“Dance like no one is watching” is an expression used so often by dance teachers, mentors and parents, but most of the time, a little girl in the sweetest tutu and pink ballet shoes will look up to you with an expression of complete confusion and reply “but I want my Mommy to see me”.
Needless to say, children with their utter joy and excitement for life serve as inspiration to the older and slightly more tired adult bodies.
As we develop through life, we learn what we are good at, and what we simply should not attempt, and sadly to say, dance is one of those things. People often stay away from anything dance related because they simply don’t want to look silly, but even a professional dancer will struggle with the constant fear of being judged. Olivia Parfitt (currently a professional ballet dancer at the Joburg Ballet) says “you face judgement and criticism not just from the audience, but from yourself too”, proving that no matter how good you are at something, the fear of failure and judgement resides in all of us. This is why this popular expression resonates so much in the dancing world, there comes a time to perfect, then there is a time to let go and just enjoy the feeling of freedom and expression without consequence and criticism just like a child stepping out on stage for their first dance recital.
There is nothing more joyful than watching a baby who can’t even walk yet break out in a series of knee bounces to a song that tickles their booty shaking senses with a huge smile often accompanied with a small amount of drool. These babies are by no means phenomenal dancers, but the unmistakable urge to dance before they understand what dancing is serves testament that dance is human nature, and should never be suppressed.
With that said, whenever you hear a piece of music that makes your feet, hips, head and shoulders start to move, embrace that instinct and let go! Whether you are doing grocery shopping and decide the trolley is your dance partner, or in the car with the windows down fist pumping in the wind, or at home cooking a meal and using the wooden spoon as your microphone whilst imitating your best Michael Jackson move, do it without fear that someone is pulling a face that screams “they must be mad”, because the chances are, not only are you going to feel good and free and probably all giggly, you will put a smile on a strangers face having made their day!
Dance is the best form of lifting a bad mood, escaping the on-going pressures of life and rejuvenating the soul. So do everyone a favour, Do a lil Dance!
