When I say “dance”, I don’t mean the over-analysed-I-can’t-even-smile-because -I’m-too-busy-thinking-about-what-the-next-step-is sort of dance. I mean dance like no-body’s watching even if the whole world is. I mean dancing from the soul, I mean dancing that connects you with something you didn’t even know existed. I mean dancing like it’s going out of fashion…you get my point.
When I was a teenager – and I stress: a teenager – I went through the “normal” motions of self-consciousness of that age. I quickly realised (but perhaps couldn’t articulate so well) that what I was experiencing wasn’t “normal” behaviour, that what I was feeling was an imposition to my self expression and that not only was it not “normal”, it was inhibiting. I was out one night, feeling too self-conscious to dance and refused to accept any of my friends’ invitations to the dance-floor for fear of embarrassing myself. After successfully resisting all my soulful urges to dance, I went home feeling deeply disappointed, decidedly devoid and dissatisfied. I realised that I thought too much about what other people would think and that somehow destroyed my displacement to the dancefloor. “That can’t be right”, I thought. Now that can’t be “normal”, I say. That was the night I got over that self-consciouness. Just like that (snap of fingers): one decision to never feel that disappointment again.
Fast forward to me as a grown woman, loving every moment of life, especially when dancing…and going out, inviting people to dance, then: freeze frame (with record spin sound): hearing the “I’m embarrassed” cry. Now let’s think about this logically: nope, can’t do. There is no logical explanation for grown men and women (or anyone for that matter) to feel embarrassed about expressing themselves through dance. Embarrassed of what, of whom, for what?
Dance isn’t born of a logical thought. Therefore it cannot be rationalised. Full stop. It’s innate, it’s tribal and it’s the most fun activity that I can think of: it’s natural, you can do on your own or with anyone (you don’t even have to know them) at anytime. It’s exhilarating exercise, soul satisfying, tribal self expression.
Anything or anyone that stops you from doing exactly what you want to do, when you want to do it, is abnormal, unhealthy, unnatural.
Now THINK: who or what is stopping you? Tick, tock, tick, tock….I’ll give you a hint: it’s a person. Tick, tock, tick, tock….Another hint: that person isn’t someone sitting across the bar staring at you, because let’s face it: if it were that person prohibiting you from doing something that you want to do, then somehow they would be controlling your life decisions and that wouldn’t make sense. Getting too deep? Stick with me, it’s nearly over..Tick, tick, tick, tick, boom! You got it: it’s YOU! That’s right, you heard it here first folks: no-one else is responsible for making you feel that embarrassment apart from you! Or shall I say: your mind…your thoughts.
DON’T THINK about who’s watching or even what you’re doing on the dancefloor. Dance for us mere mortals isn’t about choreography (as beautiful as that is). When I dance, I dance to the rhythm of my soul – music just guides me. I challenge you to do the same: Just DANCE.
Tx
