The case of the missing mojo!

Last week, my dance mojo went missing. I couldn't remember combinations in class or choreography in rehearsals, and the bad case of choreographer's block that I've been fighting for weeks now was still in full force. The mojo was MIA. I started to get a little panicked, but then the second half of the week seemed to get better, so I thought maybe I was just tired and needed a li'l battery recharge.

But then I tried choreographing this weekend, and again, no dice. Panic turned to frustration. Frustration turned to stress. I drove home from the studio last night completely dumbfounded. What the heck is wrong with me? Not only did I feel blocked, but I felt empty inside, with nothing there. Nada. Zilch. ZERO. The well was dry. But I don't have time to wait around for the muse to fill it back up. There are only six weeks until the Student Concert, and I will be out of town one of those weeks. On top of that, rehearsals with one of the semester's guest artists start next week, and those are going to cause conflicts. I have about 6 minutes of music to work with and only about 50 seconds choreographed at this point. [Insert panicked, stressed Jessi here.]

Deep breath in. And out. And try ignoring the stress-numbing sugar cravings... cupcakes? ice cream??

Okay, I have to figure this out. I can't just panic and pout on the couch with Ben & Jerry's... as tempting as that may be... So I started thinking... what inspires me? what gets the creative juices flowing? what revs my mojo?? Chicago, Deeply Rooted... I can't help but keep going back to Chicago. I keep yearning to reattain what I found in Chicago... the ah-ha moments, the growing pains, the no excuses you-get-your-leg-up-there-I-don't-care-how-bad-it-hurts tough love from the choreographers, feeling some serious power onstage during the performance... there in the Windy City I discovered my MOJO...

This missing mojo must be found. But how?? And then I found this... I can't stop watching it, I can't stop thinking about it, I can't stop replaying the music in my head...



Their movement. The music. Omigod, their MOVEMENT. I wish I had words to articulate how this piece stirs me... that is exactly how I desire to move. That is what I'm striving for.
Watching this clip (over and over and over) is telling me to go back to what I know and love. Create movement that resonates with me. Stop worrying if anyone will like it or not. Tell my story through my body, not anyone else's. I think the mojo is making it's way back to mama.

Oh, and for those unfamiliar with the nuances of dance, the style they are dancing is modern, with African fused in. So, African modern, really.

And several of you have mentioned wanting to see me dance... I would love to indulge you with a li'l vlog; however, I am video camera-less. Sad day, I know. But stay tuned. A li'l somethin' just might turn up here in the future...

[And P.S. I was tickled by the excited response I got about being back out there dating and the new handsome fella I'm spending time with! Thanks for all your encouragement, it meant a LOT! The quick update: things are going swimmingly so far... we had another date this weekend, a spontaneous one which is always exciting! Maybe there's a post revealing a few more deets coming soon...?!? Only time will tell... *wink*]

xoxo Jessi