Vision-Mission workshop with Coro Gay Ciudad De México (and a little jazz too!)
In late May 2018, I was honored to be given the chance to do a workshop with a very special group, Coro Gay Ciudad de México. I rehearsed them in some of their material for the up-coming show, did some jazz improvising with them because it was something different, and then we did a Vision and Mission workshop, which turned out to be especially impactful.
At NYCGMC, our vision and mission has changed a bit over the years, but we know broadly who we are and why we do what we do. We experience the sense of community these groups can engender, we own that ours does that, and we tell each other that it does all the time. Likewise, we know that by our very existence, and through the songs we sing and the places we choose to express ourselves, we advocate for LGBTQ equality in the world.
It was in the final plenary, that I saw light bulbs begin to come on. There were tears and many hugs, as they articulated to each other publicly, often for the first time, how much the group meant to each of them since it started, how it had begun to change them as people, and how close they had become. I was able to experience once again the power of singing in the world, and help others to do the same. A good day ...
“Una experiencia extraordinaria la vivida ésta noche... gracias Charles Beale por el regalo tan hermoso que has traído ésta noche al #CGCDMX
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“Thank you, Charles. A night of much learning.”