Well, I’m so glad to be blogging again after nearly a rather long hiatus. I’m still very much thinking about creativity, creative process. And dance. Sometime in April, I went to an ecstatic dance night in Vauxhall, London hosted by Urubu. I was going through a rough patch emotionally at the time and definitely not feeling connected to my creative power in a nurturing way. By the end of the night, I was very grateful to the dance for re-connecting me, for reminding me of who I can be as a creator.

It was a Saturday night. One of those urban nights where I couldn’t find someone to go out with (I had admittedly, left it to very short notice) and had to muster up quite a bit of self-motivation to propel myself out into the cold and rain and well across the city. Happily I saw folks I knew and the live music was fab. However, once moving, I still struggled a bit. At one point, we were encouraged to find a partner. The lyrical beat of the music sparked something in me and I began to feel playful.

Finding a partner at these gigs rarely is an effort. You look around, make eye contact and there you go – and so there I went. I really got into the playfulness. And together we played with the rhythms. Lots of smiling while we flowed in a dance. We were constantly in a game of lead and follow, in a way that blurred the lines between the two. I might make a gesture that my partner would start to follow, but he would quickly add his own twist to it and vis-versa. I recall us being in that wonderful state of movement where we definitely were joined in our rhythms while also retaining a bit of our individual style. In the space was he, I and we.

When the music was finished, we hugged and thanked each other in a heartfelt way. I remember thinking at the time “Wow. That felt so good. I felt like I was in my creative power – I felt inspired and inspiring. And it was all so playful. Delicious.”

I not only felt connected with my creative power, but felt connected to the rhythm and play of my self and another dancer, another creator.  Certain friends know me as the Jester. At the time of this dance outing, I had felt like my jester-self had been in hibernation for awhile. That lyrical exchange felt like an awakening of my hibernating jester-self. She moved with playfulness, cheekiness, lightness and easy-flow. It was good to dance with her again, to dance with my jester-self and to share her movement with someone else.

I went home that evening sweetly exhausted and feeling strengthened. I witnessed in myself the power to create play, connection, flow, smiles, laughter.

Reflection questions: What’s the story of the last time you experienced creating play?  As a changemaker, activist – whatever label you use to identify your choice to take on a conscious role in creating healthier, more regenerative ways of living together – in what ways might play enhance, or has in the past enhanced, your creative process?  What’s the story of the last time you felt you were in a delicious, relaxed, steady creative (bringing things into being) flow of I, S/he, We?