More than movement
Hey besties,
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my dance journey. I wouldn’t say it’s remarkable or interesting, really. It’s probably very common: I started dancing when I was little, found I could keep time and point my toes, and as I liked being praised, I stuck with it because people told me I was “good at it”.
Plus, the costumes were pretty and there’s something magical about having a whole auditorium clap when you strike that final pose.
I never wanted to be a professional dancer. Thankfully, because we didn’t have the money for solo tuition or countless competitions, or even multiple classes. My passion never left me though, even in the years my mum had to fight me on a weekly basis to go to the studio, or when I took a year off to “focus on school” (read: spend more time with my boyfriend).
Life threw me a few curveballs but I danced through them all: a teenage pregnancy and becoming a young mum; an abusive relationship; a double uni degree; a couple more kids; leaving that abusive relationship…
Dancing has always empowered me. It reminds me that there are moments that it’s just me. My body, my movement, my understanding of how to get from one move, one place, one moment to the next. And I know, that sounds like the creative writing degree has definitely paid off, but that’s the raw description of what dance is to me. It’s escape, it’s a mirror, it’s freedom, it’s BURLESQUE. Okay but seriously, I fucking love dancing and I am beyond proud and ecstatic that Fempower is where we are today.
This year we have a proper studio space, a whole timetable of classes, and pole dancing. Oh my god, how did I get through this whole blog post without going into detail about that journey? Nevermind, that’s a topic for next week!
For now, I want to leave you with this quote: dance is a vertical representation of a horizontal desire. And no, that’s not to cheapen the art by suggesting it’s like sex, except that it is, in the sense that it’s one of the most intimate things we can do. Yes, the quote relates to dancing with a partner but I don’t think that’s the only way to apply it. Dancing is a way to set your soul free and connect with who you are, in whatever way feels good.
See you and your sexy soul in the studio soon.
Love and slayness,
Tiff xx
