Mia Michaels Speaks On Why We Dance

Choreographer and dancer, Mia Michaels, expresses her thoughts on "Why we dance"

Why do we dance? Why does our body want to move and pulse with every rise and fall of the music that invades our ears? Are we a product of a the thousand and one classes and a lifetime of training, or is dance a purely instinctual and primal experience that happens internally only when we allow it? I would only hope that both reasons intertwined with respect and nurturing are the answer. Or is it a gift that's given by a much higher power than ourselves? That would be beautiful.

Allowing movement to come through us in the form of pure energy and onto a highly trained yet raw instrument is what defines the ultimate dancer. One that knows how to pull from technique and also when to leave technique alone and head straight to the heart of the matter. One that knows how to pull from the rawness and humanness that would drip from their own personal journey through this world and allows the real movement to come from the inside out.That is beautiful.
It is so easy to hide behind steps It's much deeper than that. Our goal should not just be to perfect what a choreographer gives us but also to allow our own unique voice as a dancer artist to come through and marry to the energy of the choreographer. That is beautiful.

Then again, let's think about some of the most simple and beautiful images of dance. A young child is jumping freely to music, laughing and giggling with such purity and with no fear of judgment. An older couple, fragile yet safe in each others arms, slowly try to keep up with their favorite song from a time earlier in their lives as they reminisce through all the years with each step. That is beautiful.

If everyone danced from their heart and purity of spirit, using free movement as a daily practice and meditation, there would be no more wars. I believe every breathing thing has been given the gift of dance and movement. So let go, take that deep breath and dance! That is beautiful!

Mia Michaels

Ah, how beautiful. A true dancer is aware that there is a dancer in each one of us. Dance is about the heart. In many ways, technique is there to guide you until you find the dance within yourself and can step out of the "expected" with your own dance. You can watch a dance (or a life) with a critical eye or with your heart. Guess which one will lead to a greater joy, a more fulfilling experience and, ultimately, a better dancer?

Don't worry about how others see your dance. Dance with your whole heart and you're a dancer. Dance with all the technique that exists and you can be a great technician but without the heart you'll never KNOW dance. To know dance, you must know your heart. To be a dancer, you must BE your heart.