I've been working with some Ailey dancers doing promotional work for their upcoming show (videos, photos, etc.) & it has been such an inspiring experience. First of all, these women are a completely different type of artist: they don't make anything, they use their bodies, and it's fascinating to watch them treat their bodies like works of art: with precision, respect, & love. A lesson I feel like a lot of people could learn about their bodies (including myself) Another thing is that they are all women, which is beautiful. As a straight male, there are obvious reasons why I find these women beautiful; I mean their bodies are incredible and they all have smiles that could knock anyone dead. But their respect for their art, their passion is truly beautiful. And being in a female dominated space as a straight male is also incredible, to see women in a space where they can literally flock around and sort of disconnect from the patriarchy, even for just those 2 hour rehearsals, was incredible. Just to be in there, the energy, was so beautiful, so free. In spaces that are entirely male, from my experience, there's always more pretense, more competition, more bullshit. In this space, granted I was only there for a handful of hours & obviously female groups have their own problems too, the vibe was just different. It's truly been an honor working with these women, and as an aspiring creative firm CEO it feels like a new type of creativity was opened up to me through these sessions, & just by being in their space I feel like I've learned some lessons.
~ Martin Nunez-Bonilla