In hindsight, I think that this section, in which Billy, María Constanza, Alison, and I, on video in Granada, Nicaragua, meet on stage, is really about the substantiveness of “process”. It’s striking to me that what ended up on stage, as María Constanza suggests as well, is a distilled version of what actually happened in the process of investigation and creation in the studio between us cast members working out together what the issues in Fluency meant to us. I have for a long time honored the magic, discovery and great pleasure involved in the process of creation, and often wished that the audience could share in that somehow. By putting a ritualized version of our studio process on stage, I think that I have continued to honor the potency that I recognize in it, and have elevated “process” to a place that we conventionally reserve for something that we deem polished, finished, absolute or definitive. In contrast, the values that I celebrated in Fluency’s collective process were the sense of unfolding discovery, the worthiness of uncertainty, the evolving space for discussion and expression of difference, constructive negotiation, and the opportunity to understand another’s point of view, or even to take on another’s point of view. Clearly, openness, spontaneity and adaptability were crucial qualities that we brought to our process in the studio in order to enrich this endeavor.

In this convergent moment, we all seem to be in uncharted, changing waters, relying on our spontaneity, openness and adaptability in order to make sense of the ideas that we are attempting to understand collectively, each from our particular points of view, experience, knowledge and discipline. I like that there is a meeting of analytical thinking and intuitive rumination, and that together, they don’t cancel each other out, but create something richer. Even Billy is moving towards some kind of different state of knowing for him, based on his mysterious, gut-attraction to Alison and her dancing. Billy’s disposition here is analogous to my condition on the video in Nicaragua, through my dancing, trying to feel and understand what my attraction to Nicaragua was, and why I wanted to be together with whatever that was.

Personally, I am happy with the way this episode turned out. I think it is funny, but another reason is that I can detect the principles of “linguistic translation” and those of my valued “creative process” travelling on such interesting parallel and intersecting tracks. Translation as an ongoing process, or regulated transformation, something that inhabits the realms of changefulness, uncertainty, and non-absolutes, really sounds like elements of my creative process that I cherish so much.