Dance

Someone asked me recently to reflect on what dancing meant to me. It’s kinda funny to do a serious intentional meditation on something so nonserious, but I like theirs so I think it is cool

Solo dancing and partner dancing are very different.

Solo dancing is like the most base dancing, it is simply moving the body to the beat. Doing this reminds me how not serious life is and how fun it can be, and to not be too in my head. I remember the rest of my body and just let go. It is a joy and a gift to remember that you can do this. It’s literally free, and any reason not too is usually just a silly excuse that makes you sound uptight.

Partner dancing as a leader is very different. It’s still a lot of fun, but some of that fun is vicarious, because the follower has a role that is much closer to solo dancing, and as the leader you also have a job to do. It is providing the structure, inspiring and supporting in every way all the fun, and sharing and not getting in the way of the animator, the face of the operation from the outside looking in. It’s like the most fun collaborative project. It has the potential of keeping everything wonderful from solo dance, and adding the beauty of sharing and collaboration and role playing. Sometimes it is great communication, sometimes it is not. Sometimes it feels silly and goofy; sometimes it feels really intimate; sometimes it feels like a shallow business transaction.

Both forms I also enjoy a sort of athleticism in just moving through the physical world, and accepting that this is where I live at this moment and making the most of that.

Dancing is a gift from God, and it is always a joy!