Soul Connection
As you read this, please picture the most beautiful/interesting movements you can imagine. It makes the story better. Otherwise, I just seem like a crazy person. If you think that is more fun, feel free.
Usually, in my dance practice, my starting point is in a chosen area (a dance studio, a stage, my living room, a specific site) and in a certain zone of concentration, that is I have an idea, a concept, a song, an emotion, or a movement that guides my choices. One day, I wanted to work with other dancers, but there was no one available. So, I went outside. There are always some people somewhere outside.
I walked out without a plan, to just let intuition and meetings guide me. The first thing I realised, maybe from insecurity, was that I wasn’t sure how or even if I wanted to move as I travelled down the street. What outside inspires me to move? Should I contain all “alternative” movement practices to designated areas?
I gradually found ways to move and realised that I would quickly develop new skills and movement qualities if I always moved outside that way. I traveled streets and parks waiting to meet someone. How do you meet a stranger through movement without seeming scary, crazy, or flirtatious? I was very careful, and people were surprisingly open and smiley. There were only three people that responded to my movements with movements of their own. Amazing! It felt like connecting on a soul-level and I became hyperaware of how absolutely amazing it is to meet another person who is on this planet at the same time as me. I became very curious about all the people to meet and how beautiful life would be if we lived in awe of the magic of existing together.
Even after this though, it’s still hard to dare to initiate a meeting. I’m interested in exploring ways to move and ways to meet people through movement. There is a lot of potential to connect and enjoy life through movement. There seem to be endless possibilities of finding new movements and ways of moving together, which I hope to develop further. I also hope others will be inspired to move more and develop possibilities further. I invite you to search for new movements in your everyday life, and new ways to move with those around you. I don’t know if it’s art, but it’s healthy and beautiful and everything good.
I started picturing different martial arts to go with the story, which made it very interesting! I had a module in a class where we explored how bodies move through museum galleries and the entire concept escaped me, but I found it really intriguing. But framing it through collaboration makes me look at it differently.
Haha, now I’m trying to imagine what you imagined! Martial arts definitely demands an awareness of others. I don’t want to force people to move, collaboration is requisite.
There is a connection between movement and architecture, buildings are designed based on how we move, and people move based on building designs. There should be more adult playgrounds. I work hard to suppress movement impulses when I am in galleries. The big open spaces and sensory stimulation make me want to move. Instead, I hold my hands behind my back and nod at the paintings.
Wow! This is so incredibly fun to read and makes me so happy. You are so good at writing and telling that I picture myself with you in the story. I love to dance myself, but preferably at home or at a party or a dance floor. Considering that this is Kristiansand, I am very impressed that you dared to use the streets and parks as your dance floor and meet people through dance. It is really inspiring. The feeling of meeting a stranger through dance at a party or a club is so lovely, and you managed to create that outside.
Thank you for your kind words. It did demand some courage and I did feel brave. It was quite empowering, so I recommend trying it, even on a small scale. Maybe we can dance together on Lesvos 🙂
This is great, your writing style is so engaging and uplifting. I love how you start by asking us to imagine movements, it really shifts the way you read the piece by being engaged like that at the beginning. I would love for you to think about how you might use movement to meet people in Greece, or to move with other students and instructors in our time together. I agree that movement can be such a nice way to connect, especially beyond language. I look forward to learning with and from you.