INTRODUCTION

The quality of our being determines the quality of our doing are the words of Thich Nhat Hanh in his book The Art of Living.

These words resonate with me deeply, causing me to feel a greater sense of conviction about choosing the life of a dancer; a very conscientious dancer who moves through the world with an intention of good-doing, not to appease others but because I’m amazed by the good that dancing can do.

The way I work with dance is unusual, some may say innovative. I look for the places where dance isn’t happening, and I create access. When I witness social and health inequalities, I ask what can dance do to restore balance?

This led me to founding Move Dance Feel, an initiative that makes dance available to women living with and beyond cancer. Our mission is to integrate dance into cancer care, to alleviate the long lasting and wide ranging health challenges associated with diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

It is because of Move Dance Feel that I was selected for a Churchill Fellowship - a privileged professional development opportunity that took me across 4 countries and 10 cities, to dance with 25 communities and over 600 people.

The Fellowship enabled me to connect with people from the positions of a participant-observer, an artist-facilitator and a researcher so that I could further understand the growing need for, and value of, what I do.

AREA OF FOCUS

This period of travel gifted me time to dance and converse with others working at the intersection of dance and health. Through numerous encounters I explored the similarities and differences in how we design and deliver dance experiences, as well as capture their impact.

Along the way I catalysed an international Dance in Cancer Care Network, collated research findings in this field, and pieced together ideas for two training programmes: 

Dance in Cancer Care - Practitioner Training

Dance and Health - Advancing Your Practice

I discovered that as my argument for dance in cancer care became stronger my niche area of focus unexpectedly broadened because I saw with enhanced clarity the benefits of dance for all.

This evolution of focus occurred in response to both the Fellowship coinciding with a world pandemic and with a very personal journey of grief. Framed by a constant grappling with loss - that which we had already lost, that which we feared to lose and that which we will inevitably lose - change was the constant that underpinned the duration of my research. I noticed that despite undercurrents of loss and change permeating all human experiences (and inherent in the context of cancer) we are often ill equipped to cope - or at least cope whilst remaining well.

As I moved through a turbulent period of personal and global change, mass social isolation and extreme threats to human health, I further felt and understood the significance of dance in my life. My personal inner journey paralleled my geographical one, offering new depths of insight as to how dance resources me and others; insights into how dance provides a way for us to navigate change and move towards wellbeing.

CONNECTION

Our sense of wellbeing is determined by the depth of connection we have with ourselves, with our bodies, with others and with our environment. 

Intrinsic to dance is connection, which is what makes it an effective tool (and practice) for enhancing and maintaining wellbeing.

I view wellbeing as more than having our basic needs met, as it encompasses all that brings purpose, meaning and pleasure to our lives. Having a wellbeing practice is what keeps us in balance when life events threaten our sense of stability.

Throughout this period of research I found that the type of connection we experience through dancing in community can anchor us amidst uncertainty, and help us to return to ourselves when feeling alone or emotionally adrift. Simultaneously, dancing into connection enlivens us and can build resilience.

These discoveries, which were made possible by my dancing body being the main medium through which I encountered others, revealed to me the power of dancing as a (re)connecting practice and highlighted that its potency lies in specificity.

The specific way that dancing invites us to connect - with our whole selves, our senses, our emotions, our energy and our imagination.

And, the specific way that we, as artists, facilitate connection - to and through dance. I noticed how our attitude and approach to facilitation, as well as our ethics, influences our own and participants’ depth of connection.

ELEMENTS OF PRACTICE

For dancing to truly be considered a practice of wellbeing, it must be experienced in a way that offers depth and honours interconnectivity. Below I share musings on this, eliciting ten interweaving elements of practice that foster connection and determine the ‘quality of our being and thus doing’. They are; reciprocity, presence, curiosity and possibility, release, acceptance and compassion, choice and agency, and joy.

Additionally, within each element of practice exists multiple counterparts; care, valuing, respect, visibility, questioning, capability, challenge, humour, fun, play, inclusivity, non judgment, adaptability, freedom, options, person-centred, responsive, flattening hierarchy, allowing, privileging spaciousness, trust, inspiration, braving vulnerability and confidence.

