arrrgh!! I hate to complain publicly but WTF!! I had this experience which sent me into all kinds of feelings of inadequacy and insecurity about my age. It was asked that I not dance a particular gig regularly because of my age. Arrgh! ok! I also think this had to do with my ethnicity on top of it. These are such frustrating and painful issues. I am so ready to move away from L.A. right now and just be a fiber artist you don't even know.
BUT what can I do? I will move forward and just keep doing my work and working hard and teaching and choreographing and YES performing even if some people think I'm "old" It's such a state of mind I don't think of myself as old at all! And not only that, I don't think there is anything wrong with being old. I think it's lovely! I'm honored when I get the opportunity to learn from someone who has been around long enough to have experiences and insights that I haven't had yet. I don't care what age my friends are if they are 20 years younger or older than me! It has nothing to do with my joy in knowing them. I think this is all a materialistic, unnatural concept that we should only enjoy the company of other human beings who's only common denominator is their age! It's from school I believe. Back in the days when schools first started many children of different ages and ability levels shared the same class room. Now they are segregated by age and it's maybe just a necessity of dealing with so many human beings.
To bring it around isms? Ageism, sexism, racism...can you think of any more?
anyway, that's it! I'm done venting!
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4 comments:
Oh that sucks! I'm sorry you had to go through that (hugs). I don't think it makes the slightest bit of difference what age a dancer is, if they're good at dancing they're good at dancing.
It seems like people are so caught up with 'youth'and it's just ridiculous! I think it's because the media likes to show young people and that's only because they're more easily controlled by them, the studios and managers etc.
Another ism - sizism/fatism? I've heard of this many times in dancing too and it's also stupid. Size doesn't matter to ability any more than age does.
All I can say is please try not to be disheartened by this obviously idiotic request. Keep doing what you're doing and I'm sure there are many other people out there who agree and would support you.
thank you. I know I'm trying to ignore it...yes the sizism is an issue too! I think...not that I'm by any stretch of the imagination over weight! It's just that I don't look like I did 20 years ago, when I had a tiny waist! silly silly world!
oh my gosh! how can they say that! you look fabulous, and you are definately NOT old! don't let them discourage you and let them make you stop doing something you love and are very good at doing.
I'm really trying to move forward from this...I think it was a lesson to me to remember not to engage in this sort of thinking myself. Also, I'm working hard to be a better dancer, every day. I want to dance until I die!
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