Lyrical Jazz
To define lyrical jazz: to me it is dancing your emotions. I started taking this class one year ago, unsure of what it was about, only a few weeks before the break. Unsure of how to dance with strength and technique, while simultaneously letting go was a new feeling for my body. Lyrical jazz has offered me strength, but more importantly a way to key into my feelings and express those feelings through the movement of the choreography. Over the months, with the pain in my heart I starting finding a way to let it out through the subtleties of the dance. Reaching farther than your finger tips, feeling tension in a walk, or carving out the space in the room with a jump.
This new way to bring out the feelings inside allowed me to open up and let go of the pain and stress, or to share the joy. Today, I chose to push myself harder than before in class. Go deeper in my pushups, lift my leg higher in adagio, and dance. Use the breath to fill every moment with movement, no matter how small. Never stop dancing. This week is the exam where all my education comes down to a solving 10 problems. Push harder, find the limits of my knowledge and reach beyond.
Dancing has always been a huge part of my life, but lyrical jazz has brought a new outlook to my life and one that I can carry with me throughout the day and to any challenge that is thrown my way.
If you dance with your heart, your body will follow ~ Mia Michaels