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Where Has Spontaneity Gone?
By Patty |
I spent Valentine’s Day weekend with thousands of people at an international dance competition that is held in Montreal called La Classique du Quebec. It’s a 3 day event with dancers from all over the world who get to showcase their talents and competitive spirits. It was not the most romantic weekend…God bless my boyfriend for understanding my absence on such a special day, but quite memorable none the less! My school had the biggest number of participants and in turn won as Top Studio!
During the day there were mostly pro-am categories and in the evening were the amateur and professional divisions. We also saw every age category dancing…as young as 7 and as old as above 60! It was fantastic to be part of a sport/art that people of all ages were committed to exhibit on the dance floor.
Witnessing such amazing athletes interpret music with the vocabulary of dance was an exhilarating experience, even after all these years of being part of this business. As unbelievable as it was to watch such beautiful dancers, there were times when an ingredient was missing that somehow got lost in translation…the ingredient being spontaneity.
There is an impulse in dancing that is motivated by the music and the audience. The key is to use that impulse within your structure/choreography to create magic!
By the end of the competition, judges held a conference to discuss the future of the sport and the concepts of dancing. The common theme with every presentation was that athleticism has taken over and art has been lost.
How can this happen? How can gorgeous dancers with such high standards and self-discipline loose touch with the art form?
The answer: There are too many clones. Too many dancers caught up with creating lines and body movements without understanding the source of the gesture, in turn losing the direct connection to music…the most important thing that inspires them to express their art.
This drive to reach the top in their category has made the dancers disregard personal identity…what makes each of us unique. Dancers, like most of us, are searching for the secret skills that will give us the edge. Having been in the same scenario, I know how confusing things can be. Every coach has a different perspective into what they like and dislike. These opinions are important because they add another dimension to what you already know. And the interpretation of the information given will be dependant on the experience of the individual.
The judges went on to discuss partnering. The act of a man sending a message to his partner and if a woman is clever, she responds appropriately to his interpretation. The story of a man wanting a woman and the woman wondering if she should accept the man.
In courtship the man does everything to seduce his woman and she has the power to decide if he is worthy. We need to see this on the dance floor throughout the choreography.
Instead what the judges were seeing is men ignoring the women. Men being peacocks, prancing around to impress the audience yet overlooking their partner. Women starving for their attention end up compensating by being physically aggressive during the dance to make a dent in his presence. Couples were doing spastic, unnatural even painful movements that are not pleasing to the eye.
Sound parallel to life?
Judges reminded everyone how a woman’s body is built to move a certain way. It has a natural beauty when she walks. Therefore one needs simple partnering to show the beautiful ripple effect of the body. There is an element of basic movement that makes dancing sensuous. They want to see more of that aspect.
The audience is a great gage to see how the performance affects them. In the old days (I can’t believe I just said that) dancers got a standing ovation when they demonstrated their art. The dancers would bow and receive their appreciation and were humbled by the spectators’ applause. Today, the audience does applaud but with a different energy. The spectators are not connecting with the athleticism and arrogance. They notice the dancers lack of spontaneity and passion to share their art.
What’s important to understand here is that the dancers are trying to figure themselves out during this learning process. They are doing everything and anything to improve and get pulled in different directions. Coaches are trying to give the right guidance and judges are trying to judge as fairly as possible. Such is life. We do what we can with the information that is given to us and hope for the best!
Yet hope is the real key. Hope is what drives us to keep going, to want more, to be better. Everything starts with the thought that something might be possible and hope that by taking the necessary steps it may happen. This is true for the dancers too. They have such big dreams and make big sacrifices to reach their goal. They are putting pieces of the puzzle together to be able to create the master piece of their life! And for that…there must be compassion for their efforts. Even the judges agree with that.
Being in a room with these judges resonated deeply with me because once again I was reminded of the value of sensuality…the value of enjoying your body as a feminine temple who’s curves has a ripple effect on anyone near her.
What kind of a woman do you want to be noticed as?
The kind that is starving for attention by being aggressive and afraid to show who she really is? Or the kind of woman that adores her uniqueness and accentuates her curves?
As simple as this decision may be, the difficulty lies in making it a habit, a ritual where a woman can sensually stand in her uniqueness and be moved by who she is.
This is why body language is the simplest and most effect way to start!
I wholeheartedly believe in my mission to spread the joy of sensuality through body language because it gave me a huge sense of hope and strength when I doubted myself the most. It was instant gratification!
Take a look for yourself!
Sensuality Secrets DVD Collection
Sensually yours,
Patty
Topics: Good Times, Sensual, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
March 4th, 2009 at 3:34 am
Hey Patty,
Great thoughts on male and female interaction. I danced salsa for a while and saw a similar thing. I have been studying movement, biomechanics and attraction for many years and the subtle energetic play in seduction is often misunderstood, especially by men.
great blog…
much chi Rob
March 15th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Hey Rob,
Thanks for the comments. I’m always amazed at how intricate the dynamics between men and women can be. I love to notice the subliminal messages.
September 22nd, 2009 at 10:29 am
Hi Patty,
Just checked out your site. I’m really impressed. I agree that athletic dancers are losing the artistic look. I also feel that the couples have forgotten to play with each other. Instead they snarl at one another. Besides teaching I work as recreation therapist at the Royal Victora Hospital and deal with patients who do not feel attractive anymore. I’ll definately recommend your dvd collection. Let me know about future seminars in MTL area.
Ann Marie