Dance First, Think Later

Okay--I did not come up with this great phrase. I read it on the class schedule announcement for the ballroom dance studio where Tommy and I are currently taking Swing, Lindy, Tango classes, and more.

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun it is. As a fan of solo jazz and other dance forms, the partner work is another world entirely. And being in class in an airy studio with other vaccinated humans dancing, learning, and moving to the most incredible music is a mood boost like none other. 

A little side note. I have been trying to get Tommy to attend ballroom classes with me for years! This long pandemic has been full of so many life changes and pivots, the combination of stress, monotony, disrupted schedules and habits. This list goes on and on, doesn't it? Something about the totality of the past year opened the door for new action and mostly importantly... Swing! And let's face it, when you hear the drums of the Benny Goodman Orchestra performing Sing, Sing, Sing...something deep inside the soul wakes up and it's impossible not to be carried away by that beat.

So as NYC opens back up and gets back to the swing of things, so are we! 

I recently got back to attending in-studio classes at Steps on Broadway too. I love Steps on Broadway! That studio has been on 74th and Broadway for so many years. It is your classic NYC dance/movement studio. It is full of work, energy and grit. It is not a sleek and flashy gym. People come here for the love of dance, movement, and to work on craft. There are classes for pros and lay-people. And for me, the joy of being in a graceful yet gritty NYC studio with people doing something for the sheer joy of it is just intoxicating. The place   literally pulses with life and the energy of focused attention, repetition, errors, hope, and optimism. It is ALL about the love of process and practice. Whatever that practice/process might be.

So, this brings me back to the title of this newsletter. Dance first, think later. If you want to change that first word, feel free. It could be this: Move first, think later. Breathe first, think later...run first, think later, play first, think later... You get the idea. 

 I know that it can be hard to take action at times. We might feel lethargic, foggy in the head, or unmotivated. But action is what helps the nervous system become alert and focused, it generates motivation via neurochemicals that are released by the very process itself.  Alertness and focused attention (brought about by action of some sort) are the first essential steps in Professor Andrew Huberman's adult adaptive neuro-plasticity 9 step protocol.

Alertness and focused attention are followed by the generation of repetitions (as many repetitions as possible in the given time block) along with the idea that we must expect and embrace errors. Errors are essential when learning something new and help sharpen focus by enhancing activation in the prefrontal cortex area of your brain which is involved in cognitive control functions among other things.  And remember to take short (even 10 seconds) breaks to do nothing when learning something new or challenging. Learning happens in the pauses. When we are doing nothing. Which is important too. More on this and the other steps in this protocol soon.

There is something powerful about that thing you do, or the action you take, being something that moves your body, breath, eyes in a way that increases alertness and focus.

It can help take us out of excessive ruminating, procrastinating, indecisive mindsets. So often ruminations dissipate, and the decisions that once seemed insurmountable, feel significantly less so after moving, walking, dancing, skipping, running, or whatever action you take. 

Moving to music can be a huge help and can have profound effects on our brain and nervous system.

We will go deeper into that in future posts. But for now...Move your body--even a little. Move it to music if you like. Generate repetitions. Except and embrace errors! Believe me, learning to partner dance (especially with your life partner!) is chock full of learning to be alert and focused, to generate repetitions, and expect and embrace errors! SO MANY ERRORS!

The interesting thing about taking action is that it is the thing that helps generate alertness and focus, as well as motivation. Motivation comes from action. Too often we wait to feel motivated. That might not happen. So...Dance first. Think later. Move first. See what happens. 

 And YES! Your Yoga Can Dance.