Gratitude as Dance

December 5, 2005 09:28 PM

I feel very fortunate to have the luxury of dancing daily. Last year I sent around some of the things I’m grateful for about belly dance. My list keeps growing, but the things I first mentioned still hold true so I’ve included them again below. What things are you grateful for about belly dance?

We’re in the process of redesigning the website and I’ve decided to include a window on “gratitude and dance” as part of the new site. I’d like to collect thoughts from students and community members about what belly dance has brought to your life and/or your thoughts on dance and gratitude. Please take a moment to contribute to our collective pool of reminders about why we dance. You can send them through our comments form. I look forward to hearing from you :).

I’m grateful for:

the political freedom we have to dance and express ourselves as we choose

the beautiful and creative people that share in building our Sahara Dance community

the silly times we have in the studio and our ability to laugh at ourselves

the incredible talent, leadership and professional commitment of our teachers

the soulful music that gives spirit to our dance

the dedication and kinship of Raqs Caravan members

the tremendous encouragement and support of students, family and friends

the pure joy and playful fun of raqs sharqi

I hope we all keep the joyful spirit of the dance close at hand throughout the holidays and beyond. I’ve come to discover that the light and beauty of belly dance is incredibly resilient. And, it comes in as many shapes, sizes and colors as there are women :). A better gift than most anything that can be purchased off a shelf, be generous and give yourself the gift of a consistent dance practice. Remember to treasure your time to just be in your body, enjoying the music and the dance, and letting go of everything else.

In the spirit of the season, I want to extend my gratitude to all of you for supporting and encouraging our local dance endeavors. Belly dance is continuing to flourish in DC and I’m so grateful for the strong community we have to share in, and bolster, the growth of our dance form. 2006 is around the corner and full of more good dance opportunities. I hope you’re all healthy, happy and able to come out and share in the shimmying spirit!

With much gratitude for good health, dedicated students, inspiring music, beautiful dance and wonderful friends to share it all with…

Yours in dance,
Rachel

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