POSSIBILITIES and DANCE

Wednesday 28th April 2021

“To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak.”

_Hopi saying

Dance is more than just a physical activity. It involves us on so many levels that the outcomes and benefits are many and sometimes quite unexpected. The mind body integration of dance means that when we dance we often develop cognitive skills such as thinking, being creative and finding focus. There is also a connection to the emotional centres of the brain and so we find that movements and emotions are also linked. It’s quite complex and difficult to unravel but the magic of dance is that we don’t have to do or think anything, we just dance.

When we are willing to venture into the world of dance all possibilities open up before us. For some it may be meeting a new friend and finding connections with other people. For others it may shift stuck emotion and energy opening up feelings of freedom and liberation. Sometimes simple insights seem to emerge out of nowhere and suddenly in the middle of the dance we have flash, an idea, or even see the solution to a problem.

The point is, we never know where our dance is going to take us and that is part of the magic. Each time we step onto the dance floor it’s like we are opening up another gift from life. It often feels like our dance knows what we need and offers us the most appropriate experience. The only thing we really need to do – is get our mind and ego out of the way, and let the dance weave its magic.

I Believe in the Power of Dance – Cara Scrementi

CONNECTION: Dancing across time and space

Wednesday 21st April 2021

"Dance is the timeless interpretation of life."

_Shah Asad Rizvi

Through the dance we practice both presence and connection. We engage with our whole being; physical, emotional and mental. But dance is also the practice of dis-connection which ultimately brings its own gifts. The first dis-connection is from that of time. In the dance we create our own sense of time depending on the experience. Sometimes time stretches out and sometimes it’s over in a second. The same applies to space, so that our dance really dis-connects us from ordinary time and space and instead offers us a beautiful connection that is both timeless and space-less.

This means that through the dance we can feel deeply connected to anything and anyone because our normal mode of operating is suspended and we enter a magical space where all things are possible. As I dance I deepen my connection to self but at the same time I can open my heart and feel my connection to you whether you are dancing next to me or on a ZOOM screen. Beyond measured time and space – we find an alternative way of relating and connecting.

This is possible because dance by its very nature is always a shift from the everyday way of being to a special experience in which it’s creative and holistic nature is about expanding possibilities. Overcoming our limitations and boundaries we can experience connection a deep and profound levels.

May I have this dance, please? – Pierre Dulaine

being-ME!

Wednesday 14th April 2021

“I am not what I ought to be, 

I am not what I want to be, 

I am not what I hope to be in another world; 

but still I am not what I once used to be, 

and by the grace of God I am what I am.”

- John Newton

When we are caught up in the doing of life, we forget to just BE. Often we can become overwhelmed with the story of life, the labels we put on ourselves and things, and ideas of what we should be doing. Wrapped up like this creates a bubble of doing that separates us from just being who we truly are. We forget our purpose and we disconnect from our passion. This is a separation from the world outside which is DOING to our inner world which is BEING

Somewhere in the centre of our being lies a stillpoint – a place where we meet the Silent Journey. This is the quiet determined force that guides and directs our life even when we are totally unaware of it. Many of our decisions arise from this place sometimes puzzling even ourselves. Through the dance we can find the path inwards to this place to connect with the messages residing here. We bring into our awareness the deepest forces that guide us. There is a joy I our dance when we connect and express our truth.

Dancing connects us with the very centre of our being. We connect physically emotionally and rationally integrating mind body and soul so that the quality of our life becomes richer.

Why I Dance – Never Give Up

re-IGNITE through the DANCE

Wednesday 7th April 2021

“There is no passion to be found in playing small 

- in settling for a life that is less than what you are capable of living.”

_Nelson Mandela

Yesterday something happened that made me erupt with laughter. Later I reflected and wondered when was the last time I had a really belly rumbling laugh and realised it has been a long long time. It’s interesting how little parts of us shut down when we become so absorbed with the relentless attention demanded from us by life. What have you missed lately?

Dance activates our instincts, our desires and drives in life. When we drop out of our intellectual preoccupations and connect with life flowing through our body we re-ignite those passions, dreams and aspirations arising out of our most basic instincts – by it love, security, creativity or adventure.

Our body is such a beautiful and perfectly crafted barometer of life. Both pain and pleasure are sensations that transmit information and messages to us. Following this principle we strive to engage in the things that expand bring pleasure and joy, knowing that in some way this supports life and is therefore good for us. Dance opens up our connection to the joy of living and the pleasure of enjoying what life has to offer, simply by connecting us to our body and teaching us again how to read the signs and receive the information. We re-ignite the connection to wisdom which we sometimes are just too busy to notice. Dance brings back attention and mindfulness. It allows us to re-ignite our most fundamental expressions of living.

Life is a Dance