Last Tuesday afternoon, this question became the philosophical muse of my train journey home from Sydney.
I was reading a great (dance) book by Eric Franklin (which I will come back to later, and because it is very worthy of discussion, I will dedicate a post to in the near future).
But, with the background noise of snoring and people complaining to friends and spouses on their mobile phones, coupled with my tiredness from an early start, it was a little hard to concentrate…so I gave in to my reflective and contemplative mood, and began to consider - “Why is it that I love to dance?”.
If you search the net with phrases such as “why dance?”, you will frequently find references to what I call “benefits”. Generally about fitness, flexibility - physical things. Now I fully agree that these are benefits of dance - very good reasons to dance and certainly things I enjoy about dancing, but in my opinion that is not WHY I dance. So why then?
Well, of course there is also the fun and social aspect. No doubt this has played a huge part in the roaring popularity of salsa, bachata and various other latin styles and other partner dances. Again all fantastic arguements of why someone should take up dancing.
But I guess what I’m really talking about is something different again. I’m not referring to all the logical points and arguements that would be structured into a debate to try convince someone that dancing is a good thing…quite the opposite in fact.
Have you ever seen a person who is so passionate about something (be it dance, singing, whatever), stumble over their words and slip into cliches and corny sentiments when explaining their love for what they do?
Well true, sometimes it may be that they are just not very good public speakers, but I also believe that sometimes the thing you love is so much a part of your essence; it is engrained in who you are, and it is kind of hard to express in words.
Ok, perhaps that sounds a little intense. And I do acknowledge that for many people who dance, their WHY is purely for one of the “benefits” I discussed ealier. And of course that is perfectly ok. In fact, another time I’ll go into those things benefits a little more.
For me however, I know dance is part of who I am, and my WHY hard to put into words.
What is the why for you?
Regardless of where you stand, I do believe this is a valid question, because it will help you define your goals, expectations and actions.
What do I mean? Well, simply put, if you’re attending dance classes for the first time in your life, and your WHY is to have fun and meet new people while getting a bit of exercise, treat it that way!
Do not judge your ability or compare yourself to those who have been dancing their whole lives and want to dance professionally.
Of course for the dancer aspiring to a career in dance (or already pursuing one), you will have a different focus.
In my opinion if you fall into the second category (want to, or already dance professionally), your WHY will be more than a “benefit”…or at least I hope so.
Keeping this in mind, don’t loose yourself and your expression as a slave to technique.
By all means, continue to develop and challenge your physical ability but to quote Eric Franklin in Conditioning for Dance 
“Technique is not an end in itself; it cannot stand alone, without feeling and expression.”
That feeling and expression is part of what makes an audience fall in love with a dancer; why sometimes you’re unable to take your eyes off one dancer despite the amazing technical feats of another dancing right beside them…
It happens when you infuse a part of you into your dancing; making it much more than just a physical act.
Of course “What is dance?” is a whole other topic in itself - one worth delving into another time.
Speaking of other topics, I’m very tempted to go right ahead and tell you about something I’ve come across today that is not only very interesting, but links in rather well with this discussion…
But, perhaps it’s better to leave you in your own contemplations before adding more for the brain to process, so I will save it for tomorrow.
Until then, wherever you are own your dance journey and whatever your WHY or reasons, think about how you reflect who you are in your dancing. And…dance like no-one is watching!
I’ll be back tomorrow with more on the wonderful world of dance.
Tags: benefits of dance, conditioning for dance, dance, dancer, dancing, Eric Franklin, why dance?