When the City Calls You Back

Following the pull, finding your people, and remembering who you are.

There’s something about New York City that stirs everything awake; the energy, the rhythm, the creative tension in the air. It’s a place that doesn’t let you forget who you are, or who you once dreamed of becoming.

Last week, I found myself inspired by that very reminder.

Just days earlier, I had said goodbye to my dear friend Melina, who had come to D.C. to visit and reconnect with some of the friends she met through our SpiritWild Burning Man camp. I love those friendships where the creative and the personal are beautifully blurred. She dropped right back into the D.C. community I’ve cultivated, and watching her light up reminded me that performance, ritual, and connection are real and resonant, that community can stretch across city lines and still feel like home.

The day after she left, I called her.

“Can I come stay with you?” I asked.
“You’re going to the audition?!” she replied, already knowing.

She had already heard about the casting call our friend Mochi passed along. It was for a new performance project led by a well-known choreographer looking for older women who may not be in the industry anymore. Women who may have been told they’re “done” dancing, but don’t feel that way in their hearts. The choreographer had said she wanted to work with real bodies, older women, and to begin this conversation with them in the room.

I don’t think I’ll ever stop dancing or feeling like a dancer but the traditional industry path hasn’t always made space for me to show up fully. The standards, the hustle, the polished mold, it doesn’t always fit. But this invitation felt different and I wanted to be in that room.

I got on a bus, landed in Brooklyn, and walked into Melina’s arms.

Her apartment is its own kind of creative sanctuary, one that’s welcomed other SpiritWild friends visiting from D.C. We cooked, talked about art and aging, movement and memory.

I went to the audition. Nervous. Excited. Grounded. I loved walking around the city again… grateful for how easy it is to get your steps in. The audition felt more like a two-hour workshop or masterclass. The energy in the room was beautiful. There were women much older than me moving with such grace and power, and I felt truly honored to be among them.

It wasn’t about being the best or trying to fit into something I used to be. It was about showing up as I am now: full of life, stories, softness, and strength. At one point, the choreographer asked me to demonstrate the phrase she had taught - I felt seen and I danced my heart out and it felt really good.

Sometimes, all it takes is a city that won’t let you forget.
A friend who always holds the door open.
And a yes that feels like home in your body.