“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
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