The concept of dance has always been an interesting topic to me. The why, when, and how of it all. When I was growing up I didn't know how to even find the rhythm of a song. I was that awkward child that would clap off beat and make up random moves to which ever song graced my ears. I wish I could say I danced like no one was watching... but that confidence didn't come until many years later.
As many young kids do during their primitive creative years...my cousin, sister, and I used to create "show-stopping" numbers to perform in front of our ever-supportive family. They dutifully all sat front row in the living room and even through stifled giggles would Oooo and Awww from the moment we entered "stage left" to our dramatic final bow.
Now, if i'm being honest I was definitely the weak link in the ensemble. As much as some would say i'm being hard on myself....there are others (my sister and cousin mainly) who might put it a bit harsher. I was incapable of doing as simple of a move as a dice roll while crossing my feet. To my horror, one day they decided to add a circular rotation to the mix which meant at one point I would be center stage. They mercifully sped up the rotation at any of these particular points so my center stage moment was limited.
This bit of inconvenience would continue to follow me into my teenage days. At 15, the tomboy in me decided that the only sport I had never participated in was cheerleading... thus I enrolled for the rest of the semester. After my sister got over her initial bewilderment, and against her better judgment, she graciously coached me to help me overcome my musical deficiencies.
In college I began to really embrace dance and spent years taking classes and eventually leading a couple of my own. I found a connection to dance through salsa and the beats of my latin heritage. I came into a period of my life of true confidence and enjoyed the sexuality that dancing allowed me to feel as well. I fell in love with it and continued to carry these lessons throughout my adulthood.
So it's safe to say that my journey with dance has been an interesting one. It wasn't until recently that I started to reflect on why my passion for dance was so unwavering now. While reading a book that someone suggested for me, I came across a definition that really hit home. The book is called The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi. (Side note: if you haven't read this gem.... I highly suggest it.)
In one of the passages Ichiro says the following: The kind of life that you speak of, which tries to reach a destination, may be termed a “kinetic (dynamic) life.” The kind of dancing life I am talking about could be called an “energeial (actual-active-state) life” (the process itself is treated as the outcome).
I spent a couple of days reflecting on this perspective. It made me question how many people that I knew were currently living their life just to reach a destination. Unfortunately the answer was too many.
And when I thought of the metaphor of using dancing to describe the alternative option I found myself loving it more and more. One might also think of it as movement in which the process itself is treated as the outcome. Dance is like that, and so is a journey.
The way I see it....I go dancing to have fun and I truly enjoy my time doing it. However, the measurement of my enjoyment is not based on a particular end goal. It is not based on dancing to "X" amount of songs, or doing particular kind of moves, or whether or not anyone claps for me at the end.
Imagine asking someone to go out dancing and their response was, "well for what purpose?".....
After my initial shock I would probably respond with...
"What do you mean?
The purpose of dancing is IN ITSELF to dance."
And this same shock should be applied with life. Instead of looking at life with an end goal in mind, if asked what it's purpose is....one would respond with...
"What do you mean?
The purpose of life is IN ITSELF to live. "
....and on that final thought, I think tonight I'll go dancing <3
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