I think these two pieces go beautifully together.  Let’s see if you agree. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=-aYAcdqesDc&NR=1

As for why I put these two items together:

Over the years, I’ve noticed that many dancers have a tendency to get so worried about doing x, fixing y and showing off z, and just generally trying to look “perfect,” that many of them often forget over time why they originally sought to become dancers in the first place.  They forget the joy of dancing.. and even as a beginner, for a while I noticed this tendency in me.  (But fortunately I had a mini epiphany a while back, and slapped that right outta myself. ;))  But still, it holds true:  Many of us get so lost in the mechanics of “Dancing,” that we forget to take a moment and simply —ENJOY..— to experience the art of freely & openly expressing ourselves. 

For various reasons, I’ve seen that many of us forget how to experience dancing just for dancing’s own sake.-  And that, to me, is a serious tragedy.  We dance for the wonderful, exhilarating, enveloping and uplifting transformations we experience when we dance.. right?  That connection with something Else that somehow digs deep inside of us and connects us with something primeval, yet divine.. right?  So if we entirely lose ourselves in mechanics and external elements, don’t you think we kind of lose the whole point of dancing.. in essence?  So how do we ensure we never lose the pure exhilaration of dancing, while we try and become better technical dancers..?

Now, of course we can’t go all willy-nilly, as that would likely look horrible onstage and just a silly in public.  (Unless we’re intentionally doing some kind of trance-dancing, which is a whole other ball of wax.)  I’m not saying we should forget our drills and stop the search to increase our dance vocabularies and just run off like flailing muppets on an 8-ball bender.  Many of us dance to entertain, to uplift, and/or potentially educate.. and ya gotta build up that movement database, that knowledge of history, folklore, path and pattern.  But to me, a part of that transcendental energy inherent in the heart of dancing can only truly be transmitted when one is fully in the moment, aware, alive (inside and out), sharp and yet free- while getting lost in the music, connecting w/the audience, and thus sharing w/everyone who experiences their dancing how transformational dance as a whole can be. :)

And that’s why I really wanted to share these 2 pieces.  They came to me yesterday practically right next to each other (literally within about 20 mins. of one another), so I wanted to present them as one cohesive unit to you, too.  Because whether you’re taking a moment to experience the sensuality of the dance, or to slow down and let the music give you a breather, take a pause to pose, or just be more mindful of your body & how the music- the experience of dancing moves you, they both speak directly to what is essentially one topic:  Taking a moment and truly experiencing what it is to dance. :)  In different ways, they both discuss how to do more (or, depending on your POV- less) than just worrying about choreo or Looking Perfect, going beyond needing to adjust your costume, or fretting about the crowd or the lighting.  It’s about so much more than the steps or the bit of weight you feel you carry in one place or another that you do NOT want the audience to see.. and that butthole in the second row who keeps scratching himself & glaring at you like he’d rather eat you, or be -anywhere else- but here.  It’s about moving beyond all of that madness & inner chatter, so you’re truly dancing, and not just.. going through the motions. ;)