To refer to this distillation of thinking as elements of practice feels somewhat limiting as it risks reducing the very felt, expansive and multidimensional nature of dance to a compact and linear form. I therefore invite you to engage with and reflect on these musings whilst perhaps dancing yourself, to honour their fluidity and experience how they arise both individually and collectively.

Like the very nature of our human-ness these elements sit within a construct of holism, meaning that they are intimately interconnected with one another. Although separated for the purpose of clarity, they must be considered as one reciprocally interrelating whole.

RECIPROCITY

Connection is most strongly felt through shared and reciprocal action.

Reciprocity, giving and receiving, is at the heart of dancing in community. The giving and receiving of a movement gesture, the cross exchange of smiles and eye contact, the appreciation of others as they appreciate you. This leads to a palpable sense of care and social connection.

Dance artists can amplify social connection by inviting bodies to synchronise though movement, to come into physical contact, and to share the same rhythm. It’s also in the simplest of actions, like ensuring we know one another’s names and the giving and receiving of a hug.

When we dance in a way that places emphasis on collaboration and social connection, it catalyses intimate and meaningful relationships. In getting to know each other through our bodies, and through valuing each others bodies, we enter those relationships from a place of respect - in the way that we also want to be met.

The community of care that this then engenders is remarkable, and promotes a mutual sense of belonging which is an effective antidote to loneliness - bridging social divides.

An impressive example of this from the Fellowship was when I was dancing with a community in Bassano del Grappa, Italy. The community is identifiably intergenerational, where all are welcome to dance regardless of age, ability or background.

I recall a moment where I got drawn into watching an elder female and a young male dancing together, entranced by their gentleness. The longer they danced together the more intertwined and richer their dancing became, enhanced by their reciprocal gestures of care and generosity.

The level of comfort they showed with one another’s bodies was so exceptional that their age and physical differences were rendered obsolete. They were equals. What bound them was their deep sense of presence, listening and responding (eyes sometimes closed) through movement.

PRESENCE

To feel deeply connected we need to be present. Present with whats going on within us and with the people or places we encounter. Caught up in the busy-ness of life, we can easily find our minds and bodies in different places.

Dancing brings our minds and bodies into the same moment. The way it asks us to physically focus on so many aspects at once (our relationship to space, physical coordination, musical rhythm, size, speed and direction movement, and our interaction with others) is absorbing. A cognitive workout that forces our minds to be here now, free from thoughts of yesterday or concerns about tomorrow.

Dance artists are present beings - we make eye contact, lean in and physicalise openness. Somewhat organically we see not just with our eyes but with our bodies as well, which helps others to feel visible.

Through working with our bodies we’ve developed skills in embodied listening - attending to people in way that they feel seen and heard. When we attend to someone and are fully present it is an act of loving-kindness - thus the environment we create when dancing in community is, first and foremost, kind.

As a facilitator, artists can invite a sense of presence through activating participants’ feeling state. Feelings are often stirred through the practice of dancing itself, yet they can be heightened if artists consciously incorporate certain language, imagery, music, touch, breath and sensory awareness into the facilitation approach.

I remember a moment during the Fellowship, dancing with a community in New York, when the artist facilitator asked us to imagine we had mouths on the soles of our feet - opening and closing as we alternately trod our feet into the floor. The hilarity of this image made me smile, and brought me back into my body through a releasing sense of lightness. It was the first time I’d smiled since receiving the news that my grandpa had died the previous day, as I was suffocating with sadness and consumed by thoughts. The image that was offered disrupted this, and the feeling of lightness I experienced counterbalanced my heaviness. Subsequently I discovered that I was able to be more present with, and allowing of, the waves of grief rippling through me. The grip of grief relaxed in a way that made me then curious about my emotions, as I was no longer drowning in them.

CURIOSITY AND POSSIBILITY

Possibility exists in relation to curiosity, and curiosity drives creativity. When artists have an attitude of possibility and behave in ways that show they are genuinely curious - often by questioning - it unlocks both body and mind.

