Gratitude for Collaboration

By Elizabeth Stich

​My aerial dance partner, Becky, and I are getting ready to take our act on the road to AerialWorks Castle Rock next weekend.  We are excited to perform and teach doubles workshops on our unique over-under trapeze.  Having just finished our first big performance after a yearlong partnership, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the gifts this collaboration has offered:

• Collaboration in the Creative Process.   In most of my life, I am a person who sees the big picture and loves to draw from many different sources of inspiration.  When I step into the aerial studio, however, I become very detail-oriented and so focused on refinement that I can barely create new material before I want to clean it.  Becky is my exact opposite.  As a science and technology specialist, she focuses on details in her daily life, but when she takes to the air her playful love of possibility takes over.  We really are quite the odd couple, but like Felix and Oscar, our relationship works because of how we complement one another.  Becky helps me to invest more in exploration and I remind Becky when it is time to make decisions, give structure, and make a dance performance-ready.  Although we certainly have our moments of frustration, we really are much stronger creating together than alone.
• Presence in Performance.  Staying present in performance is a key goal for every performer, but easier said than done!  Especially when I am nervous, it can be tempting to focus more on how good it will feel when the performance is over rather than enjoying each moment onstage. When I share the trapeze with Becky, however, I am able to be more present in the moment and my performance becomes less about proving myself as an aerialist and more about enjoying the dance with my partner.  In the hectic week leading up to our last performance, we had so many unanticipated distractions (and visitors!) barging into our rehearsals.  When those distractions and nervous energy threw our act off kilter, it was comforting to look over at Becky and know that we could just keep going, moment by moment, and hang in there together.  
• Cultivating Compassion.  As a lifelong dancer, I am pretty hard on myself in general.  When working with a partner, I hate to make mistakes and let someone else down.  My favorite part about working with Becky is when we sit down to watch the video at the end of each rehearsal. Instead of making me feel worse about my mistakes, Becky is quick to offer her understanding and slow to judge.  In fact, we both have realized that we critique ourselves more harshly and are much more forgiving of (and many times don’t even notice) the other’s mistakes.  My greatest discovery is that Becky’s compassion for my shortcomings has led to me having more compassion for myself and for others.  Overall, this has resulted in a very enjoyable creative process and satisfying performing experience.  In this season of gratitude, I am thankful for my partner Becky and the gifts that our partnership has given me so far.