Provoking Crisis

Not surprisingly I suppose, Transit VII has provoked a profound crisis in me. Just when I thought that I had my life figured out, I took the 'risk' of coming to the Odin to meet, exchange, and learn what I thought would be augmentations to my existing practice. I did not expect that I would start to question my entire body of work - tearing it to pieces to find anything of value worth keeping. I believe, however, that I was meant to come here at this time. That now is the right time to experience this shock to the system. Perhaps it's something in the complete physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion (probably a key ingredient of the festival!) that makes me this raw and vulnerable, but I'm finding a great freedom and sense of empowerment sharing this time with the amazing participants and learning from female masters of extraordinary dedication and skill. I feel humbled by the provocative and often risky work that performers around the world are doing in locations where it really matters and makes a difference in people's lives. I've worked in the theatre in Chicago, Paris, and London - hardly the most dangerous environments for performative activism! I must not, of course, throw out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to thinking about profession. But my priorities have certainly changed. I need to re-think how my skills, training and experience can have meaning in the world; how I can help other women and find ways to make the why question of what I am doing come first and not last. The two words that I would use to describe the participants and invited artists of Transit are: courage and honesty. I am inspired to risk myself more in my work to find the artistic difference that personal bravery and unflinching truth can make.

Hannah Kaye