Wild Potency
One of the greatest dangers to our community life is not wanting to be with each other.
Poverty and division, this is one Bulgarian grandmothers’ definition of evil.
Her village also has a remedy for these evils: Kukeri.
The Kukeri tradition is a source of inspiration for me. There are many YouTube videos about it, including this one featuring the grandmother I mention.
Countless times I have found dance able to hold me when I think life is going to fall apart. Dance has been my container for life threatening illness, uprising in my city, and a pandemic.
The wisdom within seasonal dance traditions prepares us to move through the seasons of hardship and joy in life. That said, learning how to dance through winter has been the hardest lesson for me to figure out.
My goal is to help people find the inner force that breaks through our frozen places and activates the blessing of prosperity. My intuition said I needed to connect with the energy of the Kukeri to do it.
Thanks to a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, I began the year with a sewing whirlwind, creating Kukeri inspired costumes.
I found a wild aliveness was entering my home through my craft space. Sewing fringe on the pants felt like conjuring the leaf litter on a forest floor. Witnessing the masks take shape was like connecting with the strength of a bison walking into a snow storm. Hearing the metal clang of the bells stirred an iron strength within me.
On two occasions the Wisdom Dances community brought our procession out into the community.
Here’s a one minute highlight reel:
May you feel our plea to the water, wind and earth to assist us during a very challenging time
May it stir your own wild strength.
May it offer you a measure of delight.
And if it stirs your longing to have regular doses of joy and community support you through extraordinary times, haul yourself over to a Thursday dance class. I’d love to see you there.
love,
emily
Emily Jarrett Hughes is a fiscal year 2026 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriate from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
