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Weak Ties and A Soft Touch
Noticing the Necessity of Casual Touch During the Pandemic
How quickly things can change. And how quickly we adapt.
Most of us.
Some of us even manage to sing from our separate balconies.
I’ve wanted to write this week, but find it easier — and comforting — to focus on the students. Getting all my ducks in a row in terms of assignments. And then lining them up again. Neatly. Then, in serpentine lines. Creating a dramaturgy of sorts.
Tweaking until everything becomes more complex than necessary.
Ornate.
I guess energy demands energy. It doesn’t really dissipate. I fear the students’ nervous energy goes through me and is delivered back to them in an unhelpful form. I’m afraid that in this case, the beauty is in the process, not the product.
We sent the students home on Thursday just after lunch. It’s funny that the phrase “touching base” comes to mind. I wanted to touch base with many of them before they left — many I knew had specific concerns.
No touching.
I have been aware that I have become “a hugger” these last few years. I think that being a certain age means a whole new kind of freedom with regard to non-sexual touch. I’ve been teaching contact improvisation for…
