Just finished ballet class. I’m on the train waiting for it to leave. Did I tell you that I have been dancing with wings!? When I imagine and feel my wings, everyhing is easier and more effortless. Piroettes turn simply and there is far less fear held in them. I recognized again today- more than ever how far I have come. I remember having an assesment at college and telling the staff members all the things I was going to do- and they laughed at me. But I knew that it was all going to happen- and it is and I am an it feels amazing.
The thing is I had to learn how and that has been the center of my journey. It doesn’t matter what it is- it’s the path and process. It’s magical.
Yesterday, Shannon and I were sharing about our joy and passion for movement, dance, Franklin Method…. This journey and the fundimental reason- reason for all of it- belief, joy and creation. We both stated our goals and intensions and by hearing them in each other, I could see it being there so vividly, it was like it had already happened. The difference now is that the goals seem to just come out of me without me feeling like I ‘own them’. It’s more like taking care of them, like they have they’re own intension and I’m supporting that. It takes away the tension and comes from a different place of making anything happen.
In the body you can’t ”make’ allignment, ease, coordination, support. You have to allow it, feel it and just be it. Just be it. Then do it (choose). And be it again. As soon as you ‘try to make’ anything, you meet tension because the underlying belief is that you don’t have it already.
Same with everything.
Today in class, I statred out feeling not great… but ok, and just kept practicing the feelings of being great and coming back to images and embodying my function. It’s amazing. It’s like when you jump on a bouncy castle, how can you not be in joy and smile and laugh. I’ve tried it- it’s imposiible. And we all have bouncy castles inside of us- we just have to get on it and feel the bounce. Then it’s this amazing feeling that comes from inside. Nowhere else, and it can’t be taken away. As I imagined and felt my elastic muscles supporting the spirals of my bones, (and i’ve been thinking a lot about the nature of muscle recently!) it fells like I’m bouncing in every part of me. I have little bouncy castles on my knees, between my vertabrea, in my feet, diaphragm, organs… And as you feel that bounce- the down- it propels you up. The rebound. The balance and interaction between up and down. When you go down, you go up and you feel support. It’s like an air bed- if you push down on it, then it supports you. Simple. There’s the support.
Elastic. Bounce. Amazing feeling. It’s everywhere in the body and is just waiting to be uncovered- allowed. Where you ever told as a child not to jump? Don’t jump on the bed. It’s not safe… Hmm
So, with flexibility, you have to allow both actions in the muscle- the sliding together and apart and by allowing one side to ‘shorten’, ‘contract’, slide together, it allows the opposing side to release, lengthan, slide apart. Dancers are always trying to lengthen everything!!
I did half of the barre with my eyes closed today. That was brilliant. It made me really feel my subtle senses all over my body. And I can imagine that I can see, right? Got to practice that some more!
So, my intension that I shared with Shannon yesterday was to be a strong, dynamic, flexible, versatile dancer. I recognized a part of myself that didn’t believe it, so didn’t do it. So now, I’m going to do it. Be it. And me and Shannon are going to make incredible performances and change the dance world with love, imagery, Franklin Method and in turn the world will dance again. Everyone. Individually and together.