Community of dancers

Each week at Dance Your Bones, our dance collective finishes the session with a closing circle where members are free to stay and share anything they'd like, whether it is an experience they had dancing, something happening in their lives, or an upcoming event. This week there was an undeniably common enthusiasm for the evening. People were joyful, laughing with one another, and everyone was very talkative. It had been a high energy wave and the presence of a few more younger members recently has definitely contributed to that.

I noticed how much people were dancing with one another, in small groups of 3 to 5, playing and having fun. A mother and pregnant daughter danced a moving image of support and love. There have been some children joining us regularly too, and they are always delightful to watch as they naturally respond to a room full of moving, happy adults.

The shared community we have is very important to most dancers. We need one another in order to practice this form of meditation. Yes, we could dance alone, and I sometimes do; however it is always completely different when you dance in a group. The increased energy of bodies around you helps you to release and move past the barriers of the rational mind I have been commenting about.

So I am not only working within myself to find freedom from rational mind, but I am also spurring others on to do the same. When I move my energy higher, other bodies will also vibrate more quickly. When I engage another dancer in a dialogue, I am influenced by what they are bringing to our duet. We are co-creators of the dance each night, having a shared experience even while we are each having our own private inner experience too.

I first learned about the importance of community as a child in my family church. It is interesting to see how community expresses itself in this secular (but still spiritual) practice of moving meditation.