Why Dance Anyway?
“Dance is creative movement. Any human who can move at all—who can breathe or blink or wiggle a pinky finger—and has the desire to do so, can learn to play with the range of sensory possibility that that movement opens up. He can create and become new patterns of sensing and responding. She can invite the neural network of her bodily self to create new connections. When we move in such ways, we align with the forces of creativity–of healing–at work in us. We dance.”
“We humans are so good at creating habits. We are so good at getting caught in our habits, and forgetting that we were the ones who created them—even when we dance.”
“Once we find that dancing energy, we have the most powerful resource there is for evaluating the impact of the movements we are making in all realms of our lives; for comprehending and empathizing with the pain we are creating in ourselves and others, and for sensing how to move in ways that will better enrich our lives as bodily humans in community on this planet. If we are to survive the 21st century, we must.”
“To dance is to exercise our capacity and willingness to play with the movements that we are and discover what we can do.”
“[At the same time, we always need to remember that no one form or technique of dance is itself dance. A form is a catalyst to dance. The exercises of a given technique are helpful because they draw our attention to] certain ranges of movement, quicken our awareness of these possibilities, and guide us to release our own energy through them.”
“As we play with movement possibilities, we open to the life-
“Yet dancing remains our most potent resource for stirring to life the sensory awareness that reconnects us to our own creativity.”
“So when we dance, it is up to us to keep the love alive–to return to the pulse of our breathing, to reconnect with the movements that are making us, and so open to receive the energies of the universe coursing through us.”
“When we move in such ways, we align with the forces of creativity–of healing–at work in us. [We dance.]” All of these quotes are from this article by Kimerer LaMothe, a dancer, author, playwright, and philosopher of religion.
“Dancing is the great equalizer. It gets people out of their heads and into their bodies. I think if you can dance and be free and not embarrassed you can rule the world.” – Amy Poehler
“We came whirling out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust... The stars made a circle, and in the middle, we dance.” — Jalaluddin Rumi
