There is a moment when I am walking through a dance floor, bodies moving and flowing. My perception seems to take a step back, and I am no longer focusing on one particular thing, but I can feel the pulsing and motion of the room. Suddenly my eye catches a potential partner. This is how I like to pick my dance partners. It sounds so simple, but it doesn't feel that way.
So often, my mind is flying through all sorts of things. I may desire to dance with someone, or not desire to dance with another. It's rare that I am simply open to dancing with whoever presents themselves. These moments happen all the time, but whether I choose to follow my intuition depends on my mood and awareness. When I am fully present in a room, my intuition dictates my decisions. Sometimes, when I'm in these moods, I just wander the room waiting for that person I should dance with. I look around the room like it's a fruit tree - looking for the ripe fruit that is just about to fall. There is always one.
For a great dancer, it becomes more obvious. I watched Steven Mitchell dancing one night at Studio Hop in Eauze, France. He was standing in a corner asking each woman closest to him to dance. He did this for almost an hour straight - one amateur after another. I watched those women walk away glowing. The dance had become something more than two people trying to execute steps or stay on time or show off. It was something I can't describe.
When I refer to a "great dancer," I am not truly referring to a person's skill. It seems to be true that a great dancer is always technically proficient (And I don't understand why...), but when I say "great," I am referring to this openness. The dance for these people is a gift - it's nothing to be held onto for their own pleasure. It seems to flow through them, and they attract partners like moths to a fire. People can sense something different and powerful. This is certainly what Isadora found.
Do you have the patience to wait
till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
till the right action arises by itself?
-From Tao te Ching (15)
