UNEXPECTED HIATUS PART 2: MAKING SENSE OF THIS ROLLER COASTER RIDE

​We can really see the myriad internal experiences and external circumstances that are shaping the development of Jonathan’s work with Maggie. 
 
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Medical issues predominate during this unexpected interruption in the creation of the solo. The stress of serious illnesses and medical events has been enervating for both Jonathan and Maggie.  They have been attending to the ongoing health needs of close family members while confronting a great deal of uncertainty about both diagnoses and prognoses.  The physical responsibilities of caretaking coupled with the attendant fear, sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion have been quite challenging.  Besides navigating the crises, they must still take care of household and child care needs.  Clearly, they have had no choice but to suspend rehearsals indefinitely.
 
For the moment, Jonathan and Maggie have lost a key creative outlet, and the momentum fueling their progress has stalled.  Both partners wonder how these developments will impact their artistic collaboration moving forward.  Will they simply pick up where they left off?  Will a period of review be required?  How quickly will they find their working rhythm?  Will they re-examine their ideas about how to best convey the key themes of the piece?
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Stay tuned as the process continues.

KEY MEDICAL HIGHLIGHTS

• ​Edgar is sick, cutting into the time Jonathan carved out to prepare for his Purchase classes.
• Eliza hurts her knee playing with a toy while Jonathan is at rehearsal for his other dance project.  It is difficult to determine the nature/extent of the injury, but Eliza is unable to place weight on one leg for a few hours.  Jonathan is able to finish rehearsal and schedule a doctor’s appointment for early afternoon.  Running late with the kids, Jonathan nearly misses the appointment.  Fortunately, the doctor determines that Eliza is not seriously injured, but advises Jonathan to monitor her movements to assess lingering issues.
• During this near-emergency, Jonathan’s family members try unsuccessfully to reach him.  Once he has seen the doctor, Jonathan is able to answer one of these calls – only to find out that his mother has had a stroke and is in the hospital.  Jonathan’s sister found his mother several hours after the episode.  Once Jonathan’s wife is able to get home from her job in NYC and stay with the kids, Jonathan goes to see his mother in the hospital.  Raised to meet adversity with a positive attitude, Jonathan maintains his calm throughout this crisis.  The doctors are optimistic that his mother will recover, assuming she responds well to the therapy she will undergo.  Of course, the long-term prognosis is unclear at this point.  It is only when Jonathan drives home from the hospital that he is able to access his feelings of sadness and fear.
• As he is about to leave for the hospital the next morning, Jonathan discovers that Eliza has a fever and stomach upset.  He stays in touch with the babysitter to monitor Eliza’s health as he visits with his mother.  Upon his return, he concludes she likely has a nasty virus.  The ensuing week is miserable for both father and child.
• Once Eliza finally recovers, Edgar gets sick again.
• Clearly, Jonathan is swept up in a whirlwind of crises and related emotions in a condensed period of time.

• Maggie’s husband is finally home from the hospital, but is still on intravenous antibiotics.  Fortunately, Maggie reports daily improvements in his health.

 
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We are also reminded that life evokes the full spectrum of emotional experiences – often at the same time.  So right alongside the challenges are personal and artistic developments that engender in Jonathan an increasingly grounded sense of self.  He is better able to acknowledge his creative needs and commit to feeding them – even if he is not quite sure what that will look like.  Consequently, he has allowed himself to capitalize on and develop artistic opportunities that are already bringing him joy and creative fulfillment.

He is acting on his inclinations and asserting his ideas despite the uncertainty about his colleagues’ reception to them.  He also experiences less self-doubt and angst when allowing his internal compass to guide his process.

Jonathan and Sherri repeatedly challenge his preconceived ideas about his personal and professional roles and approaches.  Identifying the “shoulds” Jonathan has inculcated and contrasting them with the messages emanating from his core helps him carve paths that are truly authentic.
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It has been a process consisting of intermittent, incremental steps, but we can now take a retrospective look at the progress – and see that the bits and pieces of creative re-animation are coalescing into a creative self filled with richness and possibility.

CREATIVE OUTLET HIGHLIGHTS

• ​Jonathan is reconstructing his website to highlight his new professional endeavors and better reflect the context he now operates in.  Like many aspects of his life, it is a work in progress.
• Jonathan remains committed to getting back into shape and approaching weight loss and exercise in healthy ways.  He is thrilled with his progress.  His holistic development has physical, psychological, and artistic dimensions, each reinforcing the other.
• Given his family’s health problems, Jonathan barely has time to prepare for his Purchase dance class.  He wisely reaches out to the Purchase administration for assistance with paperwork that must be ready in time for the first class.  Bolstered by the university’s support, Jonathan begins teaching his Intro to Modern class for non-majors at Purchase College.  He is surprised and delighted to discover that nearly all of his 30 students have had prior dance experience.  Not only do they have a frame of reference, they immediately exhibit a built-in passion for dance.  Consequently, Jonathan is able to teach at a higher level and utilize more creative approaches.
• At the last minute, Jonathan is asked to substitute teach the first half of the first day of a modern dance placement class for juniors at Purchase.  Although he generally teaches dance BFA students, he hasn’t done so in 1 ½ years.  Nevertheless, he is able to lead a clear, focused class with challenging material.  The students essentially receive a “Jonathan Riedel crash course.”  Both the students and faculty in attendance seem to love Jonathan’s work.  He feels a wonderful sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
• Returning to Purchase is a terrific experience.  Jonathan attends a conservatory-wide meeting and feels great to be included.  The faculty – most of whom he has known for a long time – are warm and gracious.  He is treated like a respected faculty member.  As Jonathan explains, “It feels so good to be in those halls again!”
• Jonathan’s other dance project is beginning to take shape.  Called Second Story, this group of dance professionals who are also primary caregivers are fashioning for themselves a new way to feed their creative needs while nurturing their families.  Based on their actual collective, moment-to-moment experiences, they are developing a fluid environment in which they alternately lead warm-up “classes” for one another and collaborate on 2 new duets.  Members spontaneously exchange ideas…engage in a continual give-and-take dynamic…discard traditional structure and approaches to professional dance work…focus on qualitative details…explore a variety of complex themes that permeate this new chapter of their lives.  A growing camaraderie and sense of trust facilitates risk-taking.  Jonathan and his colleagues are gaining clarity about the nature of the collaboration, the identity of the group, the roles of its members, and the type of work they want to create.

 

​Of course, we will always wrestle with constantly changing dynamics; we are reminded that life is not a smooth, straight line, but more like a 3-dimensional zig zag.

​We have seen this play out in high relief with regard to Jonathan’s child care situation.  Potential babysitters don’t show up for interviews.  Intricate, barter-like arrangements are made with other parents.  Changing circumstances for family members affect their availability to watch the kids.  Financial details threaten to derail child care plans with a favored caregiver.  Jonathan must repeatedly adjust to each development, devising creative – if less than ideal – solutions.