crown of violets

Refinement and the Pleasure of Dance

Fire Dance
Originally uploaded by The Eternity

I enjoy beauty for beauty’s sake and seek it out in the world around me. That includes cultivating the grace already inherent in me, refining my talents and skills so that I can become a clearer channel for what calls to me. We are all diamonds in the rough. By both giving to and receiving from, we co-create with the world and become the ambassadors of what we want to see in it. We learn, we teach. What we desire also desires us. The more we let those energies flow through us, the more we embody our dreams.

This year, I’ve been taking the opportunity to explore things I’ve never really made the time for. Dancing has been a passion of mine for years, though I’ve never made it a consistent part of my life. I’ve danced to give expression to sorrow, anger, joy, and I dance for celebration. To start, I’ve taken to dancing at least one a day, preferably in the morning. I pick any kind of music that catches my fancy and let go whirling, stomping, swaying, whatever I feel like. This puts me in an incredible mood with which to face the day. I love my morning practices on my own and I feel that dancing for my personal enjoyment brings out the soulfulness of it, letting me express my emotions better and better. But I’d like to devote time to improving my skill and I’m excited to start balancing that with studying with instructors who will really challenge me.

My personal style of dancing is very much like Middle Eastern dance and I’d love to take a belly dancing class. Middle Eastern style dancing is a very sensual form of dancing and the style of music and richness of the performances I’ve seen are quite alluring. Belly dancing helps you get in touch with your sensual self and provides lots of creative opportunity for putting personal pieces together. Studying will definitely improve my personal technique, as well as introduce me to new movements and music. Community centers often have classes several months long throughout the year but I’ve found a couple of teachers in the city through the internet who hold classes in their own space, so hopefully I won’t have to wait until the next cycle begins at the centers.

Ballet looks light and airy but demands a lot from dancers physically. It’s much more formalized and I like the challenge of it, especially beginning as an adult. Royal Dance at the Forks will be holding fall classes in beginner ballet and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet also offers adult classes. Both are central locations and are good schools. I’ve always been a little weak on the constitution side and ballet will definitely challenge me to build strength and endurance in a completely different way than belly dancing.

Because I try to find balance in everything I do (and because I’ve been threatening forever ♥), I’m also going to finally sign up for a yoga class. My friend Rae-annon has repeatedly shown me the wonders of yoga even walking me through some workouts in the morning while I was staying with her. Besides being a wonderfully centering workout, yoga will help me improve my flexibility and energize me during the influx of demanding physical activity. It also has spiritual ties to many disciplines that speak to me. Like all the best pursuits, it inherently supports the whole vision and the type of energy I’m attracting into my life.