MOLI VIEW™

Artists are famously mercurial, with suicide, depression, substance abuse, and generally risky behavior probably as prevalent among painters, poets, and musicians as among, say, the homeless or so-called "at-risk" youth. So why do the arts seem like such a natural fit for healing communities in need? That's what I was wondering during a recent workshop on community arts organized by the Miami-based nonprofit Rhythmic Rapture. Yesterday I wrote about the first lesson I learned at the workshop: keep your expectations realistic. Today, I'll take up what the arts – and particularly dance – have to offer people in need, even if professional artists can sometimes be pretty needy themselves.

When Dr. Elsa Orlandini, a psychologist who has worked extensively with the homeless, reviewed the mood swings, mania, delusion, and depression that might present themselves among people in crisis, my first reaction was: The homeless? That sounds like me and everybody else I know. But even if artists aren't necessarily paragons of emotional health, what the arts have to offer soon became clear.

Lela Lombardo, artistic director of the community arts dance company Higher Ground, made her point by moving and singing, not talking. There's hardly an issue or population Lombardo hasn't touched as she has dedicated her artistic practice to social change for the past 12 years. We were putty in her hands. She quickly herded the dozen or so artist-activists into a circle, then asked us to choose a number from 1 to 8. As a group, we started counting, but each individual only counted out loud on the numbers he or she picked. My sequence went: *-2-*-*-5-*-*-*. That's a little trickier than it sounds, but with some laughing and clapping we pulled it off.

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