Questioning is a creative act. It is a tool for discovering each other, as well as a means to find new ways of moving and physically relating. Through exploring new movement possibilities, by asking questions such as ‘what if’ and ‘can we find’, the brain explores new possibilities too. It’s even scientifically proven that dancing in different ways stimulates different thought patterns as well.

This helps us come into contact with a greater sense of possibility, discovering what the body can do as opposed to what it can’t, and brings about changes in self-perception. It provides a way for us to free ourselves from self-limiting beliefs, and connect to feelings of confidence and capability.

Confidence and capability also arise in relation to feelings of accomplishment. When the dance practice involves challenges, and participants are supported in their navigation of artistic challenges, it can lead to a greater sense of accomplishment and growth - personal growth as well as growth of physical movement range and expression. For us humans to be comfortable with challenge, however, we also need an equal sense of release. Without opportunities for release challenges are too intense and can overwhelm us.

RELEASE

Dancing is naturally a releasing practice. Its physically expressive and exertive characteristics release both physical and mental tension. This is essential for cultivating a greater sense of connection with ourselves because tension acts as a blocker. When we are tense our elevated stress levels cause inflammation, which leads to a whole range of health problems and a cutting off from felt sensation - obstructing our ability to emotionally regulate.

Dancing however undoes these contractions, its playful, expressive and freeing nature inviting instantaneous release. When dance artists weave playful explorations into their practice it relaxes participants, lowering inhibitions and enhancing their sense of capability. Reciprocally it also relaxes the artist, and helps us to bond with the group and reaffirm our capabilities.

The epitome of a capable and accomplished woman, who I met during the Fellowship, is the legendary Debbie Allen, an award winning dancer, choreographer, producer and actress. I asked her what lies at the heart of her creative practice and her response was humour. Debbie is in her seventies and has danced with thousands of people in places that range from disadvantaged neighbourhoods to film sets. I love that this was her answer, as I too centralise humour in my practice - not least for it’s releasing properties.

Humour alleviates the preconceived seriousness of a dance environment, and connects people to what dance should be - fun. When participants have fun with dance it leads to a sense of abandon, and often evokes childhood memories of adventure where we explored more so through our physicality than with our minds.

When artists invite play and fun into the dance practice not only does it foster joy and enhance participants’ movement quality, but it also removes any pre existing or engrained beliefs related to perfectionism around dance and the body. Play is the gateway to embodying new creative possibilities, as it enables us to let go of perfectionist tendencies and minimise judgemental behaviours.

ACCEPTANCE AND COMPASSION

Dancing is a universal language that can exemplify inclusivity - its adaptable nature fitting any type of body and occupying any type of environment. It is a language that requires no prerequisite, yet for the dance environment to be truly inclusive the dancers must adopt an attitude of non judgement.

Non judgement is a cornerstone of acceptance. When we dance free from self-judgment, and without judging others, we develop our ability to welcome ourselves and others as we are. We learn to appreciate and accept our bodies, even if they aren’t ‘perfect’. This can be influenced in the dance practice by thinking carefully about the choice words we use to refer to and describe our bodies - words with a positive tenor. Also by incorporating techniques that nurture the body, and stimulate recognition of its intelligence.

As we develop a greater appreciation for, and acceptance of, our bodies we generate a greater sense of acceptance within ourselves. This also helps us to become more accepting of others, and is often underpinned by practicing compassion. Practicing compassion, in this context, is a way of recognising and accepting our shared humanity so that we treat ourselves and others with respect and kindness. It invites us to exercise compassionate relaxation - finding comfort with discomfort - so that we can develop a greater sense of understanding of ourselves, others, and ourselves in relationship to others.

During my travels, I noticed that when practiced collectively and reciprocally from a place of embodiment, compassion can be more felt - and thus more sustaining. The depth of emotional connection that is formed when compassion and acceptance are present in the dance space is remarkable, and seems to make such an impression that the felt (loving) memory continues to serve people - crystallising into a positive inner resource. When a person recalls this memory, perhaps in times of need or aloneness, the positive felt sensations return.

