I mindfully micro-dose purely aesthetic-driven practice.
It certainly wasn’t always this way.
So, I have decades of dance training focused on the pursuit of beauty standards. Not only from worlds like ballet and many years of stage-focused work (comps, performances, starting at 3 years old), but also pole and aerial, too (starting at 28).
This aesthetic priority, while full of self-awareness and growth, also comes with immense holding tension (ie inevitable pain patterns), and obsessive cycling (ie doing it over and over and over again until you like way more than you don’t.).
Beauty is a part of our world… there’s no disputing that.
And if you master it in the body, you will get many opportunities, and attention.
Great things. 👏🏼
But, in my life, when I’ve held that as a prolonged primary value and focus, I’m left feeling “not enough”, physically hurt, and even… wrong.
At some point along my journey, I turned in the direction of asking the deeper questions about… my truth, freedom, health, and longevity.
I will always value form-based beauty, and polish, but at almost 40 years old, having spent the last decade trying to find #my way forward ➡️ in this insanely dimensional world instead of only holding mere memories of dance behind me ⬅️ … I am much more clear about what “staring at it for too long” does for my spirit.
And there’s also a rebellious nature that doesn’t hide in my body, even when I try to be in this pocket of creating a beautiful moment, I pull a sharp edge.
🤷🏽♀️
I can say, I don’t miss the feeling in my mind and body of over-controlling outcomes.
I can say dancing now makes me much more unselfconscious and creatively nourished.
And I can visit this pretty, compositional space when I want to, and leave before I’ve become a bad guest.
#findingyourfreestyle#thefreestyleapproach