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“I have struggled all my life to conquer amateurish technique, and now that perhaps I have mastered it, it seems too late to make any use of it.” – Ralph Vaughn Williams
This is the key motivation to grasp why the true master feels closer to the beginner than any other adept of an art form. The master’s mind suspends all judgment in order to share his nuggets of wisdom with the apprentice. One cannot exist without the other.
Mastery is a very lonely well. Its depth can only be drawn by the most passionate pupil.
This well often resides at the end of an old dusty road, and in it dwells many secrets. A secret is hidden knowledge that is worthy of excavation. The fearless seeker may have the will to embark on this solitary adventure, yet only a genuine disciple will uncover the truth.
The intellect is accustomed to separate and divide everything through ranks. The top of the pyramid has ruled our civilizations for millennia. Yet we all know that there is no top without the base and its sides.
With a pyramid notion of the world, someone or something is always oppressed, while others always strive to rise. This distorts the true meaning of the pyramid and keeps us trapped in the illusion that the ruler, or the master, has more value than the commoner (or slave).
The nature of mastery is that the student possesses a minimum of two elements which the master lacks – hunger and endurance. This defines the nature of the relationship between the two.
The student’s spirited yearning to quench his thirst saves the well from hosting lifeless water. The learner that stirs the source of the well. Purging the knowledge out of the seer, creates a new current of energy.
‘We should not hoard knowledge; we should be free from our knowledge.’
‘In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few’ – Excerpts from Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by author Shunryu Suzuki.
This is the reason why the lone master must remain a fervent student in order to avoid the decaying of his skills. Yet, there comes a time when the virtuoso feels he has attained his summit. He does not revel in his old amateurish games, but simply wishes to observe the children play, balancing his form atop a branch.
He is called below to serve the garden and plant more seeds. Other times he chooses to quietly sit under his tree. With a Buddha’s heart he welcomes the spirited warrior. Both are fresh out of recess, both are ready for the lessons.
Natasha "Tash" Jean-Bart is a curator of ethos who alchemically synthesises the world through her senses. Through her writings, she seeks herself, and by design, the words transcend the page to make their imprints on those who also seek themselves. Born in 1971 in Montreal, Canada, Natasha has been dancing professionally for over 30 years. Her love and dedication in learning the street dances taking root from the early beginnings of what created Hip Hop culture led her to connect and learn from the creators and pioneers of the culture internationally. In 2005, she was nominated Head Judge of Hip Hop International (HHI) Street Dance competition, a position she held for six years. That same year she also landed a lead role as Lady Madonna in The Beatles “LOVE” by Cirque Du Soleil at the MGM Mirage in Las Vegas. Natasha is a connector and has created hundreds of opportunities for artists and companies alike. In 2011, she co-founded the Wättssoul company with her husband, Ghislain Malardier. Driven by their desire to help and mentor a new generation of artists, this dynamic duo has inspired and established a social platform promoting free expression of the arts by creating a network and community with a mission to inspire the world to re-imagine life through art. The company now produces the Las Vegas Locking Camp and invests time and resources to sponsor international community events that promote artistic growth and culture awareness. "Tash" mother of four and grandmother of three, still travels internationally in order to pass on the knowledge she accumulated throughout the years to a new generation of dancers. She is still studying and training with the pioneers and forever will be a student of the culture.
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