Dance is a powerful tool that illuminates many areas of my life. I have always felt that the truths of life can be found in nature, art, the human experience, and dance. If we take the time to closely observe anything for a certain amount of time, truths will start to become clear that can be applied to many aspects of our lives. Today, I wish to share my journey in dance and how the lessons I have begun to learn have helped me grow as a dancer and as a human.
I believe that many of life's "secrets" are not secrets at all. They are common pieces of advice we have heard over and over again, to the extent of making them platitudes. We have heard them with such frequency that these truths numb us from their meaning and block us from truly absorbing them, and even less applying them to our lives.
Love is the answer.
Everything happens for a reason.
"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."
Wayne Dyer
We have all heard something echoing the same sentiment of the last quote, but how many of us actually embrace this truth? I have encountered a similar truth in dance and have awoken to its power in my dance growth and my development as a human in general. It takes more than hearing something to embrace it; it takes experiential wisdom. Here is my experience that shone a light on this truth.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I started dancing a lot more by myself. The power of finding the joy of dancing alone, especially if you only dance social dance styles, should not be overlooked. To express, forgive, feel, and try new things is a journey that begins with ourselves. From there, and only there, we can truly share it with another. It all begins with us.
During this time of dancing alone, I started watching myself much more in the mirror and even more painfully at the start, through videos. I knew this was a great way to learn, but to go back and watch some of the videos was truly painful. The embarrassment I would feel at times would be enough to stop my practice. It's sad to say, but it's the truth. Most of us have this cringe reaction when we hear our recorded voice or look at ourselves on video, especially dancing. However, within this "normal" reaction, there was gold to be found.
Over time, I got braver and would be better able to handle watching myself dancing alone. There were still moments that would shatter my confidence, and I would have to start dancing slowly without momentum to build myself back up. But then something happened: I didn't magically reach perfection. I still had some unpleasant feelings at watching myself dance, but I was able to see this feeling in a much different way that changed everything.
Every time I had a bad reaction to watching myself dance, every time something didn't sit well with me or made me cringe, those were moments where I knew I was not doing my best. My eyes were trained enough to see little flaws and errors, and since I could see them, I could fix them. Wow... if that was the case, then every time I didn't completely love what I saw on the video, it was a chance of growth, self-coaching, and improvement.
This change in perception had and continues to have a large effect on my dancing. Not only does it allow me to continue to grow and clean my dancing, but it also gives me the boldness and energy to play around in my dance. Now that mistakes are truly something I see as a chance to learn, I am urged to push, to make mistakes, to play.
With this loss of fear and judgment, we are more able to gain our ever-important momentum. Judgment falls by the wayside, and the energy which was once the powerful critic now goes towards expression, towards fully allowing what is inside of you to be released as movement. It is here alone we can find that edge, where our ability meets our limits and is mixed with creativity simultaneously to create true expression and art. This place for me opens a world of dreams, ideas, and pure energy which has the ability to truly change my life and the reality I live in.
Find this moment, and from it, let its water bear fruits in all aspects of our lives.
Chris Pasco 🍍
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