Moving with heart

Friday the 14th I put on a workshop - about the heart in dancing with someone you care about. I was touched by how much love and affection and fun was in the room! I sometimes forget that dancing is about closeness for many people. While I like that part of it, that has been the underlying thread - not the main point. Dancing and training in competitive-style ballroom sometimes makes the dance the subject, not the partner. Personal space disappears, and touch feels so ‘everyday’ that it doesn’t feel like closeness. In this workshop, I encouraged couples to put their attention on sensations of on sinking into the floor, and softening into each other, while they yielded and pushed forward, and used eye-tracking as they turned away / towards each other. I was especially struck by the gentleness when we switched to having the women leading - when I asked the men to add resistance against the lead - they tried to be so gentle, as if not knowing how to push against without overdoing it,. The love in the room made for a perfectly sweet Valentines for me this year. I don’t think I could picture a different V-Day! love + dancing…