Like I said, I never really enjoyed dancing. I suspected it could be fun, if you have a great sense of rhythm, but as I lacked it, dancing was just not something I’d get a lot of joy out of. I was too busy worrying about how it would look and what other people (read: people who do have a sense of rhythm) would think.
During a 5 day workshop taught by Caítríona Nic Ghíollaphádraig, I explored each of the 5Rhythms of Gabrielle Roth: Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness. Every day we would dance for 3 hours without a break. We’d let our fingers dance, our hands, our elbows, our arms, our shoulders, our knees, our hips, our feet, our heads, our spines. I became aware that when I dance, I’m in my head and that just doesn’t work. When I managed to let go of my mind and to let my body take over, to follow the rhythm and be present, I felt so free and connected. At times it was hard to step out of my mind and move into my centre, that place of stillness within. When I reached that spot and my body danced, I felt so much lighter. Moving I could let go of experiences, thoughts and emotions that no longer serve me without even knowing what they were exactly. They just flowed out, like my body opened a window and released them to the wind.
Caítríona had brought suitcases full of clothes for us to dress up with one morning. There were hundreds of outfits, including a wedding dress. We’d put together an outfit, dance in it for 10 or 15 minutes and then change into another outfit. Apart from having so much fun, it made me notice how different these clothes made me feel. They were all outfits I wouldn’t dream of wearing in the real world, likea blue glitter top and a pair of fake pink leather trousers or a top with red and pink tulips on it combined with very colourful pants from the 70’s. These clothes and this game of dressing up made me realise I want to be a little more adventurous in the way I dress.
I had come up with many reasons to not sign up for this workshop. I’m glad I did anyway. The dancing, the painting and the collage making, the exploring of the beautiful landscape that is the Burren, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it. It was a truly magical journey, shared with a group of people that were strangers to me initially. I’ve discovered that I can, in fact, dance and what’s more, that I enjoy it.
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