thoughts for naught...or not?

Session 2, Day 6
I presented the same question to the group as last time: what are you working on; what part of dancing do you want to improve? And it seemed like across the board, everyone wanted to think less and feel more, get out of our own heads when dancing, and more importantly…connect the mind and body when dancing so that you don’t get stuck in all the thoughts. This is a great goal to have and a huge challenge at hand. No matter what level your dancing technique is, all dancers are working on this. So don’t get discouraged if it seems like you’re not making progress. Because I can assure you that if you’re working on your dancing, attending class regularly, and are mindful about your goals, then you are definitely making headway on your path. We added some new exercises to our daily routine…After pliés and tendus, we learned rond de jambes – my favorite ballet exercise. I love the roundness and fullness of the movement as the leg makes half circles on the floor. I stressed the importance of keeping weight centered on both feet at all times. And even when the gesturing leg rising off the floor, I still have this feeling like I’m connected and support by the floor through the foot. So in general, when a part of my body leaves the floor, it never feels like it’s taking off into space. In rond de jambes, I also feel the opposition in my body, moving through my center, as I reach my arms forward when my leg reaches away. My arms, in this exercise, are essential to stability. Remembering to engage in the traps/back, reaching through the ring fingers, and a slight press downward (connecting to the floor once again) as if I’m resting my arms on a tabletop. We also added more to our connection exercises. We took this idea of connection and moved with our partners. This requires a lot of letting go and moving into (your partner) which sometimes becomes a very emotional task. Don’t’ worry. This is part of the process. But not necessarily what’s at stake. That is to say, let the emotions arise but let them go just as easily. The practice is just that – practice. Everyone in the class is doing an amazing job of staying open and positive. I recognize that this work sometimes requires a lot of deep self-evaluation and that can be scary at times. But I hope you all recognize how much fun that journey to self-discovery is, and how valuable that feeling of vulnerability is when you experience the sense of freedom on the other end…Moving on…we added some more movement to our phrase. It’s really coming along now. Everyone’s dancing looks more connected and people are dancing with more courage. It’s really great to watch the transformation. We’ll keep refining this phrase some more and dance a little for one another in class for the next time.