DancEssential: Stillness in Energy
"In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you." -Deepak Chopra
Competitive sports can be intimidating and trying. Especially when you are at the beginning, trying to accomplish what you have only ever seen others do. When you watch those other competitors, whether they are just a little better than you, or top professionals, you may see the fly and flurry of their actions and catalog them to memory to mimic later on in your practice. But there is a key ingredient in the mindset of these competitors that the untrained eye may miss upon first watch.
Take competitive Latin dancing for instance. It is a trying sport, where dancers have to simultaneously find a way to be noticed though the masses, achieve technical proficiency, and have the endurance to be on the top of their game through all rounds. So how do they do this? In the picture above, you will notice each couple has immense energy exuding from them. Their bodies are captured in stillness forever through this picture, yet power still seeps from their bodies as if they were continually dancing. That is such a large test of endurance to exude that much energy through five or seven rounds of five dances. The key to maintaining energy levels lies in your focus and center, as these professionals know.
When an overpowering amount of energy surrounds you, there are two options before you. You either let the energy rule over you and shake up your nerves, or you seep it in as a part of your own energy. When you allow it to course through you, it will silence your thoughts and bring you fully into the present moment. You will not be thinking about your next dance step, or if you're going to mess up, but instead you'll feel what you are doing now, perceive what is around you, and hear the music you dance to. This is the key to any competitive sport or even artistic performance. Whether you are competing with others or putting on a show, you require a hawk-eyed focus. Funny thing about focus is, if you try too hard, it brings you further away from the result you desire. Focus is something that must happen naturally, because it is something that occurs when your thoughts shut down. Focus is when you are completely in the now, running through the movements that are natural to you, and improvising in little ways you could never have planned out.
As a dancer I can say that when I walk onto that floor, the energy of the audience, the judges, my competitors, and my partner is all around. It's enough to get me shaky, and it usually does. But then I remember the advice my coach gives me; he tells me to simply sit in the energy I feel inside and surrounding me. As I seep in the energy, my mind stops telling me to be afraid of it, and instead I feel an incredible stillness within. Stillness is not the act of doing nothing, it is the art of breathing in your surroundings, and recognizing where you are in the midst of that. It is an intrinsic realization of existence among others, and in Dance, it is the key to performing at your best.
Now take another look at the dancers in the picture. I'm sure you may even look at them differently. Instead of pretty lines, sparkly costumes, and vast amounts of energy, you may notice their inward peace. Each one of them moves from a place of calm that revitalizes their confidence and emphasizes their capability. Masters and Champions have found a way to make their stillness last long periods of time, or call it to action at any time. Others are still working to summon it at will. See if you can spot any couples who may have been captured in a moment of chaos.
Find your center and your focus, and you will no longer be distracted by your competition or even your audience. You will feel their energies, positive or negative, you will see their presence, and you will then focus in on yourself. That is the key to becoming a powerful athlete, in real life or in a still captured photograph.
-Rumba_Queen
Take competitive Latin dancing for instance. It is a trying sport, where dancers have to simultaneously find a way to be noticed though the masses, achieve technical proficiency, and have the endurance to be on the top of their game through all rounds. So how do they do this? In the picture above, you will notice each couple has immense energy exuding from them. Their bodies are captured in stillness forever through this picture, yet power still seeps from their bodies as if they were continually dancing. That is such a large test of endurance to exude that much energy through five or seven rounds of five dances. The key to maintaining energy levels lies in your focus and center, as these professionals know.
When an overpowering amount of energy surrounds you, there are two options before you. You either let the energy rule over you and shake up your nerves, or you seep it in as a part of your own energy. When you allow it to course through you, it will silence your thoughts and bring you fully into the present moment. You will not be thinking about your next dance step, or if you're going to mess up, but instead you'll feel what you are doing now, perceive what is around you, and hear the music you dance to. This is the key to any competitive sport or even artistic performance. Whether you are competing with others or putting on a show, you require a hawk-eyed focus. Funny thing about focus is, if you try too hard, it brings you further away from the result you desire. Focus is something that must happen naturally, because it is something that occurs when your thoughts shut down. Focus is when you are completely in the now, running through the movements that are natural to you, and improvising in little ways you could never have planned out.
As a dancer I can say that when I walk onto that floor, the energy of the audience, the judges, my competitors, and my partner is all around. It's enough to get me shaky, and it usually does. But then I remember the advice my coach gives me; he tells me to simply sit in the energy I feel inside and surrounding me. As I seep in the energy, my mind stops telling me to be afraid of it, and instead I feel an incredible stillness within. Stillness is not the act of doing nothing, it is the art of breathing in your surroundings, and recognizing where you are in the midst of that. It is an intrinsic realization of existence among others, and in Dance, it is the key to performing at your best.
Now take another look at the dancers in the picture. I'm sure you may even look at them differently. Instead of pretty lines, sparkly costumes, and vast amounts of energy, you may notice their inward peace. Each one of them moves from a place of calm that revitalizes their confidence and emphasizes their capability. Masters and Champions have found a way to make their stillness last long periods of time, or call it to action at any time. Others are still working to summon it at will. See if you can spot any couples who may have been captured in a moment of chaos.
Find your center and your focus, and you will no longer be distracted by your competition or even your audience. You will feel their energies, positive or negative, you will see their presence, and you will then focus in on yourself. That is the key to becoming a powerful athlete, in real life or in a still captured photograph.
-Rumba_Queen
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