Heidi Sutherland
In 2018 I choreographed a solo based on the idea of just how delicate human nature is, and how easy it is to drown in life. In all actuality, the piece originally was inspired by a client of mine that had attempted suicide. I was thrown by her actions, and could only guess that beneath the surface of her life, there was some deep, dark stuff lurking about. Thankfully, she recovered and with time, is now fully thriving. That was her. And now, we revisit the same theme again, only this time it focuses on one of my sisters. The barnacles attached to her sinking ship created waves in her life that caused her to attempt suicide 2 weeks ago, and now I am revisiting It’s Easy to Drown, yet again. Her stay in the hospital got me to thinking about the piece again, and how the process of making it was quite therapeutic. As I hit rewind, I am reminded that in the continuum of life, there are no guarantees… only the awareness that every day is a gift!
Above photo by Whitney Brown