Weekend Wind Down

This post is following the last out of order, but I had to write about the weekend I had. This past weekend was one of the best I have had in awhile, although thinking about it, I have had some pretty damn good weekends lately. I really have nothing to complain about. :)

Friday rolled along, quicker than expected, after an uplifting and motivating meeting with my new boss about my current progress in this position. All good things, with thoughts of moving forward. I left work feeling rejuvinated, and excited for a night out with my crazy fun Brit friend Tessa, who I don't think I could ever go out with and have a bad time. We had decided earlier on in the week that we would venture out to some new dance clubs in the city for some good ol' fashion let your hair down girl fun! The venue: Felt nightclub, a popular venue in the city, good for pool, socializing and of course, dancing. The place was empty when we first arrived, so we decided to head next door to the latin club, Mojitos for some salsa and reggaetone. The music brought us both back to our seperate experiences in South America. When we needed a change of scene, we headed back to Felt to the top floor to check out the supposedly amazing DJ who comes every Friday. Wow, was I surprised! This DJ was honestly the only one who has kept me on the dance floor the entire night, I even took his card at the end of the night because of how impressed I was! We danced the rest of the night away, until we could no longer stand or sweat, and headed home for the night. As Tessa and I hugged goodbye, laughing, we both simultaneously blurted out "so much fun!" That, it was.

Dance Therapy

"The use of dance as a therapeutic tool is founded in the idea that body and mind are completely integrated. While the relationship between the mind and body is constantly being explored, theorised and discussed, the whole area certainly highlights the ingenuity of the creation and masterpiece in the human being."

"The theory underlying dance therapy is that body movement reflects the inner state of the human, and that by moving the body within a guided therapeutic setting, a healing process begins. Emerging inner conflicts and issues from the unconscious to the consciousness of the person are addressed on all levels - physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Seeking the full integration of mind and body, and bringing harmony between all the aforementioned levels of the human being is what dance therapy is all about (Evelyn Defina, Head of Dance, Wesley Institute for Ministry & the Arts)."

This is a good segway into the day that I had yesterday. The day was going ok, still attempting to adjust to a quiet, little to do, job. I attempted to keep my mind busy all day yesterday in hopes of not overthinking the world or overanalyzing myself into a coma. For the most part, I did pretty well! It's interesting having a lot of downtime to yourself during the day, I have been learning and exploring different parts of myself and my life, things I love and things I could do without. It is an interesting process, and an incredible opportunity to take a deep breath, learn patience and practice being in the moment. My day ended as planned at 4:30 yesterday, and I was all geared up to do some grocery shopping and head to dance for the first time in a number of weeks. I was excited to begin the rest of my day, only to walk out to the pouring rain and discover that my car had been towed from the street. Trying to stay calm and out of the rubble of my own misery, I proceed to dump my day and my feelings onto my mother, my brother and my loving boyfriend. Nice, right? My apologies to those. After an hour of debacle, I reached my car and paid my $93 to get my car on back on the road. I was so angry that a tow man could ruin the rest of my day, and decided to still venture to dance class after sitting in about an hour of traffic and convincing myself there would be no parking because of the Celtics game. But sure enough, God threw me a bone and there was parking all over the place! The rain kept people away, just in time for me to make my 6pm dance class. In class, all was peaceful. Mind, body and soul. I sweated out every ounce of anger, every negative thought, everything that had entered my path in the day and I used my soul for good and poured myself onto the floor. Moments and days like yesterday remind me never to forget to do what you love.

I hope you dance

Since I have started this blog (yesterday) my mind has been filled with thoughts of how dance and movement has touched my own life. For me, movement comes hand in hand with music. Those who know me, seldom see me standing still, and even less so when music is present. I was reflecting this morning on times in my life where dance has really been therapy and also a happy outlet for me when times have been tough. When I was in high school, both my mother and aunt were sick with cancer. It was a very difficult time for me, and I remember a song attached to that experience that I will never listen to and not think of my mom or my aunt. It is called "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack. I remember my mom playing it when she was sick, and how inspired I was by the song and what it stood for. My message for this post is that life is measured by small moments; don't take any one for granted. Love richly, live freely, and savor the moments.

"I Hope You Dance"

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances, but they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out, reconsider
Give the heavens above, more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you still feel small When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance I hope you dance

From the beginning of time, there was movement. Language came secondary, while movement spanned as a form of communication across animals and humans alike, uniting them in a unique way. Dance and movement has now become a way of artistic expression and reliant communication stretching from different cultures, countries and languages. I was browsing different photos of dancers and came across the one here and became inspired by the overlap that happens between dance and culture. This particular picture was taken in India, where dance is an intricate form of art. Dance in India is based on mudras, or hand formations, and their meanings and categorizations. All the dance forms revolve around the nine rasas or emotions, Hasya (happiness), krodha (anger), bhibasta (disgust), bhaya (fear), shoka (sorrow), viram (courage), karuna (compassion), adbhuta (wonder) and shanta (serenity). All dance forms follow the same hand gestures or hasta mudras for each of these rasas. The dances differ where the local guru has adapted it to local demands and needs.

It is no secret that movement is a uniting force, and I intend to connect all that is movement to all forms of artistic expression.