SpeakingPresence

After having had the pleasure of being in the presence of a number of “masters” in the last couple of weeks, I’m deeply immersed in this inquiry.  What is authentic presence really?

Here are some examples of presence that I’ve experience:

• I attended a facilitated gathering of folks recently where the lead person demonstrated a remarkable ability to simply be himself whether he was talking to me one-on-one or talking to the entire group.  There appeared to be no separation between his public self and his private interactions and all his interactions seemed casual, easy going, and relaxed while at the same time right-on and very direct.

• Later that week I attended a concert performed by two young singer/song-writers/musicians.  The woman of the pair, especially, was mesmerizing whether she was singing, talking to the audience, or “off-line” dealing with issues of managing the sound system.  As my friends and I tried to identify what it was that made her so intriguing we agreed that, once again, she was just herself, perfectly comfortable in her own skin, and not trying to put on a good “performance”.  She was, though, completely engaged with her songs, her connection with the audience, and what was happening in the moment.

• Just this week I have begun an amazing two week movement immersion opportunity with a professional dance company, Pilobolus, where we are spending a lot of time focusing on this quality I call “embodied presence” when dancers are on stage.  What I’ve learned so far is that everything, from the slightest movement of the eyes to the twitch of a little finger, will communicate something to the audience.  Dancers on stage need to be deliberate, specific, and conscious of themselves or the quality of real presence is shattered.  Even a casual, relaxed smile can be a distraction.

• In several exercises we did as part of the improvisational dance experience in this workshop, I became very aware of letting go entirely of my sense of self as the group of us dancer responded without thought and moved as a collective, a single unit, much like a flock of birds or school of fish.  I became aware of a non-personal sense of presence that was held within the group as a whole rather than each of us as individuals.  Yesterday, there was a moment when three of us were moving together in a frenzy in the center of the room to some rather chaotic music, when suddenly, with absolutely no forethought or signal all three of us froze in space.  In that very same instant, without any warning whatsoever that I was aware of, the music changed, becoming softer.  For the second time in two weeks, in two very different contexts, I heard someone use the word “us-ness” to describe this kind collective presence.

• Last night I went to a party which ended with an open mic.  In a very casual way, musicians of all sorts stood up and sang and played well known songs or songs of their own composition.  There were many very talented people in the crowd.  One young nine year old girl stood out for me with her presence.  She came to the mic with her guitar in hand preparing to sing and play her own lovely composition.  Her feet were planted wide.  She stood tall and confidently.  Her smile was brilliant.  Her energy, passion and enthusiasm was clear in every cell of her body.

So, what is authentic presence really?  Each of these examples touches on some aspect.  What examples of presence have you seen recently?