dance_ephemeral

“When you pray, move your feet!”

_African Proverb

The fleeting nature of dance can be a profound lesson in the ceaseless ebb and flow of life. Similar to Heraclitus’s ever-changing river, our dances are momentary sparks flickering through our experience. Once danced, the movement evaporates into the ephemeral stream of existence. Yet through the power that is dance, each movement is la whisper to the body sharing the secrets of life.

Life mirrors dance. We can never dance the same dance twice. Once danced, we cannot go back to the beginning and repeat it. The music may be on repeat, but the experience of the dance is a different experience, each time. From my experience on stage, I know how the same piece can feel different in each performance. The palette of feelings that each performance elicits depends on so many factors. And yet once the curtain goes up, the dancers move into the dance, fully passionate and excitement as if it was the first time.

The body keeps moving, the mind wanders into the past and future. Our bodies are firmly grounded in the present moment, acknowledging the sensations of the here and now. It is a vessel, a conduit through which the essence of life flows, where the tactile experience of the world is felt and expressed. In stark contrast the mind is not confined by the limitations of time or space. Instead, like a lone wanderer, it is free to revisit the echoes of the past, linger on memories and stories past. Or, launching into the yet-to-be-written chapters of life, indulging the imagination with feelings of fear, aspirations, and sometimes empty promises.

Dance is the anchor that connects us to our bodies, where experience without distraction can deepen and enrich life. Life in all its glory – ever changing, ever flowing on its cosmic journey.

_Christos Daskalakos