The Physical

The new incarnation of my Physical act is one of the most scary, painful, grueling acts I have ever put together. I can't really choreograph it in the traditional sense because when I do it, really do it, it isn't an act, it's real. This is terrifying, because I don't know what is going to happen when I go up on that stage in New York in a few weeks. It could be magic, it could be loathsome, I don't know. All I know is that I am drawn to create this piece as a tribute to all that has brought me to this point in my life. It is me embracing my scary darkness, my masochism, the Physical that has been humming through my body since I can remember. I know I am in the right place, and that this is my message, and I can't worry too much about how it will be received.

The path unfolds one step at a time. That's all I can see. This next step. Even if I have to take it in leg braces.

Science, History, Body, Mind, and Soul

The belief that the body and the mind, or soul, are separate from each other and governed by different laws goes back to Platonic philosophy. It was perpetuated by Descartes in order to appease the church when he introduced the scientific method to medicine in the 1600s. He wanted to be able to look at the body like a machine, with many functioning parts that could be studied and experimented on. However the realm of the soul was considered to be the church's territory and was therefore unable to be subjugated to scientific study. That is why mind-body integration is such a new development for the sciences. Fascinating.