Tears and Dancing

Hello Lovelies! I've had this saved for a while; I wanted the right moment to share it and my thoughts. It is so powerful. Below is a reel from a dance competition show that speaks loudly to my favorite topic--inclusion. And not just inclusion, immersion. The entire theater is invested in this performance. The show's hosts are fighting their emotions, the judges sip water--look at the way one man is backed into his chair to stave off the reaction he knows is coming--nonverbal cues are ABUNDANT. Nobody watching can deny the resonance. I imagine that in person, it felt like the very walls of that performance venue were vibrating with these women's viracity. And indeed, truth and realism are boiling under the surface of every disabled person. Some of them can't "dance it out", to show the world in a way that it understands. Some of them aren't able to articulate their emotions in the most socially acceptable way. I HAVE ENCOUNTERED THIS:) While I am fortunate enough to be extremely articulate and fairly intelligible--though sometimes I think too fast to organize my thoughts before I speak them--more often than not I am badly misunderstood. Which is why it's crucial that those of us who can--dance for us. And carry with us the hearts of those who can't. Because inside, we're all bursting. Stephen Hawking was a victim of terrible circumstances that impaired his mobility and stole his voice. Yet he still shook the world with the thoughts bursting from him. And it's why Molly Burke has her reel series, showcasing the trials and triumphs of a blind woman. And it's why I'm doing my small, less-noticeable part by speaking MY mind through a blog. We carry each other. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=saved&v=1013189713429856