The virtuous circle of dance

Dystopian Bodies

Connecting body and soul

by Marindi Halet

The contemporary dancer Ohad Naharin once said “Dancing is about being in the moment. It is about listening to the scope of sensations and allowing that listening to become the fuel of all feelings, forms and content ".

**Mania Dança - Brazilian dance teacher**

As dance is one of my biggest passions, I am persuaded that it has many virtues. Virtues that have been confirmed even more during the pandemic. Indeed, the lack of movement imposed by teleworking created a new relationship with our bodies and negatively affected our social interaction with people. For some, dancing became essential to free their minds, move their bodies and keep the “sharing moments”.

I met professional dancers but also students, asking them about their relationship with their bodies while dancing.

“Dancing can help you accept your body because you learn to listen to it. When you get rid of the mirror, you can read the feeling of the movement. it makes you appreciate your body, it’s like you are experimenting, you play with your body so you get to know it better and it leads to accepting it, loving it.”

For me dance is like breathing. It’s my way to express myself and my feelings.

The combination of the rhythm of drums and dance is an extasis for me, when you don’t feel pain, you don’t feel nothing, you are in another world. For me it’s happiness.- Mania

When I am dancing I feel connected, I feel freedom, I feel like I am exploring.

Dancing it’s like a journey.

**Archontia- Bellydancer and bellydance teacher**

When I am dancing I feel freedom, comfortable, I can forget all my worries. During the pandemic, it allowed me to connect to myself and to share with others something which give you joy