This week saw me strike a new beginning with an old flame: contemporary dance. After discovering that my fall semester learning Flamenco, at the time, was not fulfilling the things I love about dance, I decided to join the Contemporary Dance Class at the recently re-branded Natasha Royka Movement Studio.
I have admired flameco from a distance for three years or so, to the point that I whimsically dreamed of flitting off to Valencia after my Master's to learn to dance in Sevilla. And what's not to admire? Those controlled passionate movements, sharpened poise, turbulent rhythms and that technique, oh that technique! I couldn't reconcile my excitment with my ensuing disappointment: it was hard to admit the physical limitations of my own body and my desire to master the movements faster than I actually could. In the process I gained a new physical self-awareness about control over movement. The physical limitations manifested themselves in my profound fear of injuring my joints, especially my hips and knees. Every time I dropped my foot I was conscious about controlling the movement for self-preservation rather than aesthetic.
I rediscovered my love for dance and choreography while a member of the LSE Dance Society (I am in the red tights, pictured on the right, photo taken after our performance of
Surrationality at the annual Dance Society Showcase). It was then I became more conscious about how much i loved moving through space and responding to music as a contemporary dancer. In my flamenco class, I found there wasn't enough movement through space in the class. Granted, it was an introductory flamenco class, so learning technique while somewhat stationary is a necessary part of learning. I find myself wondering whether I gave up too easily, but remembering feeling defeated and bored after every painful class reminds me I made the right decision.
In addition to the liberating feeling of moving through space, physically and connecting with fellow dancers and music, I dance for exercise. I love challenging my body to stretch. I love pushing limits of my own strength. And I love, love, love using my body in new ways.
I am excited to grow as a dancer under the tutelage of Natasha Royka. I am definitely dusty and rusty from Christmas, flamenco and everything since LSE. But I am so happy to have gotten off on the right foot in 2010.
For anyone interested, Natasha Royka Movement Studio has an open house this weekend from 4-6 on Sunday, January 10th. She specializes in movement and pilates and her studio is located at 637 Florence Street, at the corner of Bank and Florence.
