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Spirituality

Imagine if Jesus was a dancer... Christianity would be totally different, in concept and in practise. Raised a Christian, I've long since lost faith in all religions, except for some Buddhist ideas and meditation practices. I rarely think about spirituality overtly. But when I do... I realise that dance has a spiritual element for me – the feeling of joyous connection and one-ness with a partner or a community.

So maybe you could call me a Dance Evangelist? Below is a video of a dance performance I attended during my visit to Bali, totally different to the styles I practice. It shows the creative flexibility of dance and a spiritual dimension. Overt displays of spirituality are a distinctive feature of Balinese life: showy temples or altars at home, daily offerings of fresh flowers in homes, shops and restaurants. And so with many traditional Balinese dances: stories with characters, some of them magical or sacred, are vividly portrayed in dance-theatre. The same magical beast with human feet is also portrayed in stone sculpture.

We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. – Nietzsche

If you feel inspired to learn to dance, I offer some tips on the Just do it! page. And I do hope you feel inspired... in many cultures around the world, and many epochs, everyone danced. In some places, they still do. You can do it.

Balinese traditional dance performance from Deezy on Vimeo.

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