“You don’t get what you don’t ask for,” he said.
These wise words were uttered as parting wisdom from a real estate broker helping Dancers’ Group negotiate lease terms on a new, maybe even bigger, office space. Yup, we’re moving our office this summer, and as this issue of In Dance is being printed we’re still not sure where we’re going.
It is unsettling not to know, but with big changes comes big possibility. While I’m mostly unfamiliar with movement of this kind, and I hesitate in moments of uncertainty, propelling ourselves into something new feels appropriate right now. This transition is needed, it’s good, it feels welcome.
Summer is a time for dreaming and scheming. It’s the adolescent season, fraught with ambiguity. Summer is storm season. It’s a long break. It is time for adventure, for wanderlust, for staying out past curfew. It allows, and even invites, a little blatant irresponsibility. Mostly, summer is a time to be bold.
In my adolescent years I thought I was bold by wearing eye shadow that matched my t-shirt. This summer I’m lusting after everything neon. Both might be horrible choices, but I’m trying to be confident about just doing something new, having a go, and practicing my bold voice. I want to be seen in a new way (hello, reprise of an awkward adolescence!), so I’m reaching, experimenting, and making it work until these new bold choices start to feel comfortable.
Newness is burgeoning all around. Inside this summer issue Heather Desaulniers previews exciting changes at the Museum of Performance and Design. As a longstanding resource and catalogue of recorded performance, the community is eager see what brilliance and new life Executive Director Muriel Maffre will infuse in the Museum’s programming.
There are also changes afoot at AXIS Dance Company. Witness their beauty and grace on Friday August 3, at this summers’ only iteration of the Rotunda Dance Series. And read about the two new additions to their company in Emmaly Weiderholt’s preview of their current and upcoming season.
As we dream of our optimal office, Dancers’ Group is asking for something that feels grand and maybe even slightly out of reach. We’re growing and I know we’ll thrive in a beautiful, bigger space. It’s a bold move, so we’re asking for it.
Dare to be bold in your choices this summer. Act brightly. Try something new. Play around. Get silly.
Ask for what you want. You just might get it.
— Maureen Walsh, Communications Director
This article appeared in the July/August 2012 issue of In Dance.