The most memorable duet I danced during the Fellowship was with a man whose body was bent at a ninety degree angle, his lower body vertical and his upper body horizontal. When the artist facilitator asked the group to partner up I found myself gravitating towards him, partly due to compassion as the difference in eye level meant that other dancers looked past him, and partly because I was curious about his unusual physicality.

As he and I danced together I became in awe of his adaptability and agility. To share eye contact I danced on my knees, and a playful (non verbal) communication unfolded between us. He was not at all self conscious, and his bold movements inspired me to dance in new ways - quite literally on another level. I found myself challenged and intrigued. He seemed so at ease with his body - his depth of acceptance somewhat radical. And I felt it.

The duet stayed with me because it was an incredibly meaningful encounter. Despite his atypical physical appearance, we met - physically - in a place of unquestioning acceptance. He reminded me of the miraculous and adaptive capacity of the human body, and I learned that regardless of appearance or ability what matters most is our sense of agency and self-mastery. The more deeply we can connect to, and be accepting of, our bodies through dance the more we can cultivate a sense of agency and self-mastery.

CHOICE AND AGENCY

When we feel we have agency we better adapt to, cope with, and grow from challenge. Agency is linked to freedom of choice. Freedom of choice is possible when we know we have options - for without options it’s difficult to feel like we are really living.

Dancing presents infinite movement options, and develops our skills in controlling movement so that we come to be masters of movement. This development is supported by physical (and creative) processes of experimentation, investigation and selection - which can enhance our decision making capabilities outside of the dance space too.

When dance artists have an approach to facilitation that balances directing people in movement and allowing (or encouraging) self-investigation, participants are both held in the comfort of a shared structure as well as free to choose how they move. By acknowledging the importance of choice-making, often an empowering practice, we can build person-centred dancing communities that are responsive and authentic.

The best example of this during the Fellowship was when I danced with a team of artists around the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington DC. We travelled through the hospital through a choreographic structure, yet we had much freedom to improvise. The combination creatively animated the waiting areas, corridors and treatment rooms of the building.

Despite my being a stranger, having arrived the day before, the artistic team allowed space for me to move and play in a way that felt authentic to me. Although held by the structure I wasn’t made to feel bound to it, so I discovered joyful ways of moving my body in response to the hospital building itself as well as to the staff and patients we came across.

It was a very freeing experience, which in turn felt empowering. I knew I was part of a team, yet felt like a respected individual within it - trusted to make my own decisions.

Artists who shape space in a way that asks participants and colleagues to share and shape space as well flatten hierarchy by creating a community of equals. This is achieved through allowing and privileging spaciousness. Space for others to explore and discover themselves, and make choices based on their own personal range of expression and movement preferences - leading to a greater level of satisfaction and enjoyment both individually and collectively.

Privileging spaciousness is an approach to facilitation that requires and reflects trust - trust in an individuals’ innate capabilities as well as their dependability. It indirectly asks them to take responsibility for themselves whilst acknowledging that they belong to and are a part of a group (influencing the group) too. Not only is trust essential to our sense of belonging, but it is also fundamental to experiencing collective joy - as joy comes with activities that we share with people we have learned to trust.

JOY

Joy is most often experienced in connection to one another, so when we feel we belong to one another through dancing we can feel more joyful. Reciprocally, when we share joyful dancing moments together it is possible to experience a greater sense of belonging.

What influences our sense of joy when we dance is the degree to which we trust one another and feel inspired. By the fun-ness of the ideas we’re exploring, the music, the artist facilitator, and most importantly - the way we experience dancing with others.

Dancing in community enlivens us, and the more joy we give the more joy we receive.

As the Fellowship involved me dancing with many different and wonderfully diverse communities, joy was at the epicentre of my adventures. However the most standout moment of my trip, where I felt immense joy generated and exchanged between bodies, was a dance experience not on my itinerary.

One evening half way through my travels I decided to combat my sense of alone-ness by going to listen to a band. After an hour of watching various groups of friends mingle, causing me to feel somewhat more lonely, a woman noticed me sitting by myself and invited me to join her group.

