Let go and just dance.

Kim Gower | May 20, 2008 | 1

one of my students "letting loose" and dancing :)

The other day I was driving down a crowded busy DC street when something...someone...caught the corner of my eye.

There she was.  A girl listening to her ipod and dancing down the street.  Yes, dancing...not walking, not jogging but dancing.

Here was this girl, on a crowded DC street in the middle of rush-hour not caring what she looked like or what others were thinking.  She kept dancing all the way down that street.

It made me smile and wonder when was the last time I just danced with no reservations and no agenda?  

As dancers and dance teachers we of course spend a lot of time dancing.  In class we spend most of our time dancing to what we're given or taught.  Or even while we're choreographing it's more thinking than dancing.

When was the last time you just "let loose" and let the movement guide you?

It takes us back to the simple question, why do we love to dance?

Is it just to entertain and do the perfect arabesque? Or is it something more?

One of my most favorite moments in my college career was an early morning in my advanced composition class.  My professor felt that we were choreographing too much in our minds and not our bodies.  She turned down the lights so that we couldn't really see each other (this could've been dangerous...especially early in the morning before we had our coffee but we managed ;) ).  Then she put on the music and told us to dance.  Not to think.  Not to worry about what others were doing. But to dance.

It was one of the most freeing, enjoyable moments I had in a long time.  It took me back to my childhood when I would lock myself in my room and dance for hours...for the simple joy of it.

After a while she stopped the music and turned on the lights...class was over.  What felt like a few minutes was in reality 50 minutes of pure dancing and nothing else.

In the dance world today, it can be hard to "just dance".  We get held down by the expectations, agendas and even the competition with our fellow dancers.  Yes, we need to focus on technique and performance, but we can't lose the meaning of why we dance.

So I encourage you to find a time this week to let go and dance. Like the girl dancing her way down that busy city street. Don't worry what others think.  Don't think. Just dance.

For you, it may be in an empty studio late at night or backstage while waiting at rehearsal.  If you're a teacher, you may try a similar activity with your students.  Remind them and share with them of the joy found in dancing.

I'll leave you with the words that Samuel Beckett once wrote:
"Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order."  

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Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Modern, Broadway, Ballroom, Teacher, Enthusiast (all tags)