"I was introduced to Buddhist practice in 1975 and I was struck by Trungpa Rinpoche's talks about principles that seemed aligned with what I'd found out as an artist. One of these principles is that time is fluid - it can be compressed or extended and it can be circular. Other principles are silence or stillness as a base and space as the underlying principle of what comes up.
I think performing is about as close as you can get to meditation practice in that you are present. For the really good performances, you're 100% present, and there's no division between you and your material. Your pinpoint focused but at the same time you're very open and loose in terms of what's coming in around you and the other people. There's a kind of power that's built into that focus but at the same time you're utterly vulnerable. You're throwing energy out to the audience in a kind of figure eight because they're throwing it back to you. It just goes around and around in an infinity sign. A live performance with both the performer and the audience being in the same space at the same time is a prototype for presence and openheartedness."
(this is how I feel every time I teach Stretch Appeal!)
