Hello my friends,

Sometimes it feels as though I’m dancing inside…even though I’m standing still.

Welcome to the inside of my Dance Diary, again…

Today as I was teaching,* I was also conscious of balance in myself as I worked with my student. There’s nothing new about that, but I was very aware of space today.

I opened the window to see gray clouds and feel soft, tropical moisture in the air. That air was the space around me, touching me.

Then I turned my thoughts inward, to the space within. I started noticing the space within my joints and thought about how the bones connect at the joints.

In each joint there is space and there is also, connection.

It’s like a healthy relationship that has space to breathe and also, connect.

And as I thought about the space where my head connects to my neck, I felt my neck and back releasing down and out from my head.

My head felt as if it was floating.

Then I thought of my shoulders, both of them, right and left, and how they go away from each other in opposing directions.

From the left shoulder my arm releases out, out from the shoulder joint. It goes away from my body, down to the elbow.

From the elbow, I sensed my forearm releasing away from the elbow joint. I bent my arm and the hand was towards my middle, my elbow pointing wide, away from the body.

My arms were going away from each other, the elbows wide, the hands coming in, and the fingers releasing out from the hands.

There was space inside the circle of my arms around the inside of my wrists and hands to my chest and stomach. I thought again of the space behind me and allowed my back to expand in that direction.

I looked like I was hugging a huge tree made of air…

I left my back in place and took my arms, my elbows forearms, wrists and hands, away from my back in big movements, out and around.

There was a pleasure in the sensation of the freely moving arms and essential stillness of my head, neck and back.

Then I thought about how this applies to dance, taking my frame into connection with my partner, bringing my body to connect and my frame to remain open and wide. Head releasing up and out, legs releasing down, arms to my partner.

Like a bird, poised to fly.

We dance a spin turn. I feel nothing-everything spinning yet the same, my frame is constant relative to my partner. Me, giving energy to my partner, him, redirecting it to spin.

Effortless action.

Namaste,

Dana
*Alexander Technique (AT) is about connecting thought and muscular activity. It increases your body awareness and gives you the power to change how you do, what you do, as you do it.