Loving, welcoming bodies

With a new fall ecstatic dance session beginning, there has been the usual arrival of new dancers to the group. We are an open collective (or 'tribe' as some members like to say) and new people drop in all the time, needing to be welcomed.  Some may not be that comfortable expressing themselves in movement.

This week I observed several dancers staying for long periods in the corner or sides of the room. We always have the choice to do this and I appreciate when the group leaves me alone to be quiet and reflective when I want to be. Sometimes it is because I am in pain and by back is stopping me from enjoying movement. Many members deal with physical injuries and dancing is another way for us to deal with pain or tightness. Other times it is because an emotion is asking to be felt in stillness. But for newcomers, it can simply be discomfort or shyness.

Several of us interacted from time to time Thursday, inviting new dancers to share more of the space. But one particular interaction caught my attention. A dancer who had been in the corner for a long time was joined first by one dancer, then a second. They just danced beside them, shoulder to shoulder, but not really with them. As if they were just keeping them company.

Then one dancer started to move forward slowly and the other began to follow. It was as if an unspoken invitation to join the space had been offered and accepted. After that, the solitary dancer moved with the others in the room. I felt I had witnessed a beautiful healing moment when someone's aloneness was shared and then dispersed into the group, allowing them to make the shift in their feeling state.

It reminded me not to be so caught up in my own journey all the time but rather to share my body generously with others when I am dancing. Moving with them. Or beside them. Or around them. Whatever way our bodies seem to wish to connect.

Loving, welcoming bodies in movement.