I don’t believe in balance. It’s a fallacy. A pretty yet damaging ideal. To subscribe to balance would be to iron out the vital, invigorating flux and flow between transcending the everyday and living in the moment. We need both.
I mention this because I went to see Blondes last week. And then I went again on Tuesday. They had a big affect on me because they made me think of – no, feel – a time when transcendence was ingrained into our daily lives. When achieving transcendence through music – and movement to music – held an essential role in connecting, commemorating and celebrating stages in our ever-turning lifecycle. And yes, you could argue that music still holds a transcending role at important life events yet the reverence with which we regard it is greatly diminished.
Modern society at best marginalises, and at worst outcasts and outlaws, transcendence. Callings, careers, vocations, and past-times that focus on feeling over function are discouraged and invalidated. In our limiting capitalist society, freedom is defined through accumulation yet true transcendence don’t cost a thing. Just dance. Mind and body as one. That’s what Blondes made me feel. Dancing to their music felt like giving thanks. It wasn’t just a Tuesday night anymore, it was a celebration of life. Transcendence of the everyday and living in the moment as one.
Ruth Saxelby 