Dance is a Personal Art Form

After doing some online judging for Yorkshire Pole Dance Championships I have been inspired to write this post because of how these girls really show themselves through movement. I haven’t met any of them and I don’t know if we have anything in common, other than dance, but I feel like I know each of them in some small way because of the movement I have seen them perform. Their song choice, how they engage with the audience, how their movement expands or closes. Dance is very personal, especially for us solo performers who pour out our thoughts through our dance works, we show how we see the world and we make decisions on how we would like the world to see us. So I have to agree with Jiri Kilyian, choreographer, who says that “dance is the most personal art form”.

As I stated in my eBook “Speaking through Movement”, dance is a very personal process to me and it always has been which is probably why I am usually complimented on my emotive quality. I think that when we accept dance as something personal, particularly regarding creative choreography whilst ignoring technique, we are really able to channel an energy that is hard to find in other circumstances. I think mood has a massive influence on what we create and when. One minute it might seem like a good idea to do everything at a slow, and dismal pace, but when our energy raises we are forced to make it something else. We amplify the space and show the floor what we are made of, or the pole.

If you have ever took part in guided meditation you know that the voice is usually leading you to be present “there is only now, forget about everything else, the future, the past.” Well, that is how I see it when I dance and I create dance for myself. I try to see it in the moment and trust that what I do is what is right. Sure, I make changes in the studio and give myself direction for the next rehearsal, but I completely disregard what an audience might think. This particular post is relating to dance as a personal process, so why should we have to consider anything else other than our own thoughts? I for one, am always entertained by a dancer who you can tell is putting their heart and soul into the movement rather than the dancer who is technically perfect but acting the performance.

What do you think about dance and personality? Do you see yourself when you move or do you build another character completely?

If you like this post you can subscribe to Pole Purpose newsletter and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.