Without Words

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music. – Friedrich Nietzsche

What better place to talk about creative flow, the magical experience where actions and awareness merge, than dancing? Scott Barry Kaufman describes flow when “one’s mind is fully open and attuned to the act of creating.” Where a sense of wholeness arises, and we move away from the cerebral to the body. Everything feels engaged and meaningful.

Dancing is a creative form that lets us speak without words our deepest feelings. It lets us experience the goose bumps, and, according to David Thomas Moore, “the butterflies once again, if only for a moment, [we] return to the purest part of our lives when time was of no matter… .” For some, dancing expresses the passion experienced in a new relationship or the exhilarating freedom of youth. The simple joy of discovery. Powerful emotions can be expressed through jazz, hip-hop, tango—whatever summons you—conveying what we want to say, but can’t with language alone.

Dad said he knew he had to dance when he felt the “itch.” Maybe because of the towering  responsibilities felt in a struggling farm family, Dad and Mom sought release on the dance floor. And Robert McKee agrees, saying “music, dance…has the power to silence the chatter and lift us to another place.” Yes, creativity carries a force that can whisk us away from the every day, and for my parents, it worked. They successfully jitterbugged into several dance contests, forgetting the chaos and the hardship around them. Watching them jive was like observing a complex machine at work with bells and whistles, pulleys and gears. Their feet and arms moving in sync, in and out, side by side, and then, wildly apart. An occasional whoopee heard, two scoops between the legs, jazz hands shaking. Dancing was their way of talking.

The fun of make believe and over-sized imaginations spurred my older sister, Karen, and me to create contemporary ballets (this term is used loosely). Involving large arm swings, gentle chest bumps, knee slides, and a full-body finale. Believing in the power of romance, we created a chance to role play the entangled emotions observed in the adults around us. Our storyline: Love at first site. Place: card shop.  Emotion: Strong and magical. Climax: Outstretched arms. The jump into his (her) arms.

T.S. Eliot said that the future contains the past and so it was on the celebration of another milestone birthday for me. On that night, “Feel the Love” and “Dancing in the Dark” played in the background. We rolled up the rug and with my grandchildren leading the way—cavorting, laughing, hip-hopping, arms akimbo—we let go. Showing the world who we truly are. – Becky Breed