The Body Needs To Dance
Something’s afoot in the world. People are dancing more! Boundaries have dissolved and we’re discovering that dance is not only something we watch other people perform on stages. We can all dance, whether in gyms, Zumba, line or contra-dances, meet-ups, library sponsored classes (Yay, libraries!), salsa clubs, or via TikTok, Instagram and YouTube in our own living rooms.
In my life, I am beyond thrilled to return to dance after an injury-induced 25- year hiatus. During those non-dancing years, I discovered Qigong: “energy cultivation”. Energy is exactly what dance always gave me, but it came at a price: over-use injuries. The gentle, joint-healing flow of Qigong helped me cultivate the patience I needed to recover from those set-backs, including two major orthopedic surgeries. Now, I love coaching Zoom Qi-sters who are going through healing crisis of their own. I know it works! Keep moving, keep flowing, and you’ll keep healing.
Dance heals us, too. It gives us back our joy. “We all have a body, a body that needs to dance” says Gia Kourlas in the NY Times. Perhaps especially these days, when the world and the season can feel dark and overwhelming, dance is true medicine, but with no side-effects. And did you know that in a study of 11 different types of activity, including tennis, cycling, golf, etc., researchers found that only dance lowered the risk of dementia? Qigong and Tai Qi came in a very close second. (Verghese et al. 2003). More about this in next week’s newsletter.
Saturday, our World Dance Jammers steamed up the windows on Front Street in Millbrook. It brought me right back into the memory of lively, sweaty NYC dance studios from my past when I was a professional dancer. My goal for everyone on Saturday, however, had nothing to do with professional perfection and everything to do with creating a space where we could all have fun, whip up some good energy, drop stress, and maybe learn a few cool new dance moves in the process. I’d say we did it! It was a total blast. If you were among the World Dance Jammers on Saturday, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me the opportunity to return to what has always been the foundation of my life: dance. And for those of you who aren’t able to join us in person, I am working on a few ideas for how we might do a Zoom version of World Dance Jam. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, wherever you are, dance! It’s fun, and I bet you agree: we can all use some more fun.