In The Deep Dive, we work to develop an awareness and a kind of deep listening on par with a wizard savant— a heightening of our senses to each word, each gesture, each breath expressed consciously and subconsciously by the spect. It often feels that, without perfecting this skill, we fall short of our goal of delivering an empowering experience.
And, yet, like a curve approaching an asymptote that is always nearing, yet never, never completely reaching the goal, “perfection is impossible.” Nevertheless, fellow creators, let’s strive for perfection.
In my improvised, interactive dance work, I have seen moments that strike me as unbearably un-beautiful, moments that I would never choreograph. However, in speaking with audiences, I have learned that they often see those same moments much differently: not as flaws, but as the necessary fertilizer from which impeccable moments are born. And, because the audience is aware of the improvisatory nature of the growing of this garden (or rather, wild field), the process of what we’re all sewing together becomes the focus.
So, let’s hold tenaciously to the process of striving and not the product of perfection. In setting out towards perfection, you’ll find yourself on a path of beauty.
