Dance Research — embody the feeling

Taxi in Havana, Cuba. Photo credit: Michael Galen

To learn a cultural dance is to embody the feeling of a people. The feelings of a culture. Emotions all have physical embodiments. The physical shape forms around the emotional. Clowns excel at exaggerating these shapes, slouching into sadness, leaning forward into anger.

“Bodily posture conveys action tendencies associated with corresponding emotions“ (Frijda, 1986)

While studying dance in Cuba, I experienced a profound change in my posture. At first, I was in my head. Trying to absorb the enormous amount of information my teacher’s body communicated. She pushed me out of my head and into my chest.

Lifting the front of my rib cage more — without arching my spine — was a postural adjustment I’ve been looking for for a long time. I had conditioned my body to have a relaxed (contracted) thoracic area, while also relaxing and sinking my rib cage. Lifting my ribs up off my diaphragm, while keeping my upper back tall, created more space for my lungs and my breath. It engendered a feeling of boldness, of determination. Showing myself to the world.

I remember reading research about the heart, identifying it as “an organ of perception”1. In addition to pumping blood, it can recognize (and transmit) electromagnetic transmissions. And those transmissions get received and interpreted as emotional states. My dance teacher in Cuba (Kenia Morales Carrillo) prompted me to open my chest more. To create a rhythmic wave of ribs rising and falling. Focusing on this centered my attention — myself — in my chest instead of my head. Like switching seats in a cockpit, I left the seat of my brain for the seat of my heart. From there, I danced.

Centering myself in my heart instead of my brain feels bold. It feels open and transparent. It supports a practice of equanimity. Helps me slow down. The brain is capable of moving incredibly fast. Stories and judgements are created in an instant (i.e. the term ‘snap judgment’). Emotions typically unfold more slowly. Getting out of my head helps me slow down, helps me interpret and discern at the pace of emotions. That helps me see others more authentically. Which in turn, helps me stay a little less judgemental. A little more present and equanimous. And a little more present in my dance.

I wonder about the impact of a popular national dance form. The impact of a people all learning to move and shape themselves boldly and openly. I think about the resilience, creativity, and honesty I met in Cuba. What is the dominant posture of U.S. Americans? What emotional state does it form around? How many different dominant postures are there in this giant country?

Thank you to Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater for supporting my growth and research in Cuba. I’m so grateful to be a part of this powerful dance company.

Resources

1. “The Heart As An Organ Of Perception” — Charles B Parselle. https://mediate.com/the-heart-as-an-organ-of-perception/
2. “Bodily posture conveys action tendencies associated with corresponding emotions“ (Frijda, 1986)
3. “Postural communication of Emotion” — Lukas D. Lopez, Peter J. Reschke, Jennifer M. Knothe, and Eric A. Walle*
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5432628/ — 2017
5. Dance Teacher in Havana, Cuba: Kenia Morales Carrillo — Instagram: @keniaxdance
6. Video of Rumba dancers in Cuba: https://youtu.be/vB3qc_U9FHk
7. Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater — https://www.rejoicediasporadance.com/