The starting point for BEST Embrace Practice is the centering breath, (incorporating a closed-eye meditation).
Everything begins (and ends) with the breath. This is as true of dance as it is of life in general. Governed by our autonomic nervous system, breath is the core motion of the body. Breath brings power, energy, focus and intensity into our mental and physical being. It links us with all the energy centres as well as muscle groups.
We do not control that we breath but we can control how we breath. If we consciously link with the flow of breath, we can connect within to our inner rhythm and flow. When we align with the primal rhythm of our breathing, our inner dancer emerges. Without this connection all our steps are a imposition of will over instinct, brain over body. Such a power struggle results in wooden, constricted movement. Needless to say, it does not make for good dance.
Strangely, little attention if any is given to the breath in dancing tango. Often if feels as if one dances an entire song without breathing. Perhaps intermittently one may gasp for breath. But it is not considered as part of the dance movement or flow itself.
Not only does one miss connection with one’s inner self if the breath is ignored, there is the opportunity of connection with one’s partner that is missed. In my experience synchronizing breath as part of the embrace is a delicious exercise of melding heart energy. There is no part of the dance that is more intimate or personal than synchronizing your breath with the rising and falling of your partner’s breast.
More about how to focus on the breath in the next blog.