Thoughts on Dance

Dance, dance, dance ... what a beautiful word to describe the total relaxation of body and mind. Dance has always interested me, but at the same time scared me, I fled from it more than once... why do I have so little confidence in this art form? I experienced dancing as a teenager  in the disco. I loved to wiggle, pretending to be the stars of my era ... I danced to the sounds of The Cure, Simple Minds and others like Claude François, Abba, Boney M, Village People... Was it just dancing or some anonymous means of communication in the shallowness of the disco? The crowd allowed us to escape, the noise intoxicated us, the smoke hid us. The dancing was not something  felt deep down inside, it was nothing but an instrument for entertainment.

 

When Malaïka told me of her dance class it got me interested, again, but at the same time my mind was telling me: you’re useless, you can’t dance, you're too wooden .. . dancing? Real men don’t dance... My mind was set for many months but yet ... I felt my body telling me "go on" ... I Dare you ... DO IT, what does it matter if other students make fun of you? But there is always this constant message in my head... you can’t dance, you're useless! Then one day I made up my mind and I went.

 

This is a brave decision for me! Just in front of the studio door ... the words keep repeating in my head: I can’t dance, I'm not flexible ...! Where does this thinking come from? Feeling shy, I enter the room ... Wow! Parquet floor,  fixed bars ... ... mirrors ...

 

Will I be able to support seeing myself in the mirror, all stiff and wooden?

 

The welcome from the group is warm, the emanating energy reassuring with an incredible respect for everyone, I feel almost at ease ... I hate this mirror ... so I stand at the back of the room! I look constantly at  Malaïka to follow her movements, or rather to escape the mirror. Some movements to warm-up, my body seems to like it ... a great victory over my mind ... no, it’s impossible ... I’m useless!

 

Inhale with the movement, exhale when relaxing the body, feel the weight, the liquidity ... my body is alive! Mr. Mind is forced to bow to the greater well-being of the entire body. After my first class, my accumulated fatigue is gone, I feel light and happy.

 

It seems to be something bigger, I feel stronger and more in tune with my body. What surprises me is that the people I pass in the street after class look at me more than usual ... could it be that my happiness is felt through my physiology? In the days that follow, little by little, Mr. Mind starts to speak again... you don’t have time for the course, it’s a waste of time, you're useless, you're too wooden ... you don’t deserve to feel good ... I find all sorts of excuses for not allowing myself to have the feeling of experiencing my body through motion. I was not always very diligent ...

 

I have been practicing dance with Malaïka weekly for 8 years now... and I don’t ask questions any more, dance has become a need, it’s part of my life. This technique created by Malaïka is good for the body, soul and spirit. It establishes a "holistic" consciousness that creates harmony and equilibrium in life. The body relaxes, loosens up, the mind opens, the stiffness goes away, a new vision of life is established, a real balm for the soul. 

 

This is magic, and more than that, it is consciousness in the body that helps to find equilibrium in life and transforms our perceptions of the world around us and of our deepest self. D.C.