Tonight, I'm Going To Take A Dance Class (Part 2)

Photo by Sabrina Polanco-Ferreyra

Let me preface this by asking you this question: what are things that you want to do, but you aren’t doing because you fear being uncomfortable or even more afraid?

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Tonight will be the fifth class of the six part series of composition dance classes I began in December. It’s bittersweet as the journey wraps up... but very much inevitable. All things come to end in time... it’s up for us to keep rolling forward and pursue new things...

With that said, how has this experience gone this far and where would I like to take my life journey next?

It’s gone well! Underwhelming? Well, certainly not overwhelming. Maybe somewhere in between. I can definitely say I want more of what’s being offered. I’m excited to dig in deeper. What’s especially interesting about this experience is that it’s very much reminiscent of Jessica Nicoll’s composition class I took in my early days at Hunter College. Amazingly, it does not feel at all redundant because I’m very much in a different place at this moment than I was 4-5 years ago. I’m a more experienced artist/person. More attuned to who it is that I am and where I want to go next. It’s refreshing to revisit my past in this new light and see where it takes me.

I think what I’m drawn to appreciate most out of this experience is the platform it offers me to share pieces of myself with others. If I had a choice and I felt it was socially acceptable to do so, at any given moment, you’d catch me dancing in the streets. But, alas, I don’t feel quite empowered enough to do that just yet. So I appreciate the unique environment this class offers me to explore... present... experiment... share and reflect.

I’m on this strange personal journey of self-discovery. So I enjoy feeding off of the responses my classmates offer. It validates what it is that I’m doing... and my existence in of itself. It’s also so amazing to “play” in a safe environment where play is very much appreciated. We are all so curious as to what each of us have to offer. We investigate and reflect together... each of us, perhaps, on a pathway to reach higher truth about ourselves.... life... art. At least that’s how I see it. The creative process for me is so deeply intertwined with my identity. So I enjoy discovering it, fleshing it out, and fielding the responses of my classmates.

Photo by Sabrina Polanco-Ferreyra

My class features a wide range of ages from different walks of life. Yet, despite these discernible differences, we are bonded together in our appreciation -  dare I say - love of dance and the creative process. This is special. This is hard to come by. This is where it get all my value after a long day sitting in a cubicle and staring at a screen at work.

On Saturday, January 26th there is a public performance opportunity where a few members of my class will be presenting some work at 92nd Street Y. I’m excited to challenge myself to share something in this venue... expand my self-sharing to a broader audience. It will be a solo. Something currently in the works. Pieces of which are still very much undefined. But I’m so very enthusiastic to share it. And perhaps receive even more feedback from the audience who will be present and have this new information further validate and inspire my creative process. We shall see where this all takes me!

Looking beyond this performance date... I think I need to get back in the studio more. Continue on this trajectory. Perhaps I’ll take Jessica Nicoll’s Thursday evening modern technique class that many of my current classmates are taking... It’s a technique class which I know fulfills a very different purpose. But if that’s what it takes to keep me in the studio... if that’s what I need to keep my body moving and alive, I will do it.  Onward!

Tonight I'm Going To Take A Dance Class (Part 1)