By Anne Round
Published The Magic Happens Magazine June 2021
Photo by Ian Sparks used with permission.
“Dance, dance wherever you may be” is my improvised words from the song; Lord of the Dance. It is a tune that runs through my head frequently. I sing this one line on repeat because the other lyrics escape me. It reminds me that all of life is a dance, a relationship of movement.
The movement of the stars, the planets, and the moon traversing the sky is a dance. It is the wind whispering sweet nothings and jostling the leaves as it swirls through the trees. Dance is the orchestration of the cosmos, call and response energies that transform through motion into fresh creations. The exchange of love energy between beings is the waltz of connection. Our emotions and thoughts do the shuffle in our energy fields, continually changing. The physical leaping, twirling, and foot-stomping are our muscles and joints expressing their range. Dance is universal, happening everywhere you care to look.
Dance has provided me with a healthy, safe, and welcomed relief from the restriction of the pandemic. Since late winter, a small group of us have gathered weekly in a park surrounded by trees. Our host provides us, each, with a headset that receives music transmitted from her computer, one of the delights of modern technology. We dance around, moved by the music for an hour and a half. It has been a special treat to watch the various trees coming into bloom week by week. The weather has been kind to us; it has not rained on us. Some days, we have had to bundle up in toques and gloves; other days, we are stripping layers off. No matter the weather, every week, it is a pleasure to dance on the green grass and feel the earth beneath my feet.
Dancing my prayers is a practice I have enjoyed for 18 years. I began following the 5Rhythms® work of Gabrielle Roth that brought healing, expansion, and rejuvenation into my life through weekly sessions and workshops. The music spoke to my soul, and the ability to move as my body desired was blissful. I found my creative expression through movement once again. I had been a figure skater in my youth; the dance floor replaced the ice rink. Dance gave me a place to express anything and everything. I would dance frustration about my kids, grief around loss, boredom from routine, and joy of being alive. I explored all my emotional states on the dance floor, being with whatever arose at the moment and allowing it to move me. There were times of shifting of energy, silly moments, ecstatic glimpses, and prayerful dedications to living life as it is.
As I continue to participate in conscious dance. It is a space to bring my prayers into motion. I get to align with all that I am and to feel connected to everything beyond time and space. It is a moving meditation that fills me with joy and aliveness. Dance brings me a lightness that I can carry into the world beyond the dance floor.
Creating Love in Motion:
A favorite moment of movement joy is kitchen dancing. Catch a tune and let your body respond. Do a quick side shuffle, a bouncing step, or a fancy twirl. Pause and let the music tickle your feet, sway your body or stretch your arms. A little waltz with a beloved is magic in the kitchen. Take short movement moments while the dinner is cooking. Just remember to keep your eye on the stove also!
May music move you, body, and soul.
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