When I think about how we all came to this group, or the paths that each of our individual lives have taken, I think a lot about a meme that I saw once—where lines depicting relationships over a lifetime drew close, drew back, intersected, or totally diverged. I think each of us are like one of those lines. Since we first met, our lives have gone back and forth, drawing closer at times and further away at others.
Drift has become a point for those lines to converge, for those stories to come together, and for each of us to bring the beauty and complexity of our own experiences into a central meeting place.
I feel so exceptionally lucky to witness the creativity, knowledge, and wisdom that builds between these humans at each point that we meet.
As the youngest member of Drift, and as someone who considers this group of people to be dance icons in her mind, I feel like this time has been full of pinch-me moments. There are few times in life where you get to be starstruck by people you have known for a long time. Being a part of Drift has given me the opportunity to be continuously starstruck.
And yet, this feeling never has the distance that often accompanies an icon or celebrity. I have certainly been in awe of this group of people and I have witnessed art happening live, as it is being made, by people I admire deeply. But it has also been warm, familiar, and comforting. There is deep compassion and support between these humans and at the core of what we do.
I am sure that as these blog posts go on I will be much less sappy. There will be frustrations, I’m sure, and setbacks. There will be days when we have to choose to listen to our bodies, no matter how badly we want to carry on. I know that, like most life experiences, this one won’t be perfect. But what matters most to me is what I think of when I think of this group of people, and I don’t think I will ever see Drift as anything but a place of safety, creativity, and inspiration. The past few months have been like a hug from the universe, and sometimes quite literally a hug from my fellow dancers.
Drifters, Drifties, Drifterators, Drift Army, whatever we are… I love you. I don’t know how long our lines will be near each other, or how they will drift (haha… get it?) back and forth in the future, but I am so so grateful to have this time where our lines have come together. This first blog post is dedicated to the magic we have created and will create. There are so many exciting things to come, I can’t wait to share them with the world and with all of you.