DANCE ~ WIDE OPEN

"Bring attention to your everyday movements 

and find the dance in them.”

_Daniel Odier

We communicate our expressions and intentions in the world around us through the body as much as we do through words. Usually, our attention is focused outwards but as much as we communicate with others, we can communicate with our inner self through the body too. This communication takes place through gestures, postures, and movements. Although some of these are culture-specific, there is a whole repertoire of universal human movement and gestures that are common to all.

This past weekend we experienced a powerful retreat that worked with the body, dance, and movement to open up a path to our authentic essence of being. However, what I noticed was how quickly the dance was able to transcend any semblance of separation among the group and create a beautiful space of connection. These were simple dances of softly reaching out and connecting with the other through the hands and gentle movements that facilitated a deep sensitivity in our own body but also in the connection to others. Jonti Searll, extended this connection through the hands as a way of awakening the bliss body. These simple yet powerful moments opened up the possibilities of meaningful connection and deep interrelationship, and conversations of the heart

Dance gives us the tools to have these conversations - dance does not only have a technical aspect - learning steps, training the body, or perfecting movements. Yes these are techniques that teach us how to use our bodies and movement but there is a deeper and more powerful aspect to dance. When we become aware of the energy we put into movement, the speed and direction of each expression we see the subtle nuances of communication and expression contained in each gesture, each movement – the dance. These elements of dance may appear obvious or simple, but in a dance movement they become the elements of expression. Moving fast in a forward direction feels and says something different from say moving slowly in a backward direction. Consciousness expands as we become more aware of our body, its movement, its expression in the dance.

To dance wide open is beautiful to see and also witness in the others. When we let go and allow our movements to expand and express freely, we also expand as people. When we expand into the world our inner world also expands opening up our heart and allowing the natural universal energy of life to flow.

We then take these lessons into life and as Daniel Odier invites us, we learn to find the dance in everything - that does not mean to go dancing through the streets. Rather this connects to that other aspect of dance which is about the ability to be creative, to give expression, and have a conversation through our wholeness of being - integrating mind into the body so that our thinking and our feeling find a natural point of integrity and alignment with our authentic self.

_Christos Daskalakos