Dancing on the beach with Jill Hewlett (centre)

With this week’s autumnal equinox, I’ve been reflecting back on my summer.

For me, it was the Summer of Dance. How about you? (Would love to hear! Please share in the comments below.)

I danced in nature, which is always such a treat — once in the park, and twice on the beach (with Jill Hewlett’s Women’s Wellness Circle). As our Nia instructor (the wonderful Martha Randall) had us shimmying to the Brazilian beat of Capoeira, curious onlookers pulled out their phones to record us, and others came running to join in, and it felt like we were in a flash mob viral video. There was such a sense of lightness and fun, in stark contrast to the heaviness of events during that past week, including the Orlando shootings. We danced at the water’s edge under the sun and the moon, offering up our joy. And the world responded.

I took my first class in Contact Improv, a dance technique in which points of physical contact provide the starting point for exploration through movement improvisation.

I learned about ecstatic trance postures, enrolled in a course called Dance as a Spiritual Practice and took my first steps towards certification as a Conscious Dance Facilitator.

I recommitted to a personal dance practice at home, and in a dance studio that I rented several times, just for me to play and explore free dance.

“Dance first. Think later.
It’s the natural order.”

– Samuel Beckett, writer

Martha Randall creates joyful movement that draws a crowd

As I write the first draft of this blog post, I’m facilitating a workshop, A Space to Write (you can join me monthly this fall if you’re in the Toronto area). We do what I’m calling ‘embodied writing’ – engaging in gentle movement and freestyle dance first so we can dive more deeply into a writing project of our choice (a work project, journalling, or other creative writing project).

I’m also prepping for my October 2nd workshop and mini-retreat, Finding Your Inner Rhythm, which, you guessed it, incorporates movement and dance.

And in the midst of all of that, I accepted a “proposal” from a dear friend who is one of my very first ballroom and latin dance partners (nearly 40 years ago!), to form a new Pro-Am dance partnership — he’s the professional and I’m the amateur — for competitions and performances. Just a few weeks in now, and I’m totally loving every aspect of this creative process!!

What a surprise, at 50, to be returning to dance, my first love, in such a complete and integrated way!

Or is it?

In my GoGreenInside work, I offer that bringing forth our creative expression is one of 3 pillars or touchstones of inner sustainability for midlife women (alongside connecting with the natural world, and to our own deepest nature). I deeply believe that midlife is a sacred time for women, a time in which we become more acutely aware of our authentic power and our limitations (both real and imagined). We yearn to spend more of our precious time doing more of what we love, and very often one of the ways this shows up is as a call to birth or rebirth a creative passion.

These creative pursuits reconnect us to who we truly are as creative and spiritual beings. Creativity is linked to the natural world, to our inner nature as women, and to the Divine. This is our (w)hol(l)y work — not just nice to do, but essential to our feeling whole. It impacts our physical health, our sense of well-being and our aliveness.

Looked at this way, the gift of returning to dance is not a surprise at all, but an answered call, divinely inspired and whole-heartedly accepted.

What creative passions might be calling you this fall? Whether it’s visual art, writing, knitting, singing, playing an instrument, your creative business, or something else entirely, this is YOUR time. Do it now.

AND…AND…

Even if you don’t think of yourself as a dancer, or feel called to dance, I’d like to suggest that there is something in dancing for you too.

“Everything in the Universe has a rhythm.
Everything dances.”

– Maya Angelou

We are all dancers. Dance is a primordial form of expression. A universal form of language, and one of the oldest.

Our ancestors danced in community — to celebrate, to mark rites of passage, to grieve.

In Greek mythology the ‘dancing ground’ is the field where Persephone danced before she was taken to Hades to begin her heroine’s journey, ultimately transforming as Queen of the Underworld and ascending in her authentic power. Dancing activates what the Irish refer to as the ‘thin place’ where the veils between worlds are lifted. When we move our bodies we connect the above and the below.

We all know about the physical benefits of movement and dance, from improving flexibility and strengthening our aerobic capacity, to building new neural pathways and increasing levels of feel-good endorphins for improved mood.

We can also dance…

To ground ourselves.

To discharge unwanted energies and let go.

To open.

To receive.

To feel.

To discover.

To light up.

To heal.

“Dance, Dance
Otherwise we are lost”

– Pina Bausch

I invite you to explore the power of dance for yourself. Just pick a piece of music — or let the random shuffle function on your iPod choose one for you — and begin to move. Try this when you feel “stuck,” or before you write, paint or otherwise create, and watch what happens.

If you’re in the Toronto area, I invite you to dance with me at one of my upcoming live workshops. If you’re not, there will be something for you too! Stay tuned for movement-related online offerings coming soon.

In my next blog post, I will share some simple practices to support you in integrating dance and movement into your day to enhance your well-being, your other creative pursuits, and all other aspects of your life.

What are YOU bringing with you from the summer season into the autumn? And what will you let fall away? Why do YOU dance? Please share a comment below. 

Photo credits:
Main image: Diane Andonovski, Video Wisdom Studios
Text images: Mopo Art

Resources:
Women’s Wellness Circle – Jill Hewlett
Nia
Martha Randall, Nia Instructor