dance AESTHETICS

“Beauty is how you feel inside and it reflects in your eyes.”

_Sophia Loren

Aesthetics comes from the Greek word “aesthetikos” meaning to perceive by the senses. Its meaning has evolved over time, especially in art and design, to mean something related to the appreciation of beauty. Beauty is perceived through the sense, whether we are looking at a painting, or listening to music. In dance, this perceiving not only extends to include all the senses but that which is perceiving is also the perceived. There is no distinction between the dancer and the dance. An extension to the perception of beauty is the interpretation and evaluation through which we transcend the sensual in order to ascribe meaning.

In dance, there is no separation between what is being created or danced, and meaning. Dance doesn’t really stand for something else. Dance is the focus which makes it an extremely powerful medium for understanding and making sense not only of ourselves but the wider world too. Through dance, life in all its colours is embodied. This allows us not only to experience the dance sensually through kinetic senses and proprioception but to uncover hidden truths about ourselves and the world. The dance becomes a mirror reflecting the depths of human experience in a way that could not be expressed with words.

Dance offers us a profound means of self-discovery through the fluidity of movement that intermingles with the senses, emotion, and self-expression. It becomes a testament to the richness, beauty, and wonder of the human spirit which opens up a transformative journey – one that allows us to truly appreciate the aesthetic experience of being alive.

_Christos Daskalakos

INTEGRATION DANCE

“Dance is one of the most perfect forms 

of communication with infinite intelligence.”

_Paulo Coelho

Movement and stillness – are opposites and yet both an integral part of dance.

Are movements simply the means by which we achieve our goals? Do we move simply to get somewhere?

As we step into the dance, it becomes crucial to remember that our movement holds a deeper essence than mere destinations or goals. If our focus is always on reaching an endpoint or goal, we risk losing the delightful raw sensations that come with being connected to the present moment as we dance. This becomes evident when we contrast the mindful awareness of being in the flow, with the mechanical execution of movement. There is a world of difference. And one of the keys to experiencing this is to dance with a heart wide open that allows us to feel fully – an immersion into each nuance of movement that unlocks the gateway to an ethereal realm of pure pleasure.

Ultimately it’s not an “either-or” but a” both-and”. While it may appear as if movement and stillness are mutually exclusive, in fact, we find that in the dance they intricately weave together to form an integral part of our experience of self. Integration is about dissolving the illusion of separation and duality to find a truth in the harmonious balance that allows us the fluidity and subtlety to enrich our experience of life. When dance becomes the mechanism for such integration we have the opportunity to infuse this experience of life with joy and fulfilment, simply through the practice of being fully present in the continuous flow of opposites.

_Christos Daskalakos

dance - non-linear?

“To dance is to be out of yourself. 

 Larger, more beautiful, more powerful.”

_Agnes de Mille

To dance is to enter into an enchanting world that transcends both body and movement. When the music captivates our soul, dance can become a mesmerising journey that seamlessly integrates mind, body, and emotions. Within this harmonious union, we dance into a space of profound self-expression that transcends all the boundaries of linear thoughts. We enter into spaces of myth and magic where time itself suspends its linearity and everything becomes timeless, spaceless, and expanded.

In these moments of dance, there is a fluid ever-evolving connection between me, the individual dancing, and me melting into the fusion of music and movement that becomes dance. Here we find a living embodiment of our innermost thoughts and feelings, an abstract representation of our personal life. Gone are the linear stories and memories we habitually draw on to create a sense of identity, and in their place, we surrender to experiencing the unpredictable, embracing, non-linear world of potentiality.

This pulsation between separation (Ego) and fusion (surrendering) is what uncovers the magical and transformative power of dance. By suspending the linear narrative that we perceive as our lives, we can enter the space-time of dance, embracing our authenticity in the moment of our most intense experiences, allowing our souls to shine through.

_Christos Daskalakos

Passion - Dance - Life!

“Great dancers are not great because of their technique, 

they are great because of their passion.”

_Marth Graham

The world of formal dance seems like a far cry from the perceived freedoms of the conscious dance community. On the one hand, it seems like a prerequisite for on-stage performance that a dancer is a master of technique – that conscious dance is all about free expression and emotion. As someone who has danced across both these worlds, I can say that there definitely are differences, but there are also many similarities. The power of dance after all does not discriminate.

On reflection, conscious dance is not the only place where personal development takes place. There are many lessons that one can extract from formal dance too. The first thing that comes to mind is that when professional dancers are learning choreographies they don’t dance flat out each time they go over a piece. They employ a movement reduction strategy called “marking” that involves a lot less energy as they focus on learning the routine as opposed to perfecting the movements. I wonder then how many of us go through life “marking”. Holding back our energies, we wait for the perfect moment for life to happen, instead of seizing the day, here now! “Marking” is for the theatre, not the stage of life itself.

Performing is also an interesting concept that has lost its original meaning of “to complete, accomplish”, and instead is associated more with play-acting. As much as a conscious dancer expresses emotion, a true star on the stage is able to feel deeply into the dance and execute it for the audience with passion. Dancers who play-act at depicting feeling and emotion are easily sorted out as shallow or mediocre dancers. Dance demands passion whether on stage or in a conscious dance environment – and then instead of “marking” we “perform” the dance and life so that it is possible to connect with the passion that gives both a deeper meaning.

_Christos Daskalakos

WHO is dancing?

 

Where do we look to find ourselves? 

For many, it’s in the past.  Defining ourselves from the stories that have long been, means that we define look and find ourselves in the past.  A place that has to be recreated through foggy memories and pent-up emotions.  A place that no longer exists except in the telling and retelling of those very tired stories.

So, who is here now?  Who am I when I let go of the past and quietly put the anxieties of the future to one side.  Who am I when I am fully present here now?  One of the ways in which these existential questions can be answered is through dance.  When we dance, our movements, our feelings, and our experiences are in the here-now.  When we connect with the dance and be fully present in our bodies, we begin to uncover our true selves.  If for a moment we let go of the past and dance fully in the presence of our presence, then what we uncover, and experience is peace, joy, and bliss.

_Christos Daskalakos