Articles

To succeed in Life...

“To succeed in Life / So your life proves worthy”

[Deutch ... dass sich dein Leben als würdig erweist]

By Shakeh Major Tchilingirian

Balance Nr. 2, 2024

Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem “Vor lauter Lauschen und Staunen sei still” and the various English translations I came across have sparked my thoughts to delve into some of the poetry and writings of the much-loved poet. As Anais Nin, the French-born American novelist wrote, “I have no fear of depths, and a great fear of shallow living.” Indeed, “it is not too late to dive into your increasing depths where life calmly gives out its own secret”, wrote Rilke. I wish to share with you a journey of discovery through my readings and highlight the thoughts and words that deeply resonate.

The wisdom Rilke imparts are so meaningful: “The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things… Let life happen to you… life is in the right always… have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart… live in the question…the only journey is the one within”.

On reflection—in solitude and in silence, on a brief holiday so I can experience the gift of both—I contemplate the absolute necessity and importance of experiencing stillness and silence, to “open and vast”, in Rilke’s words, not only to the opportunity of actively looking within, but also to “allow the senses to be overwhelmed by surrendering to every breath”. Living in a society where we are continuously subjected to sensory overload, it seems to be virtually impossible to be receptive to the invitation of a moment of silence or stillness. Personally, circle and sacred dance offers me this opportunity. While we are held by coming together in a communal act, an experienced, thoughtful and sensitive leader can facilitate and enable the community in the circle an opportunity for a “porous ego” as Rilke puts it—that is, “make your ego porous… Openness, patience, receptivity… is everything”.

“I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world” Rilke continues. No doubt, leading circle and sacred dance world-wide has been an unexpected privilege and blessing for me. When I first started dancing as a child, throughout my performing years on stage and leading workshops alongside, I never imagined that dance would present opportunities of meetings with remarkable like-minded souls globally. “I live not in dreams but in contemplation of a reality that is perhaps the future”, as Rilke said. Even more, dance serves as the conduit for individual and collective self-reflection and continuous quest for meaning and purpose in life. Again, in Rilke’s thoughts, “then our soul is vast, so that our life proves worthy… The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens…Let life happen to you. Believe me, life is in the right, always.”

On a more personal level, Rilke writes, “Don’t be too quick to draw conclusions from what happens to you: simply let it happen—otherwise it will be too easy for you to look with blame… at your past, which naturally has a share with everything that now meets you”. It occurs to me that all the years of performing as a solo artist on stage (my sacred space), where I enjoyed total freedom to express the depth and significance of the ‘story’ behind my dance, finally completed a full circle. Fast forward to years later, opportunities to lead circle and sacred dance allowed me to offer the same depth of experience on a non-performing platform. Dances and rituals which were originally from the folk (people) moved to the stage but completed a full circle by coming back to people.

“If you stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable… This is what things (around us) can teach us: to fall, patiently to trust our heaviness. Even a bird has to do that before he can fly”, again Rilke wrote. The ancient, ritual, simple yet ‘heavy’ (‘tzanr’ in Armenian) “Govand” dances are the perfect example of how this deceptively ‘simple’ yet deep, so-called ‘heaviness’ gives wings to fly and soar into the unexpected and immeasurable spiritual ‘flight’.

“If we surrendered to earth’s intelligence, we could rise up rooted, like trees. Think… of the world you carry within you.” Here again, Rilke’s words are an invitation to trust and surrender to the great mother earth—our common ground that holds, sustains, nurtures us all—reminding us of the strength and wealth of our common individual and collective roots. With each gentle double bounce in the “Govands”, we surrender to the earth beneath our feet. The bounce allows the step to ‘morph’ or become one with the earth briefly, while the double bounce ‘zspanak’ (literally ‘spring’ or ‘coil’ in Armenian) allows a ‘pumping of energy’ from the earth beneath to the dancer’s body. This energy is amplified when held together in a circle. Coming together in circle dance, rooted in mutual respect and love, we can rise up like trees, even stronger, together, bearing fruits of hope.

As Rilke wrote, “the creation of good art comes out of a deep inner need to create.” There are very rich and diverse range of Armenian ethnographic and choreographic dances in Armenia and the diaspora. This rich dance heritage connects Armenians wherever they live and allows them to maintain a connection with the legacy of culture that has been passed down the centuries. This heritage is the source that perpetuates the ongoing need to create and make culture a “living”, “breathing” experience. As a dance artist and choreographer, this deep, inner need feeds the ‘fire’ within me to continue to create not only choreographies but also to facilitate opportunities to share the context, history and significance of these creations in a universally accessible way.

My choreography to the instrumental ‘Keler Tsoler’ by Komitas is one such example. I devised this prayer/dance meditation as a cyclical physical mantra. It is an invitation to connect with the self in the safe sanctuary of the circle. It is an invitation to allow all thoughts and feelings to flow freely within each of us individually and collectively. It is intended for connection, release and being in the moment—NOW.

“And then my soul be vast, be vast.”