Here is some footage from our most recent dance session. Our dance sessions are designed to help us expand our consciousness. When we have these dance sessions, we have "dance prompts" designed to help us surface things from our subconscious mind and bring them to the present moment. Each clip is my freestyle to a dance prompt. Below is a breakdown of each clip and what I went through while dancing.
0:00 - Breakdown (feat. Lisa Shaw) by Miguel Migs
Prompt: Warm up. Be sure to bring awareness to your legs.
Goal: Be present with your body.
This was a simple, light dance. It was the first one, so I typically make sure to just flow, have fun, and bring awareness to my legs. Your awareness of your legs sets the foundation for all other movements. When the legs are stiff, the rest of the body is also stiff.
I was unaware of what was going to surface. All I knew was that I loved moving and felt so much appreciation for it.
1:24 - Sexy Black Timberlake by Channel Tres
Prompt: Have fun. Let go of the desire to do "cool" dances. Just move and appreciate the way your body moves regardless of the way it looks. Dance for YOU.
Goal: Feel your body. Flow.
This is similar to the last prompt, but it encourages the individual to bring more energy to their movements. It is important to appreciate your body's ability to move before you attempt to express yourself more deeply. Otherwise, you will experience a blockage of judgment that prevents you from exploring yourself.
During this dance, I felt the freedom of flowing. I was still unsure what was surfacing, but it was clear to me that I did not want to dance for validation anymore. I just wanted to dance for the fun of dancing itself.
2:19 - King Kunta by Kendrick Lamar
Prompt: Channel all of the confidence inside of you, a confidence that goes beyond dance. It doesn't matter how you move. You can do the weirdest move ever, and still channel that confidence into that move.
Goal: Take your drive toward external forms of power and redirect it within. Express any anger/rage.
This prompt is all about channeling inner power. It is a great way to practice letting go of the fear of how your moves look, as you free yourself to just express your confidence as it comes out. Toward the end, the energy really started to come out, as I did more full-body movements. These are also moves that I have never done before, so it was fun to watch my inner self express itself like that.
During this dance, I could feel power surging from within me. It was honestly so much energy that I could not really contain it. I just let it all out without caring about how I looked. Each time I noticed a thought about the way I looked, I let go of the desire for validation. Each time I did this, I noticed more and more energy come out from within me. This is what I call powering up.
3:14 - (Nobody Knows Me) Like the Piano by Sampha
Prompt: Play an emotional song that surfaces sad emotions. Be vulnerable with your emotions. Let your body move for itself. Let go of the desire to move your body a certain way.
Goal: Feel the emotions stored in your body and express them.
Our body is an emotional being. However, we often command our body like a robot. This prompt is a great way to practice listening to our body and feeling it deeply. This allows us to connect with it more deeply.
Ironically, I got a piano keyboard in the mail the day we filmed this. When I was young, I used to play the piano. It was one of the first ways I expressed myself. At that time of my life, I felt things very deeply, but I was unsure how to express that to others or process those feelings in a healthy way. Instead, I bottled it up and suppressed it. When dancing to this song, I was able to surface the memories of me playing piano. I was able to see how piano represented a form of freedom to me, an outlet to express pent up feelings.
Watching this video, it became clear that I was indeed a very deep child. Nobody understood the depth of my awareness, not even myself. I always felt misunderstood. In this way, I felt like nobody understood me except for the"piano in my mother's home". I became attached to the piano to express this part of myself. It was clear how synchronistic it was for the piano to come in the mail hours before. Playing the piano helped me surface this part of myself.
In the previous dance, I surfaced my inner self by releasing attachments. In this dance, I expressed the pent up feelings relating to this inner self that I had suppressed.
4:49 - New Balance by Jhene Aiko
Prompt: Play an emotional song that surfaces loving emotions.
Goal: Give yourself the love you always wanted.
In the previous dance, I expressed the pent up feelings relating to this inner self. Afterwards, this part of me could finally open its heart. It could finally appreciate itself and feel loved.
While dancing to this, I felt the love that was always there with me through those dark times in my childhood. At first, I felt like the song was about my girlfriend. Then, I felt like it was a song about me, from me (as I realized my love for my girlfriend was a projection of my love for myself). I felt the oneness of this part of myself that I had suppressed and the rest of my conscious mind.
I was truly amazed watching the video. I did not realize how beautiful I was inside all along.
7:00 - I Wonder by Kanye West
Prompt: Everyone get out there and have fun!
Goal:
Throughout all of these clips, I had been surfacing this part of myself and bringing it to the surface. As I got it to open its heart, it started to see the beauty of the present moment.
The oneness I described in the last clip is fully expressed here, as I have a blast with my friends. We all had experienced a lot on that dock through the dance prompts, and it was time to celebrate with whatever part of ourselves that we each surfaced.
I think everybody left that dock with something close to their heart.
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