FRIENDS! Nothing has Changed

Nothing has been taken away, I have only included what we ALL are already doing. Let me repeat, NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

You do not need to define yourselves as Old School or New School (yes, we can change the titles if you want.) We are ALL both OS and NS.

When FCBD creates new moves, whether on purpose or by mistake, we are using NS, but everything comes from OS, does that make sense? I am not taking a back seat and saying that anyone can do anything and call it ATS.

I am saying that those of us that are using the Core/Classic ATS of Old School (Vol.1 and Vol.4), can be free to create a new step or, more likely, a variation without having to take it out of the ATS vocabulary. Just know that someone who doesn’t know your variation will have to be taught it before you can flow together.

I really did think about this before I posted it. I talked to the troupe and several Sister Studios. It stemmed from the realization that GS cannot keep expanding to include every new step (several have been created by said Sister Studios and FCBD; hence the mention of the next DVD.) It would make the 4 day 20 hour Intensive longer and more expensive, less accessible for you and more exhausting for me (I do need to be home every now and then!).

If you can stop mentally reacting for a moment and go into the studio to dance, I think you will find what you are looking for. ATS is still an exclusive club, as some of you have said, it’s just not as rigid as it used to be.

You don’t have to create anything new if you don’t want to, but if you do, please use the format of Anatomy of a Step from the original post. Show it to me if you want feedback. Just don’t turn your back on me because you think that I won’t approve of your creativity.

But consider this, and I know of what I speak because I have seen it all, even if you think you don’t want to create something new, you will. It may happen by mistake when you are on stage in flow, or it may result from choreographing something for a unique performance space or piece of music. Even if you identify as total Old School, Core, Classic and your moto is “I’m not going to change anything”, you might be misinterpreting something from the DVDs.

That’s an unintentional change, to be sure, but it can happen-and it can lead to creativity as you use it. I’ve seen it over and over again, and it’s OK. It’s OK. It’s all OK. We are fine. We are safe. We are solid.

We are abundant and generous.

17 September 2010

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