Reclaiming your Grace
RECLAIMING YOUR GRACE
We live in a world where feminine strength and assertiveness are (finally) being celebrated. But as it is often the case, the pendulum swings a bit far for many of us. We are proud of being "strong independent women that need no man” (I no longer feel this way; my husband and I have a partnership that is far superior to what I could be or do alone). We pick up heavy weights in the gym, sweat and grunt with the guys, we now can go to combat right alongside them. And all these things are great. But along the way, we can forget to enjoy, embody and explore our feminine nature. I find this especially true for women in positions of leadership, because as a society, we still associate leadership with outward toughness, a loud presence and the “Superman” posture.
I discovered how far removed I was from my feminine energy while practicing pas de deux (partnering) with my teacher and friend, David Coleman. He kept telling me to trust him, to stop coming on at every move with so much raw strength and try to control everything. He explained to me how in pas de deux, the man leads, but the ballerina shines, because he leads her in such a way, as to present the best of her to the audience, while he takes care of the elements that make the dance mesmerizing, like helping her do multiple pirouettes and lifting her to defying heights so she appears to fly effortlessly. It does not mean she does not have to work hard, it’s the way she presents it that makes the difference
It was very hard for me, at the beginning to let go and give him that trust, but the more we did it, the better I understood. Eventually, when I would set up for the pirouettes that he would help me turn by rotating me from my waist, I learned to turn off the left brain, to focus on my spot and the music and nothing else, and then it started working. The ballerina still has to work extremely hard and be extremely strong, but by remaining fully in her feminine energy, and letting her partner do what is natural, she shines more brightly than ever. What an amazing life lesson. I took that outside the studio and have become more self-aware of the energy I project all the time. The way I move, the way I respond to others, the way I react and control my reactions, have all become more balanced because of my ballet practice. It’s a work in progress, because for so long I have fought to be accepted as a strong, bad ass type. Finding this new, more balanced, combination of grit and grace, is a new part of the journey, and ballet gave me that.
And ballet can give that to anyone that accepts the gift. For men, finding their masculine energy can also happen while doing ballet, alone and with a partner. Male or female, ballet allows us the chance to reclaim our grace by mastering our movement!
It also occurs to me that people that decide to reconsider their gender, can benefit from exploring that trough ballet dance. After all, when ballet got it's start, all the female roles were portrayed by men.I also mention this in the Ballet History Lecture Something to think about!
NOTE FOR THE MEN:
Your Masculine Divine Aspect is also being compromised in today"s society. Being a masculine , alpha male is often being depicted as "toxic". That does not have to be. Ballet practice for men, contrary to the mainstream view, gives men a chance to be truly masculine; performing amazing jumps, lifting ballerinas, spinning them and presenting them so they look the best. These are truly masculine endeavors.
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