable with conflict, with not knowing the answer, and with seeing and being seen.

The theater before a dance performance.

From there, I traveled by train to the Hotel Pupik artist residency in the mountains of Austria. It feels so good to be in a place with very little internet. I read more and talked to the people around me. One morning, I picked and sorted bright red currants that were later made into jam. From there, I took the train to Vienna to see dance, opera, and museums. Gosh, it's so nice to be in a place where the arts are central and celebrated.

Hotel Pupik Artist Residency

Maybe it's that simple.

Creativity and connection.

I'd love to hear what you've been up to this summer. Please reach out. I'm also happy to share more about this work if you're interested.

Warmly,

Lida

Traveling by train through the mountains of Austria