The gift of movement is something that is lost on most of us. The ability to be open and free in the way we choose to express ourselves is another one of life’s greatest gifts. Be it alone or with a partner we were born to move freely embracing the wind blowing through our hair and our fingertips as we dance in tune with the rhythm of our souls. Dance with a partner who knows how to move and you feel like you are floating on air. Blessed is the boy with no rhythm who dances anyways as he is the fearless one that will capture my heart.

Think of a time before music was born and to be the human who in turn attempted to bring it to life. Replicating the sounds gifted to us by nature their is nothing more beautiful than a bird’s morning song. Awakening the Earth with movement and sound that will lull all the naysayers to become more awake. The warming of the Earth replicates life and we owe it to ourselves to accept her embrace and dance fearlessly to the rhythm of her heartbeat. Our Grandmother has progressively been losing her sight and she now only sees light. While in conversation with her we asked what she missed most about losing her sight and she said the ability to move freely. Consider that feeling if you may. Yes in the confines of your home you may remember where everything is and what everything looks like but can you ever completely let your inhibitions go out of fear of losing your balance and falling somewhere into the unknown. Unknown to you because your eyes will fail to see what is right in front of you so it is best to sit and wait and let nature take you.

As young girls me and my sister loved to dance. We used to love dancing in front of the tv watching much music or vid kids (a popular music show back then). We would dress in costume and even do our make up putting on performances for our family members during the holidays or birthdays. We would put in some songs into a hat and each take turns drawing song titles out of a hat. We would mix songs together and make the ultimate mix tape and dance our hearts out. My cousins were included and even the boys joined in to and we had a failed attempt at including the audience as well. The idea floated around that we embarrassed our Uncle’s girlfriend but either way she never came back.

We were put into skates and learned to dance on ice with my favourite being interpretative dance. Basically you got to listen to a song minutes before we had to come up with a routine and perform it to a crowd. It was always fun to see what we all came up. If you were last you didn’t get to see what everybody else did but you had longer to decide what to do. The benefit of going first is that your nerves didn’t get the best of you and you were free to watch the other girls perform and get ideas for next time. Whatever the reasons I was always drawn to music. In music class I was given the trumpet and between you and me it was never my instrument of choice. It never moved me the way a beautiful violin can be played so an opportunity was missed starting from when I was young. I was frequently the dancer of the party opting to dance inside lost in music instead of listening to obnoxious music around a fire outside. The notes, the words even the artistic display when it came to the music carried me away and resonated something deep inside. Movement is something that is never promised to us yet is something we take at liberation and for granted. Getting lost in song and play isn’t something reserved just for the young it is something we should be carrying with us until we get old. Maybe it is just me looking to express myself in a world that seems not to notice and isn’t that perfect when it comes to letting go and looking like a fool.

You should always dance like no one is watching even when the whole world potentially is. A day living in the shadows of another out of fear of what somebody might say or do is a very hazardous way to spend our days. Trust me on this. Looking up to the wrong type of role model is almost as debilitating if you were losing your own site. You fail to see how beautiful life can be when you lose your senses in the art of dance bringing to life feelings and senses long passed or forever gone. Closing my eyes is freeing when I can lose myself in the moment as long as when I open them the light comes rushing back in. I will always be the first one (and the only one) absorbing every second treasuring the time spent as I lose myself over and over again. To dance like no one is watching like it is the last dance you will ever have is a sight to witness when passion comes unleashed and knows no bounds. There is so much happiness to be uncovered when your body moves in such a way as you dance around the room to songs you listened to when you were a kid. It is ok to be happy even if it is just for a moment to increase the positive energy that is entering the room. Energy is contagious and so is movement there is a reason why we all love a well organized flash mob. Those who can lose themselves in the moment are the ones we should all gravitate towards because their display indicates to us just how strong of self they find themselves of being. Even if they aren’t stoic inside like the Statue of David we can see their good intentions and hope for the world as they move. Whether it is poetry or art or another manifested life form we owe it to ourselves to dance and to dance honest and free.