By brie.

We realise that our fear, which grew out of a specific behaviour, had contaminated every aspect of our lives. Any demon honestly met becomes a friend.

– Rolf Gates

In another lifetime many years ago I was a “starving artist”. My true love and calling was ballet, but that did not mean that I would snub my nose at other gigs that provided monetary benefits. Therefore, one winter I found myself employed by a modern dance troupe for a short gig performing in various clubs in the city. We rehearsed every Sunday night in a lofty dance hall on Broadway in Manhattan. The fragrance I wore everytime during rehearsals was Sinan, an exotic spicy, floral chypre that perfectly matched the artistic and adventurous climate within the rehearsal room.

As I am of such small stature and lacking in heft I had always been the one chosen for the aerial parts in any ballet or dance production. This always created great anxiety on my behalf as I suffered from gravitational insecurity. The choreography of this particular number involved the use of trampolines – it was reminiscent of a circus, complete with performers flying through the air in a frenzy. Naturally, I was the prime candidate for the finale of the production which involved me bouncing off a trampoline, flying 20 feet into the air and landing in the arms of two strong male dancers.

The first few rehearsals were horrendous. I could not get the timing right with both the jump off the trampoline and the landing. In my mind all I could envision was my tiny body splattered on the ground as my strong partners looked on horrified following their futile attempt to catch me. The choreographer, sensing my trepidation, pulled me aside one night and whispered in my ear, “Do you honestly think that they WON’T catch you? Of course not! So just let go, put your trust in them and go for it!” I heeded his advice and eventually that part of the piece became more and more facile for me to perform. On opening night, for the first time in my life, I soared – I performed the highest jump off of that trampoline that I had EVER been able to do, landing safely in the arms of my two faithful partners. My heart exploded as the crowd cheered in awe as we ended our performance on a such a memorable note.

Sinan- Jean-Marc Sinan

Classification: floral chypre

Launched: 1984

Notes

Top: bergamot, green note, coriander, aldehydes, rosewood
Heart: rose, geranium, lily of the valley,jasmine, orris, ylang-ylang, cardamom
Dry Down: patchouli, vetiver, amber, moss , musk, citrus

I was recently gifted a minature perfume bottle of Sinan from a vintage loving friend living in Japan. This little bottle that literally made its way across the globe serves to remind me that in facing my fears and putting trust in others my heart was able to soar alongside my tiny body all of those years ago.