Inspiration behind "Touch"

"We touch each others lives and don't even know the impact we may have on them. Moments strung together on life's timeline become moments strung together on life's timeline become gifts. A gift just like today."
-Ellyzabeth Adler from "Touch" 

I wrote this months after meeting someone through a chance encounter, who was a gift, even if for a moment. There is an ancient Chinese saying "There is an invisible thread that connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break." 

Rumi wrote, "The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They're in each other all along."

In 2010, I asked myself, "why is Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet, theologian, and Sufi mystic, one of the most influential people of all time?" Rumi's influential words transcend through our ethnic borders and into our hearts pushing and challenging us into action.  Through his poetry, he teaches us to restore our connection to the world by examining ourselves, relationships to others and mostly, to the Beloved.  

"The nation of Love has a different religion of all religions - For lovers, God alone is their religion." And "I looked in temples, churches & mosques. I found the Divine within my Heart." -Rumi

 Listening to the media, one can only wonder what would happen if we applied this to our lives.  "Mirrors" (2011) tells the story of four alienated characters whose longing for connection in a world that privileges individualism is brought into focus as they each encounter mirror images of themselves. "Touch", tells the story of a young woman and an elderly man, whose chance meeting at a cemetery brings their lives closer than they ever could have imagined.  

Ellyzabeth Adler in TouchPeople have asked me, "how do you dance and tell stories through poetry?" My first answer is come see the show and second, poetry is like Shakespeare, it is story-telling and it is the essences of language and dance is silent poetry.  Both productions weave together film, music, theatre and dance into a story that I hope, will cause you to pause and reflect on life. 

Come see how this all happens May 17-25th and check out our website for more behind the scenes action.

More to come, until then, 

    "live your Love or else, you'll only end in words."-Rumi

Ellyzabeth Adler
Executive Director & Founder