The Arts in the Corporate Workplace - Why?

I've been working diligently for the last year on the who, what, where & when of my project Process Works but with our performances at the Sanford Consortium quickly approaching, I think it's time to return to my "why". Why do I want to bring dance into the workplace? Why do I think contemporary dance could have a relationship to science and technology...let alone corporate businesses as a whole? Why do I think dance should matter to the rest of the world?

Big questions...I think this is going to be a multiple part answer and a multiple part blog post - so here is why #1:

Dear Ol' Dad

When giving a post performance talk for my thesis dance piece Space Between, I explained the details of the dance and how each night we created the dance new with a certain amount of improvisation. My father raised his hand and asked "Why Improvisation". Knowing that he came from many years of watching me perform more traditional dance, I assumed that his preference was the structure he was used to. I explained to the audience that I long for awareness of the present moment both in performance and in life. Improvisation is not a “style” of dance but a way of being in the world.  A way of never allowing life to become “fixed” or “stale”. A reminder to listen to what my intuition is asking of me at every given moment.  

The next day, my dad said to me, "You do what I do".

Wait - what?! My dad is an engineer. He's supposed to be a lover of systems and strict protocol. But what I found out was that engrained in my father's philosophy of engineering, is the importance of constantly checking in with these systems to ensure they still make sense within the current circumstances. His philosophy reminds us that we are human and things change or at the very least shift. He felt supported by the work I was making. No more auto-pilot. No more blindly following a model that is no longer relevant or interesting. With even a small bit of attention on the present moment, our ability to respond to the specific needs of this moment becomes possible. 

So - WOW - if my dad could relate to my work at this level, are there others? Are there pockets of individuals out there who would feel supported in their work by becoming aware of our work? If so, I look forward to finding and building on these connections.