Connection and Nina Simone!

I love this class so much and can't wait for the next round! I truly feel so much more aware of how I move through the world, both good and bad (inflexibility! ack!). I was totally feeling like a kettle of water about to boil yesterday too (in terms of emotions built up from the week), and it's amazing how scary it can be to confront emotions and to find a way to move through them, as you were saying. The improv exercise was really hard for me, because I felt like it asked me to do something I never have to do in a given day, which is to not only connect with people but also invent with them. I felt a bit like a kindergartener learning how to read as I was trying to improv! I felt like I was learning a whole new language, even different from the language we've been learning in the class so far. It also made me realize how less fun it is when you are only aware of yourself moving. When we did across-the-floor exercises all together, I really began to understand what it feels like when you really use your whole body to connect (not just your eyes) with a group, when you sense each other moving. It is so cool -- it made me feel stronger or more grounded! I'd love to push myself to be braver in connection exercises. Last week, when we did our combination facing the opposite wall, I was completely discombobulated. But I think if I used the group more instead of the room, I wouldn't get so lost. Lastly, I LOVE it when we dance our combination to different songs and experiment with different emotions and contexts. It's just so fun to try to tell a story on top of it all. I'm learning how to sing right now too, and it's amazing how similar the challenges in dancing are to those in singing. Sometimes I catch myself being so concerned with technique and am-I-doing-it-right, and my singing teacher constantly has to remind me to have fun, tell a story, let go, relax! This class makes it really easy to try all of those things at once. Thank you so much!

Sarah