I’ve only started taking dance classes around a year and a half ago, but I could not fathom what my life was like before. The first dance class I took was a rhythm and motion class at ODC, and it felt like my heart was revived and I felt emotions that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Expressing yourself through movement when words will not suffice brings a joy and release that sparked my soul. Dance is more than just doing the right steps, more than the textures, but also the emotions you feel, a way of communication that transcends language. And it's important to do things that you feel good doing.
An aspect that makes dance fun is that it has given me a new dimension to my relationship with music. At the most basic level, it forces you to not just passively listen to music in the background, but to actively listen to the lyrics, the beat, the instruments. Maybe you will hear a new instrument or rhythm in the song from the choreo. Maybe you will have a new interpretation of the lyrics. Furthermore, you now have a physical manifestation of the song. And you can have so many interpretations, as we are sharing a part of ourselves with the world. So not only do the choreographer's vision of the song, but also how you want to make it your own.
Relatedly, dance has helped me find a way to express myself. Finding how to dance and perform more than just knowing the steps while staying true to the choreography. And creating my own choreography or freestyling is how I can bring my thoughts about music into the physical realm. And that’s been a struggle for me to understand that I do have a voice in this world and it does matter. I can share my voice and my opinions and feelings even if they aren’t perfect and meticulously thought out. ESPECIALLY if they aren’t perfect. We are not here to impress everyone, we’re here to have fun and share our human experiences with each other, and what is more human than being imperfect. And in dance, we celebrate these imperfections and we build each other up and encourage everyone to put your voice on the table instead of judging one another for not being perfect. How important it is in life to have a safe space where mistakes are encouraged, where we have the privilege to try things out and be silly and look dumb, where we accept that not all ideas will be perfect and nevertheless we will continue to use our creativity.
Recently, I have been reflecting on my thoughts about the external and internal states of dance. On one hand, dance (especially hip hop dance) is a very community oriented activity: we dance with each other. We take classes to improve our execution so we can speak our dance language clearer or express our emotions externally better. We do our freestyle circles to share movement and ideas with each other. We choreograph together or share choreos with each other to share our interpretation of music as well. I don’t know if there can be dance without a community. Dance is meant to be shared. But perhaps sometimes trees make sounds when they fall if no one is there to hear it. Not having an audience takes away any external validation or pressure I have to impress others. Even though the aim is not to impress others, there’s just something different about being by yourself. To know that these are moments that are solely for your own internal feelings, and that this feeling you are expressing is a secret between just yourself. So perhaps dance can also be extremely personal and private.
My favorite part about dance has been the community. How lovely it is to have friends and bond with them through such a fun activity. To create new memories through song and dance that touches my heart and soul. It’s been difficult in my adult life to find a community that I belong in, and I am grateful everyday to have found this dance community.