The band started, and the drums got me perched on the edge of my chair. The man next to me, a friend of the woman, saw my body alert to the music and told me to go and dance. Although feeling pulled, the dance floor was empty and the audience of hundreds was intimidating. I’m a dancer who finds pleasure in moving with and alongside others, not as a solo entertainer.

Too fearful to go alone, I communicated that I would dance if he joined me. He responded by wiggling his shoulders and I received that as permission to wiggle, with him in tow, to the dance floor - pushing through my nerves. The drummer visibly showed his appreciation and intensified his playing, which intensified our dancing.

The audience responded and drew closer. It was clear that the dancers were enjoying themselves more than the spectators, and soon enough everyone was on the dance floor. Joy is infectious.

As groups blurred and bodies opened, we became one unified, energised, ecstatic and powerful crowd - more connected to our common humanity. I no longer felt alone.

From the starting point of two strangers, braving vulnerability by getting up to dance, hundreds then felt permission to do the same - harnessing joy as a practice of fear rebellion.

When dance artists model assertiveness, primarily using body language and non verbal communication, we show a comfort in our physicality that puts others at ease. When we authentically show how much pleasure we get from our craft it energetically infuses the space around us and can inspire others to dance, which in turn encourages us all to greater heights.

Through this energetic vitality exchange we become more daring, we get closer to one another, move more animatedly, and take up space in a way that we (especially women) aren’t always able to in everyday (verbal dependant or repressive) situations.

It is in the taking up of space that we cultivate resiliency, for it catalyses a physical and interrelated mental confidence. A confidence that is embodied, giving us a stronger sense of presence, identity and expression.

By braving and moving through our vulnerability - daring to be seen dancing - we discover deeper layers of connection, which result in feelings of liberation or a reclaiming of self.

When we dance with a community of liberated, brave, confident, strong, expressive and joyful individuals we can overthrow feelings of inadequacy, fear and sorrow. And become a unified, positive and powerful collective - our voices amplified through our physical prowess.

A CALL FOR DANCING IN COMMUNITY

Despite humans being incredibly resilient creatures, we are living through times of great unrest. 

As the planet and our social fabric becomes more splintered, so too do we - reflected in the fact we’re seeing a rapid rise in mental health challenges, non communicable diseases, burnout and loneliness.

Dancing in community can offer an antidote. Its multidimensional and interconnected nature has the power to rebalance, resource and enliven us. A power to amplify our collective sense of resiliency. It helps us to understand that our worth lies not in our separateness but in our connection. When we feel in connection, we are less likely to harm each other. Less likely to harm ourselves.

The ten elements of practice I’ve outlined, as well as all their counterparts, foster connection and promote unity and wholeness.

They are are embedded in community dance and instigate a way of being that we, and the world at large, need.

Indigenous communities know this. That’s why dance is fundamental to their cultural traditions and has been throughout history. Indigenous Peoples unite via dance rituals to celebrate, to grieve, to appreciate nature's offerings, to cure illness and importantly - to maintain or restore community. Dance is viewed as an innate part of our human experience, existing within our ancestral DNA.

In the Western world, however, dancing has become an art more commonly associated with performance. Something most people watch on a stage and applaud yet fear trying themselves due to ‘not being good enough’ - making judgements about their flexibility, athleticism, or coordination. These limiting beliefs are what keeps people entrapped in their minds and out of touch with their bodies. So focused on what dance looks like that they fail to understand the true purpose of dance, which is how it makes us feel - not just through the watching of dance, which of course can be incredibly moving, but in the doing of dance.

To dance (with consideration of these elements) is to feel fully alive. It is an embodied practice that can help us to find, and re-find, a sense of safety and belonging within ourselves so that we can open to, receive and savour all that life has to offer us. Even if that involves darkness, dancing in community enables us to more easily encounter and connect to the light.

We must therefore recall our long lost ancestors and return to dancing in community - en masse. In doing so, we are better able to navigate and travel alongside what's happening in the world, rather than ignore it. We learn to centre unity over division, leading to (and recovering) a sense of wholeness that remedies fragmentation and enables us to feel well - to feel in connection.

