Dance Is Life

I believe there is more to life than meets the eye.

As stated in the dictionary, life is the condition that distinguishes animals and plants
from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and
continual change preceding death, or even simpler; it is existence. In my opinion, this
definition limits the creative imagination as well as the opportunities for the word life to reach
its inspiring and immense power.
Similar to defining what life is, it is also possible to define what dance is to give
definitions, and to give boundaries. Perhaps it is important simply to provide a basic
understanding for those not already committed and immersed in the realm of dance. I do agree
with the definitions of dance that seem to float around; yes, dance is movement. Further, it is
movement that is often performed to music or rhythm in which the human body is the instrument
and movement is the medium. Dance is separated into various styles which are characterized by
form and structure. After these most basic definitions, the list continues on and on as it places a
wall around what is considered to be dance and casts out what is not.
Along with a classic definition, it is important to expound upon the lifestyle of a dancer.
It is hard work! I can say without any hesitation that dance requires countless hours of hard
work, dedication, and sweaty bodies. But even with the intense physical demands, dance is also
a way of expressing emotion and creating beauty through art. There are a limitless amount of
reasons and purposes for dance to occur. Some of the most common purposes range from
personal expression and social atmospheres to entertainment and competition. There are many

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more such as to communicate, to relieve stress, to condition the body, to gain relationships, to
build confidence, to inspire, to celebrate, to perform religious rituals and even is used as a form
of therapy.
It would be easy to explain with some elaborate expression how dance is a personal
experience of exasperating work and beauty. It is like that time you decide to hike your way up a
mountain in order to see the sunset at the top yet there never seems to be a sunset, instead you
decide to find the beauty in a task that is, in all reality, a difficult physical excursion. You decide
to look at the beauty of the nature around you as you exhaust yourself up the hill for hours,
realizing that even though you are tired, this beauty around you is your reward. You could not
find that beauty in the world below you; for it is unique to the task that separates you from the
rest of the world. It is breathtaking and it is magical. This is the first step to understanding the
depth of dance: broadening the mind to see how it builds a personal relationship between you
and your world.
Dance cannot be limited to words! It cannot be subject to the walls created by minds
who build boundaries through words. They say what should be and what shouldnt be, but they
cannot determine what could be! Dance cannot be limited to the human stereotypes, the words
of expressing the pain of dedication, of sweat, bruises and bleeding feet. Dance is a realm. It is
not only a way of life, but life itself to those who chose to glance inside. And for that instant, if
not only for a fleeting moment when ones reality disappears and they are caught up within the
raw emotion and pure exhilarationforgetting the world created by others and liberating oneself
to the world that can be personally created through imagination and belief.
There will always be books, theories, methodology, terms, technique, history, cultural
studies, and on and on that will try to explain what defines dance. But all of this is relative to the

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viewer, it is superficial; always changing, always growing. There are so many different opinions
in the world. Sure, one could say that dance is not an elitist activity because it is available to all
people, but where exactly is the line drawn? I say it is drawn by each individual person. If one
does not think they are dancing, they are not dancing. If one thinks they are dancing, they are
dancing. The events of the world are all subject to the viewers perspectives and worldviews. A
man creates his own life through consciousness and awareness. Perhaps dance is a method of
obtaining consciousness, a beginning to finding awareness just like it was for me. But perhaps
dance is also awareness itself, dance is life itself. It is a mirror image of what life is; hard
work, successes, failures, and every other clich title that people come up with. To further
understand; let us give the phenomenon of life a representation as an individual human body.
Many people live their lives with a hollowed body, while dance has the ability to fill the hollow
spaces with a soul; a shimmering existence of hope and dreams through awareness of the self.
What is dance then? The definition, the purposes, and the importance are completely
relative to the viewer. Once a person has received a basic understanding of the man-made
definitions and physical attributes, it is up to them to decide (consciously or unconsciously) what
dance means to them. Those people who find the good will continue to find the good. As they
decide that they like dance, they will continue to see the things they like; they will continue to
find the good. But those people who cannot find the good will not find the good until they
change their mindset. They will continue to place limits and to see what they want to see. In
such cases, it is perhaps better that they stay where they are and not interfere with the pure
potentiality and magic that dance has through being, in a very whole and complete sense, a
reflection of what the meaning of life is.

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You are what you believe. Life is what you believe. Dance is what you believe. It has
the capability of being all encompassing, of being magic, of being infinite; so long as the mind
and the heart are willing to believe. Dance is within and it is without. It is only subject to the
person who holds the name. It is subjective to the opinion of the beholder.
Dance has the ability to temporally portray all the extremes of life. It paints a picture of
life (which is a dance) and therefore paints a picture of itself. It can portray the worst of what the
world can offer: death, pain, poverty, and greed, but it can also show the best of the same exact
world: love, acceptance, tolerance, and selflessness.
The world, and all within it, is simply a reflection of mans conditioned consciousness
objectified. Just as our world is created by individual perspective, so is the definition of dance
created by perspective and consciousness. Anything that can be thought can be created. Dance
is one of the purest examples of this concept of life. Dance is what was, it is what is, and it is
what could be. It is limited only by imagination and belief. Ideas that are enveloped in feelings
are creative actions. Who would have thought that we could each be creators? But in this, be
aware; use your divine right of creation wisely. It is through your ability to think and feel that
you have dominion over all creation.
In thinking about the raw power and potentiality we as humans can have over our life
experience, dance can be used as a way of achieving full-realization of the self. Being both
physical and mental, it connects the body and the mind. This connection can bring a sense of
happiness, a sense of oneness, and a sense of awareness that is addictive. Dance is a way of
finding oneself. It creates a thinking body and a dancing mind; broadening the capabilities of
human beings as they strive for improvement and they experience feeling.

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Both life and dance envelop a never-ending process of learning. Whether as a teacher,
student, performer, or choreographer; there is always learning. In other words, you never know
what you think you know. Dance is one of the greatest reflections of this, for how can you really
find what truth is? There is always more to learn; and the more you learn, the more you realize
how much you do not know. The funny thing about life and people is that we are also never
satisfied. This struggle itself builds the strength of the dancer as they continuously strive for
more, but it also builds the strength of the soul. For a dancer must be able to find the joy and the
confidence in each moment of movement and expression even though inside they have a constant
battle of wanting to be perfect. The dancer is never satisfied, always striving for perfection and
never quite reaching it.
As human beings we are constantly searching for truth and for the meaning of self. But
the fact is simply that I am. And through the power of awareness all things will be possible.
We can each create our own worlds and use dance as the means to do so. We will never be able
to find all the answers, but we can find satisfaction and joy in the task of learning, of being
vulnerable, being strong, being independent and dependent. We can open our souls,
acknowledging reality while simultaneously composing our own truths, worldviews, and way of
living. Though expressed in an infinite series of level, it is not divisional; the awareness of
being remains.
Dance is life. And life is a dance. Those who need a definition for dance are those who
do not know what dance is. Creating boundaries and defining dance with limitations takes away
the freedom, the overall human nature and natural intention that it is created through. Those who
create boundaries are not dancers; for life is a dance and dance is life. They are both separate
and they are one, but most importantly, they are.

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Just like life, dance is more that meets the eye. It is capable of bringing about an
understanding of the world and relationships of the self within the world. It is a winding path of
experience that flows from the past, through the present, into the future, and into a world of
imagination and personal belief of what it could be. It is a story, it is our souls, and it is
discovery.
Dance is. Dance exists. Dance is life. And that is enough for me.