Step One for Dancing

One of my dance teachers, Patrick, who was also my boyfriend, showed me something really important.

We used to go to open dance events that had no set starting time or agenda. People would improvise by themselves or with a partner.

The first thing Patrick did when he arrived was lie on the beautiful wooden floor for as long as he wanted. I started doing this too, because I wanted to learn everything about dancing so I copied him a lot. While most people were moving around in the center, we were at the edges just lying there.

We laid there until we felt “emptied out” of whatever we were doing before. Each of us would only get up when we were ready to begin again. Every time, I felt stronger and more grounded in my dancing when I fully “emptied out” by just lying there.

Patrick taught me that lying on the floor is a worthy way to begin again. Lying there creates an ending, which makes space for a beginning.