Dancing Soothes and Heals

You have no doubt noticed children love to dance to music—they move their body with the music openly and freely in whatever way feels best.

Few people have retained or regained the ability to engage in dancing un-self-consciously. Many adults have stopped dancing altogether. You might have hang-ups about your body, or you may fear being judged that your body movement is not artistic enough or have the correct rhythm. You may have simply gotten out of the habit of dancing and then think you are too out of practice or too old to dance.

Whatever the case, you can put aside those false fears or excuses and rediscover the healing/soothing pleasure of moving your body to music-alone, or as part of a couple, or in a group. Opportunities to dance formal or informal abound wherever there are people.

The origin of dance may be as long as the history of humans. We can only guess what dances looked like in earlier epochs.

An early manuscript describing dance is the Natya Shastra on which the modern interpretation classical Indian dance (e.g. Bharathanatyam) is based.

The ancient chronicle of the Sinhalese (Sri Lankans), the Mahavamsa states when King Vijaya landed in Sri Lanka in 543 BCE he heard sounds of music and dancing from a wedding ceremony. Origins of The Dances of Sri Lanka are dated back to the aborginal tribes. The Classical dances of Sri Lanka, Kandyan Dances features a highly developed system of tala (rhythm), provided by cymbals called thalampataa.

In Europe one of the earliest records of dancing is by Homer, whose "Iliad"; describes chorea (khoreia).

The early Greeks made the art of dancing into a system, expressive of all the different passions. For example, the dance of the Furies, so represented, would create complete terror among those who witnessed them. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, ranked dancing with poetry, and said that certain dancers, with rhythm applied to gesture, could express manners, passions, and actions. Greek sculptors studied the attitude of the dancers for their art of imitating the passions.

Rock-shelter drawings in India reveal the earliest examples of dance. Todo, forms of monkeys at Gupteshvara and a number of human figures at Pahadgarh, Tikla and Abachand present evidence of dance being prevalent in those days. These drawings belong to the period from 5000 to 2000 B. C. As revealed by the stone statuette of a male dancer from Harappa and the bronze figurine of a dancing girl from Mohenjodaro, the Indus Valley civilization had a well-evolved dance culture.

Ballet dancing started in the 16th century. and its became so big that royalty were getting dance masters to teach them ballet.

If you think you have lost the knack for dancing and feel too self-conscious to start in public, reintroduce yourself to the joy of listening and responding to music in the comfort of your home. Set the mood by turning the lights down. Remember it is more fun when you are not thinking about what you look like. You will be surprised how quickly your body moves easily to the music's rhythm. Feel the music in your mind, body and spirit—feel the vibrations healing/soothing your body. Give this experience the attention and importance of meditation in which you agree to allow yourself to fully inhabit your amazing body.

If you think you are awkward, that is what you will create. If you think you are a graceful swan gliding and moving with the music, that is what you will create. Everyone carries the memory of dance in their cells.

If you prefer to take your dance moves to another level, take a class. There are dance studios in every city—in small towns the classes might be taught at the high school. In most cities, you will find every kind of dance from modern to African, ballroom and salsa. Whichever you choose, you will not regret choosing to rediscover your body's natural birthright—the healing, soothing joyful thrill of dancing.

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia