If something reflects you in any way that you personally want it, that ‘something’ is art. For me, that something is dance. It’s an outlet to express my mood and feelings. What is your art?
If you feel your body and you have a story to tell, you are a dancer. I don’t really know any non-dancers. There are people who say so, but then I see them dancing at parties or when they think nobody is looking at them (best!). There is no amendment on what is required from a dancer, so everyone is one way or another, a dancer. I can’t say I apply dancing in my daily life, but I need to always find a place for it. When I fulfil the needs of my soul and body, my inner battery is charged and I feel 100%. It even gets frustrating (that’s weird but true), in periods when I may not have time and place for it.
Your environment matters. Dance is about communication, but at the same time it’s about intimacy, because you are always the narrator, you are on the stage, when you dance, you need to build the right connection with everyone on the stage and auditorium so the balance of your story won’t be ruined. People who do this for me as dancers, inspire me. When I feel like they dance for me, then it’s mastery.
The more standards and limitations we create for ourselves, the more close-minded the dance of our generation becomes. I really believe that the perception of dancing is highly influenced by time. Dance used to be treated like a tradition, a gesture of decency, like many other things. I think today’s age suggests treating dance how-ever-we-want. Take it seriously or don’t. Learn how to dance, do research, go to classical school or go to a party and dance everything out. Dance is multifaceted, why not appreciate it as it is?
Performance by: Maria Golod
Maria is a dancer in her second year of International Communications Management at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. Her biggest achievement in dancing was being a part of her Russian dance team for 2,5 years. During which, she became the 2017 Hip Hop International Russian champion and went on to take the global stage in the USA.