Got to have soul

[christina]

I'm not sure where I found this quote. But it struck me at the time and I wrote it down.

“They say language is the voice of the mind. But dance is the voice of the soul.”

It's an interesting idea. I talk a bit about what it means to me on my blog (http://westiehoppold.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/halibut-will-do/).

But I'm really interested in how other people interpert it ...

[SHORTYJOY]

Excellent thought!!!! I am definitely not gifted in speech and often find myself feeling less and less confident as I say things that make me appear less intelligent than I feel I am. It's a lack of editing on my part.

This is not a concern with dance-because I truly am speaking with my soul. The only time I really feel the need to edit is during competitions and choreography because I am aware that specific things are expected and required of me.

Otherwise-I dance because it is a freeing experience. It takes all of the stress-pain-hate, love, joy, passion, anger, calm, and every other emotion that literally makes me who I am-and shares it with the world in a joyful release. I truly dance with my soul. My definition of Soul is the whole body and spirit working together as one unified entity. The soul is the definition of one's existence on earth and beyond.

With this; it is easy to see why people get addicted to dance. I was hooked the moment a friend dragged me out country dancing in College. I've forgotten most of what I did then- I am probably the worst country swinger alive-but I still have a blast doing it.

When I returned home from the Philippines and was dragged out-(not really kicking and screaming) to my first swing dance-A whole new world opened up.
I remember how I felt as I spent my first night doing east coast swing in Rochester NY. I was moving from my soul without any inhibition (that's a scary thing thinking about how bad I must have been.) I remember the best dancers in the club that night were John and Annette Dyer. I was completely flattered as John asked me to dance three times. They definitely knew how to welcome new dancers into the scene. (Even though I was heading back to school in Utah three days later.) It was such a rush! It inspired me to really learn how to dance Swing and try and find the dancing in Provo.

Since then I've tried to do as much social dancing as possible and have added WCS to the list of dances I really enjoy.

So if we take this expression of the soul one step further-Social dancing is the direct communication of two souls with one another-the environment and the music. How beautiful. Truly the definition of free speech.

In short- I agree with the above quote.