There are movements that we do voluntarily, and there are movements that the body does organically.
They come from different sources.
One is from the conscious mind; the other is from the subconscious.
When you take a dance class, you are using your left brain to memorize and repeat the choreography cognitively. When we do organic authentic movement, we try to tune into the subconscious without thoughts coming into the picture. That way we find true expression.
You can of course find true expression in an advanced dance choreo as well, but that would mean your body needs to move in this choreo almost automatically, which comes with experience. I can get lost in the movement and express my emotions with complex dancing figures only because I have practiced them for years, and it is now organic.
In dance classes, most people are disconnected from themselves, including the teacher. Because often people come to learn and get better, not necessarily use dance as an expression. But if you now how to do both, you have an incredible gift for self-therapy for the rest of your life.
Hence, the capability to express yourself fully grows larger.
So in the world of movement therapy, taking a choreography class just makes your movement expression vocabulary much bigger for the future.
Just take a movement home and make it yours. Like it’s a new word you can use for journaling.
Dancing is journaling.
Writing your story in the air with your body.
And if you can get lost in it, it’s pure ecstasy.