Dudley Williams Dances

Dudley Dances from Chris Thompson on Vimeo.

I studied with Dudley Williams at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance for a semester way back in 1998-1999. The biggest lesson I learned from him is: "Do the best you can with what you have got today". Embrace it. That's it, that's what you have got today, or in this particular moment of your life, and you can't change it. If you have a broken toe, or an ankle sprain, or if you hurt all over from having worked too hard the day before and you can barely move, you can't change that. What you can change is your attitude towards it. So make the best out of it by embracing it, and exploring and expanding within the space you have got. It's surprising what you could find in that 'limited' space, range. New horizons may open. Pain and frustration are a constant struggle in dancers' life. I remember that right at that time while I was taking his level two classes at the Graham school, I got badly injured. A bad sprain. I couldn't walk for two weeks. I couldn't dance, I couldn't work. Bad. When I came back to class, and to work, I could barely move my left foot. I had to work around that injury with a lot of patience and dedication. It was a long and painful recovery, physically, emotionally, and psychologically. After all a dancer wants to move more than anything else in the world, and be free to expand in space the way they want. That's how a dancer expresses love to the fullest. I did it Dudley, also thank to You, and learned a ton from that experience. I explored new horizons and dimensions inward and outward. I gained in growth. You were right, there is so much one can do!

Thank You Dudley Williams. Dancer, choreographer, teacher, man. You won't be forgotten. I carry your teachings and your sweet, funny smile with me. Always.

Namaste. R.I.P. Beautiful Soul.

Love and Gratitude.

Stefania Supriya