Dancers Aid

A few weeks ago the dancers of Coexistdance joined forces to put together breakfast bags for a local elderly community. Coming from a commitment in the city, I arrived a few minutes late, but that meant I was lucky to walk in on a scene of all the girls already at work. Half of the group was at the table making “Good Morning” cards with happy or silly drawings on them. They were giggling and complimenting each other’s ideas, making sure each card felt special in some way. The other half of the group was putting the bags together. They had stations set up all over the kitchen: a napkin, 1 of these granola bars, 1 of those, 1 applesauce, 2 small candies, 2 tea bags and 1 card. Without focusing too much on what they were doing, they moved seamlessly around each other to each spot in the room as they talked intimately about one of the girls and a concern she was having. Their responses were only positive, hoping to empower and encourage her to make choices that would make her feel positive about herself and her lifestyle. It was so nice to know that I was a part of a group so comfortable with each other and so committed to supporting each other in a completely judgment free environment. I think of our most recently renovated and performed piece, Beacon, and the message that you are already who you need to be, you already have everything you need to go where you want. Glynn’s young lab picks up on our happy-to-be-together energy and proceeds to bite everything in sight for attention. We laugh and hide our purses. One dancer pets him and uses a treat to remind him to sit, lay down, can we shake hands? I think this is something special for coexist, a sort of nurturing environment and I hope that we bring a sense of our community with us when we perform, encouraging audiences to be happy where they are, to feel positive about who they are. 

Megan Quinn