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In the belly dance world one will often hear folks talk about "energy". When I first started dancing, I wasn't really sure what they meant - was this some nebulous thing, was it something I'd have to work hard to learn, was it going to take me places I did not want to go? It made me nervous - what the heck did they mean by "energy"!
Over the last almost 20 years, I've learned a lot about this concept and agree with my early teachers - it's important! According to Quantum physics - we're all energy. Energy that forms into solid matter and then unforms and reforms into something else. Science says that energy can change form but can not be destroyed. Now, I'm no Quantum physicist so that's my very basic explanation of the science of energy where this conversation is concerned.
So if we are all energy and we need energy in our dance, than it stands to reason we already have this nebulous quality in us. That however does not mean we control it - just ask any cat owner. One can have a cat - that in no way means one can control said cat! However, let us assume that we can learn to control this energy that we already have. How is that relevant to our dance and why is it important?
I'm sure we've all seen dance performances that look like they are having fun. They are animated, they are looking at the audience, they are technically perfect - and we are bored to tears! In old Hollywood, they used to call it "star quality" - being technically perfect, beautiful, and talented wasn't enough - there was something else out that you needed. That, Ladies and Gentlemen is "energy". Its the performer's ability to control their energy and use it consciously to effect the audience, the musicians and the other dancers on the stage. A perfect example of this was Donna Mejia's performance at Tribalcon this year (see my earlier post). She was beautifully dressed, she was technically perfect, she included the audience and then she did that last element - she used her energy to effect us! And boy howdy did she effect us - she received a standing ovation and had half the audience tearing up or outright crying. That is "star quality" and it comes from consciously using her energy. I have no doubt she's studied many different disciplines in order to do this. Like the cat analogy - I doubt she began life being able to do this.
So what can we do to add that component to our dance. It's powerful - very powerful both for the dancer and for the others in the room. Let's start small - how many of us have been dancing somewhere - performance, hafla, class, in our living room - and lost ourselves? We could dance longer, faster, slower, it almost hurt to dance it was so intense and yet the "pain" was amazingly satisfying and wonderful? I would imagine that anyone who has danced for any length of time has experienced this at least once. The Spanish call it duende'. That is connecting with and experiencing the energy. Sometimes when this happens we can consciously use it to effect others. Sometimes not - if we have no training, we can only ride the experience and not direct the train - so to speak. Years ago at an SCA hafla, we had danced for hours. I was on an endorphin high and it was late well past midnight. I was dancing with good friends and the drummers were almost all good friends and all the loud party people had passed out somewhere. We danced one last song and I was in duende' I was faster, hotter, more intense - it was an amazing experience and one that I remember almost 15 years later as if it was yesterday. And on some level I must have directed my train that night - because when we were done we were all on a dance high and I was almost in tears. One of the drummers, someone I didn't know who had stuck around for the last dance, dropped down on one knee - kissed my hand and looked up at me with wonder in his eyes and began to tell me how I had effected him that entire evening. It was overwhelming and I was very embaressed. He ended as he stood up and bowed thanking me for the great privilege of watching me dance as it had touched his soul. Now the SCA is full of flowery men who pay ladies flowery compliments, but they don't usually do it with tears in their eyes. Scared the dickens out of me! When I saw Donna Mejia dance I knew what he meant and I regretted that I hadn't been able to handle his compliment with more kindness and grace. Duende'!
So, I know of my own experience - both as dancer and audience member, that this is possible. Now, how do we achieve this in a more controllable way? Or can we? I think that we can. The important thing is to control it without loosing it's amazing power and breathtaking duende'. If we loose those things then it becomes rote and we'll loose the energy. I personally believe that you aren't controlling it, if you loose those things. If it becomes rote, it's because you aren't actually doing it anymore.
The answer to this is we have to study energy. I don't mean scientifically, although if that helps you to connect -feel free to add that to what I'm about to suggest. As humans, we already have institutions that deal with this concept - so start there. For many people their personal religion has an energy component - investigate this look at how worship involves the use of your energy. Do you achieve duende' in worship? That is the most common place for anyone to begin their study of energy. Yoga is another place to do this. Yoga is definitely about the study of energy. Many martial arts, particularly those from the East, have an energy component. Meditation is another way to tap into this (pick your style). Meditation is definitely about energy - controlling it and directing it. These are all places to start. Note that not one of these is in a dance class. You might find a dance class that is about investigating energy - they do exist, but they aren't everywhere and the other suggestions are often easier to locate. Here is my caveat' - not all Western practitioners of these methods actually focus on energy work. So be discriminating as you investigate teachers. You might find an amazing yoga teacher who does deep and intensive energy work at a gym, but it's more likely that you'll find one as a private practitioner. Energy study often scares the average workout junkies - so practitioners tone down classes or ditch it altogether. Talk to teachers, how comfortable are they in discussing this? Do they outright dismiss the concept? Move on talk to someone else. Trust me they are out there.
If you want to take your dance to that next level - consider a study of energy work!
Happy Dancing,
Halleyah :)
