Hitting Send

There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.

I have a confession to make. I am happily dancing my way through life. It makes me laugh when I stop to think about just how many things I dance my way through; and, as I’ve allowed myself more freedom of expression at the core of my being, the amount of dancing exponentially increases as well. It’s really quite Awesome. Perhaps you’ve seen me dancing in my car at stop lights? Or, down the aisles at the supermarket? *giggle*

Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body.

As both an avid music Lover and one who has always enjoyed some form of physical movement, whether it be dancing, hiking, biking, swimming or some other activity, it was pretty inevitable that dance would make its way into my daily life. Even as a child, I was drawn towards the combination of music and freedom of movement. I took tap, jazz, ballet, gymnastics and participated in various group dance activities as well, fascinated by the different forms movement can take. When a girlfriend introduced me to Sacred dance a couple of years ago, it was an excellent fit for me and I was hooked.

Man must speak, then sing, then dance. The speaking is the brain, the thinking man. The singing is the emotion. The dancing is the Dionysian ecstasy which carries away all.

The ancients knew the importance of dance, and it is frequently depicted in cave drawings. Across time and cultures, dance has been revered for its power to transform, healing the body, mind and spirit, bringing community together in joyous bonding, and allowing us to see a deeper level of self. Dance has been used for worship, celebration, story-telling, healing, bonding, meditation, evoking visions, and more. Within most industrialized nations dance has lost its Beautiful esoteric roots; the gifts of rhythmic movement being reduced to a form of entertainment. The form of Sacred dance in which I have been participating is based upon the tenets of Shamanism, which takes the dancer on an inner journey allowing for a reconnection with spirit which is both blissful and healing. With intentions set prior to beginning, the dancer gently surrenders to the rhythms, allowing movements to express intuitively. The dance becomes not only a place to express one’s intention through movement, but also to listen for feedback and guidance on that intention from deeper sources of being.

Dancing faces you towards Heaven, whichever direction you turn.

I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to to dance better than myself.

Life is a dance, a blending of energies coming together, an ebb and flow, and a balancing act. By consciously combing music and movement, old stagnant energies are released from the body, freeing us from stuck feelings and liberating us so that we can embrace the next moment in life without hang ups of the past. It also feels really, really good to move the body. Dance is a gift to which people seem to be reawakening and I highly encourage you, BeLoved reader, to turn on some music and move your body, allowing for the organic unfolding which will occur. If you can find a group with which to dance, all the better, as coming together with joint intention brings another level to the power of transformative dance. Go out and explore what your local community offers, as it is well worth the Beautiful journey which will be carried forth into your everyday life, enriching your life, as as it has mine, in such Wonderful ways.

Love and Blessings,
Antonia