Sharanya Rao

One that trusts the intuition, is courageous to follow the heart. She moves inward and out in the world through guidance of the spirit. Still through movement and moving through stillness, she is in constant communication with the ways of life.  'Wild' is generally perceived as crazy, fierce, chaotic, out of control, reckless or a destructive force. And though this might be partially true, it is not the only truth. Just as storms, forest fires, floods, avalanches, tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions are a force of nature, so is it's silence, it's playfulness, it's compassion, it's generosity, it's abundance, it's majesticity, it's humility, it's simplicity...  Nature brings in chaos to restore balance. As humans, through our disconnection from nature, we bring chaos and create an imbalance. Let's not misuse the wild power within us. The very word wild, comes from nature. If it is not connected to nature, it is not wild at all. Through our disconnection from nature, we have created a wild culture that is disconnected from the very essence of what is wild. Let's restore it, see it and live it for what it truly is.

The movement material for this work is inspired and influenced by nature. There is a movement that exists within nature which has a way with it. A pace of its own. A pace that cannot be measured or defined; A pace that is respectful and meditative. It carries in it, a grace, a simplicity, a presence that honours time. A resilience that stays and moves through every point in its process. And meets everything through that ever deepening presence. The words in this excerpt, spoke to me of the processes we go through in life & the courage it takes to go into the depths of ourselves; allowing the pace it takes, to go through a process & stay with it. See it shatter, see it break open, see it heal, see it integrate itself, see it shine. We see ourselves growing into an ever deepening presence like in nature. During this process, I realized that staying is not the same as holding on. Staying instills an awareness while holding on, is a self-sabotage, an escape from being who we truly are. We are nature. Boyd Varty, a lion tracker, storyteller, life guide, lived in the wild for 40 days and 40 nights. He shared his processes and experiences through a series of podcasts - https://boydvarty.com/about/40-days-40-nights As I heard these podcasts, there was a movement within me. At the end of the series, I had a calling to choose excerpts from his podcasts and take myself through a movement journey. Hope it moves you in a way that you are meant to be moved. Thank You! https://movementartist.wixsite.com/sharanyarao

The wild part of ourselves is crucial to our lives & to the society. We all have a way of perceiving things. Many a times, these perceptions become fixed images. As important as these images are in the beginning, to form an understanding or make things comprehensible, it can become a trap when these images become our only lens to perceive the world. And before we even know it, we begin to live up-to these images which become a norm, which then becomes our environment which in time becomes a culture. A culture that has moved away from the very essence of what our culture truly is as humans and as nature. We can rely on that wild part of ourselves to shake things up, to question and discard anything that doesn't serve our essential selves, to be receptive to the chaos that is stirred up, in order to restore balance.

When we collapse, there is something in us that knows how to live through it, to allow it to be felt without trying to fix it, without getting into the story, without resisting the fall. There comes a peaceful acceptance that rises through as a result of the fall. There is a clarity, an emptiness, a presence, a silence that sets in. 'Wild' is generally perceived as crazy, fierce, chaotic, out of control, reckless or a destructive force. And though this might be partially true, it is not the only truth.Just as storms, forest fires, floods, avalanches, tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions are a force of nature, so is it's silence, it's playfulness, it's compassion, it's generosity, it's abundance, it's majesticity, it's humility, it's simplicity... Nature brings in chaos to restore balance. As humans, through our disconnection from nature, we bring chaos and create an imbalance. Let's not misuse the wild power within us. The very word wild, comes from nature. If it is not connected to nature, it is not wild at all.Through our disconnection from nature, we have created a wild culture that is disconnected from the very essence of what is wild. Let's restore it, see it and live it for what it truly is.