PASSION – WHERE IS YOURS? By Christine Denny

Heh Guys,
Recently I have been on the road with TAPATAK OZ choreographing groups and solos and teaching masterclasses and I have been wondering what is so often missing in the classroom these days. After much thought I have come up with the answer – JOY!
It seems to me that if you are in a dance class you must have an interest and passion for dance – so today I want to encourage you all to let your passion out! Show the joy! Truly experience the moment!
If you asked most professional dancers, teachers and choreographers how they feel when they hear music or dance a step they would say that there is a little fire inside them that just lights up. A light or joy in them that just takes over. A feeling they can’t explain. And you can see this in their eyes and feel it in the energy they have when they are in their artistic zone so to speak.
Excitement! Passion! Joy! These are all feeling s that professional artist finds in their work – but also and most importantly they are all qualities that they are not afraid to show and share with the outside world.
It seems that students these days feel they need to hide their passion, their joy and their excitement from everyone around them which is a real shame as this is what performing and the arts is all about. Not to mention that classes and rehearsals are so much more fun when everyone is injecting them with their own unique personality and this infectious love of dance!
I have heard the judges on SYTYCD comment many times on how important it is to have a connection with the audience, to tell a story when you dance and to give each movement a purpose and I could not agree more. It is this revealing of your personality and soul that drives any performance, draws the audience to you and creates that special aura around the performance. You have to let people in for your performance to be truly effective.
So this is an important skill that needs to be nurtured in the classroom and in rehearsal. As important as technique is, this sense of passion and love for dance needs to be developed and finetuned and then hung out on display for everyone to witness and share. Hidden away, your passion and love of dance is unable to affect those watching you and that wonderful gift of connection is lost to all!
The arts in all its forms are such a unique opportunity to affect others emotionally and connect with them so really take the opportunity to develop this gift and share. Sure – work and focus on technique but also consciously give some thought to allowing yourself the freedom to show your joy of dance. Show your passion! Show the joy! Shine your own special light and experience that wonderful feeling of total expression and freedom!
Listen to your music, let it take you over and inspire you! Think about what motivates each step you perform. What is your story? What is the choreography about? How has your choreographer or teacher used the music to get across their vision? What is their vision? Why are you dancing? Are you happy, sad, excited, tentative? When you ask all these questions of every step you dance you open up a whole new world and give your dance so much more depth and meaning.
So my challenge to all the students out there today is to enter your classes with a renewed passion and energy. Don’t be afraid to show that you love dance. Let the joy out! As I always say “Show the emotion in your ocean” .The more energy and passion you give to your teachers and choreographers the more creativity and passion you will get back.
Any class is a circle and cycle of energy – you give energy and passion to your teacher and they reflect this back to you with more interesting and creative choreography and more inspired ideas.The more interest you show in what your teacher is doing the more challenging the work will become. Be your teacher’s inspiration as well as his or her student. They will in turn inspire you! It is a two way street. You will feed of each other and each class will be a fabulous exchange of energy, creativity and passion!
And that is it for today! A simple message! Show the joy! Live the joy! Become the joy!
Make every dance class you attend an exciting one where you leave the room feeling like you have connected with your inner passion and inner self – not afraid of showing the world that you love what you do!
Leave every class not only physically exhausted but knowing that you have given every step the emotional connection and passion it deserves as well!
My crusade and message for today’s article is simple:
LIVE WHAT YOU DO! LOVE WHAT YOU DO! SHOW THE JOY!
Life is an exciting discovery of you – so discover
yourself with passion and joy!
ENJOY!
Christine
www.tapatakoz.com.au