TRAVELLING ONWARDS

I’m dreaming of a future where more people gather to dance. To dance into aliveness in a way that develops our capacity to hold sorrow and joy, grief and gratitude.

I’m dreaming of a future where everyone has the opportunity to feel well, accepted and supported. Where compassion and loving kindness takes precedence over prejudice, discrimination and hate. 

I’m dreaming of a future where the healers outnumber the destroyers, and acts of generosity mitigate acts of scarcity so that everyone has the opportunity to create.

I work within dance because I know it holds potential to construct this future I’m dreaming. I know this thanks to the many meaningful experiences and conversations I have had across my career and during the life course of this Fellowship - with the dancers, the space holders, and the people who work for change.

Essential to the manifestation of this dreaming are authentic, generous, reciprocal and nurturing relationships. Relationships fuelled by shared passion, equal effort and respect. Never was this more clear to me then when travelling with the Fellowship and discovering that the efficacy of dance and health initiatives largely rests on the depth and strength of the relationships between those leading and contributing to them.

Inspired by the words of Adrienne Maree Brown - the depth of relationship between the individuals in a system determines the strength of the system - I am travelling onwards from this rich learning experience intent on galvanising more unity between those of us working in dance, who do so in response to a fractured system. In response to the sobering weight of loneliness, ill health and grief in the world.

At a time of depletion and scarcity in healthcare systems, I am inviting dance artists to come together to illuminate how our emergent and creative practices are providing counterbalance; supporting healing through embodied, person-led physical practices that resource us and our relationships.

Through training programmes and networks we are gathering momentum, and should you like to find out more please get in touch. I seek to not only build inclusive and reciprocal communities through dance but also within the sector - to feel a greater sense of kinship and collectively bring more dance to more people.

THANK YOU

To the Churchill Fellowship, thank you for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Your investment supported me to ‘follow my passion for change’, and simultaneously I felt changed by the experience itself. It was, and still is, a journey of expansion, enabling me to think and sense differently.

My learning was incredibly multifaceted - squeezing both my brain and my heart, challenging my body and my sense of resiliency, moving me to tears and into laughter, unfolding in solitude and in community. Framed by countless hours of dancing and my apprenticeship with grief, the Fellowship showed me that what we seek to create is of equal importance to what we’re created into in the process of creating. Creating is a transformative and magical process, that feels like the ultimate reward for giving myself fully to this dancing life.

……….

The following are names of programmes, organisations and initiatives I engaged with - comprising brilliant humans to whom I express my heartfelt thanks. Although I have decided not to name each individual (because it would be a very long list!) I am thankful for everyone who welcomed me with open arms, offered their precious time, and inspired such rich explorations and reflections.

Centro Scena Contemporanea - Dance Well (IT)
I Dance the Way I Feel - Amici del 5 Piano (IT)
Lugano Dance Project (CH)
Artists from Theatre Freiburg - Die Krone an Meine Wand and Grenzland (DE)
Ligue Vaudoise Contre le Cancer (CH)
Moving for Life (USA)
Mark Morris Dance Group - Dance for PD (USA)
Gina Gibney Company - Move to Move Beyond (USA)
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arts and Humanities Program (USA)
Dance Exchange (USA)
Center for Arts in Medicine (USA)
Debbie Allen Dance Academy (USA)

Throughout, and immediately following, the Fellowship I engaged with many texts that contextualised my discoveries. I below share the names of authors who I’ve learnt from, some of which I have quoted in this piece of writing. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.

Bell Hooks
Bessel van der Kolk
Brené Brown
Dr Edith Eger
Francis Weller
Tara Brach
Thich Nhat Hanh
Vivek Murthy

I’d also like to express my thanks to brain scruncher Chloe Osborne, as well as to teachers Guy and Harriet Jenkins, whose guidance with regards to Fellowship outputs was invaluable.

DISCLAIMER

Copyright © 2024 by Emily Jenkins. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed in this report and its content are those of the author and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of the report.