“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost.”
_Martha Graham – a pioneer of Modern Dance
Somewhere between the vital, energetic, and flexible bodies of childhood and now, things change. As we grow set in our ways, the body loses its flexibility as it follows predetermined patterns of behaviour. But even sadder are the bodies that become frozen in time. Frozen as defence mechanisms against emotional overload. Or frozen as disconnected machines due to trauma. This is noticeable in various movement or lack of movement patterns. Inflexible spines, dissociated limbs or even bodies that move zombie-like around the world, with hardly a twitch as if, to move means to be exposed, vulnerable and open to life.
The more we protect and shield ourselves from the world, the less we move. However, the stiffness and hardness of the armoured body means that it not only keeps out all threat and danger, but it also disconnects us from life. Rigidity blocks the vital energy and force that is our expression of life. Vitality ebbs away and the body becomes frozen.
Movement is the key. And even more powerful is movement that involves emotion and feeling. Dance is the movement. Music is the emotion. When we combine these in a safe and holding environment it is possible to unfreeze the body bit by bit. Each time we reach out into our dance we invite the body to let go a little more. Each time we connect to joy in our dance, we invite our heart to trust life a little more. Each time we find pleasure in our dance, we reconnect to life in deeper and more meaningful ways.
Vitality is expressed through the dance – and life takes up the invitation to reinhabit that beautiful body of the child, innocent, playful and full of joy.
_Christos Daskalakos
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