What is FREEDOM?
Teaching is learning twice. Indeed.
As I work on the NEW ONLINE COURSE "My first Tabla Solo - Introduction to Rhythm & Freedom" (Click HERE to discover this pioneering course), I´m invited to go deeper into dance, rhythm, and freedom.
From these elements, FREEDOM is the trickiest and also the most important.
If you´ve been following me and my work, you know I don´t separate Egyptian Dance from Life. What we learn for the first applies to the second. And vice-versa.
No surprise, then, when I come to terms with the fact that FREEDOM IN EGYPTIAN DANCE equals FREEDOM IN LIFE. And here I am falling in love with this art form. All over again.
What´s FREEDOM?
Most importantly: are you FREE - in your dance, as in your life?
Let me take YOU on a ride.
What Freedom is:
- Being your authentic self - in dance, as in life - without masks, pretensions, "crowd pleasing" concessions;
- Not being afraid to move - erasing shame and guilt from your body; moving freely, instinctively, passionately without moral restraints;
- Having a personal perspective - on the music, on life;
- Expressing who you are in everything you do - in dance, as in life;
- Knowing YOU ARE ENOUGH - dancing and living according to that fact;
- Loving yourself and others without fear - using that love in your dance and in your life;
- Not being afraid of making mistakes;
- Defining our sense of self-worth according to our own standars, not according to society´s standards.
- Taking responsibility (therefore, power) for yourself, your dance, and your life. Knowing YOU´re the creator of your reality, taking charge of it, using that responsibility/power to shape your dance and life;
- Embracing your Humanity - flaws and all - and using it to empower your dance and your life.
What Freedom is NOT:
- Thinking, saying, and doing whatever pops in your head just because you can;
- Presuming you have power over yourself and others - your freedom ends where the freedom of others start.
- Not giving a damn about the consequences of your actions;
- Chronic self-indulgence - not showing up for your job (in dance, as in life); not thriving for evolution (in dance, as in life).
You can tell a Person/Dancer is FREE when she/he:
- Isn´t afraid to learn, try, explore, discover, make mistakes, and evolve. In dance, as in life;
- Is comfortable in her/his own skin. In dance, as in life;
- Does her/his own thing, following her/his soul´s calling. In dance, as in life;
- Learns from others, including her/his teachers, and creates from her/himself;
- Isn´t concerned about what others think of her/him but focused on being and dancing the best version of her/himself.
- Knows her body is as sacred as her soul and lives/dances freely with both;
- Is aware of the body-mind-heart-soul connection and uses it in her/his dance and life.
- Isn´t afraid to say "I LOVE MYSELF" & "I LOVE YOU" to others, clearly and loudly.
- Is focused on Evolution, Happiness, and Presence instead of focusing on Comparison, Competition, the eternal marathon or the "Mice Wheel".
Does any of these items on the lists I shared with you ring a bell? When you look at yourself, your dance, and your life, DO YOU SEE FREEDOM?
As a wise man said, "the truth shall set you free".
- Start your Journey into Freedom - in your Dance, as in your Life - with answering the QUESTION "Am I free?"
- Review the lists I shared with you on this blog post and see where you´re free and where you´re not.
- Join our Online Course - "My first Tabla Solo - Introduction to Rhythm & Freedom" (Click HERE to check the Course) and start growing with a group of like-minded dancers from all over the world.
I´ll see YOU on the other side of fear.