Taking Up Space

This summer I was fortunate to teach Hip Hop at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver BC to close to 1000 participants who would be joining UBC in the Fall. The combination was a beginner hip hop routine to the song Up Like Trump by Rae Sremmurd.

Several participants looked nervous at the beginning and it is possible some never attended a dance class, but it didn't matter to me. I wanted them to feel fantastic with this short combo and to have a few moments of letting go and going big. Those who looked most frightened in the beginning where smiling by the end and it got me thinking about the joy of movement on a personal level, and the joy of experiencing movement beyond everyday actions.

Dance for me is far more about the feeling of the movement as opposed to what it looks like. Does it feel delicious? Does it excite my body? Those are questions which help me survive in dancing hours each day whether choreographing, teaching or exploring. THAT is what I am looking for! Feeling great from INSIDE the body rather than from "likes" or praise or attention. Dance is ultimately personal.

We spend far too much time in our everyday life staying contained and limiting the amount of space we take. With dance we can break free of living a physically stagnant life and feel the pleasure of taking up space, of stomping our feet, tossing our arms (or even better our hair) and enjoying each and every movement in which our daily life does not societally allow. Let's also note just how awesome it feels to circle your rib cage or hips!

So, do yourself a favour and move your body to move it; break out precieved societal or personal constraints, and take up some damn space. If you focus on the feeling of each movement and delight in its delishishness, you can't go wrong.