The Power of Secret Stories

Have you ever worn racy underwear? Gartered stockings, or a little lacy nothing? Or an audacious t-shirt, crazy socks, or even a special token, safe in your pocket? And then gone about your normal day, in your normal clothes? It’s kinda cool, right? The hidden knowledge whispers into you, subtly changing everything about how you stand, feel, and interact. It’s a secret, with meaning only you know. Yet it can color every moment with its warmth and clandestine thrill…

As dancers in our genre, we express what we feel from the music. Lots of times we don’t feel anything, as we are completely taken up with remembering what to do next, or trying to think of something to do. We can barely enjoy the music, let alone have time to let it sink in. Yet the music itself, even though it is on the outside, affects us on the inside. It can, when we let it, subtly change everything about how we stand, feel, and interact.

We usually try to interact with the music through steps, stringing them together to fit the rhythm and the melody. But there are other ways to interact with the music, and some of them don’t need steps.

As we move to the music, we can notice threads of feeling–the feeling of our body in motion, the contraction and release of the muscles, nerves, and tendons, the energy that rushes through us at all times, our breath, responding to our movement… But also other things. Emotions. Thoughts. Images. Memories.

We can dance all these elements.

Different moments in the music might remind us of a time past, inspire yearning or happiness, apprehension or dismay, tears or laughter. Maybe pictures come. Last night in class, a qanun solo brought to my mind’s eye a starry midnight sky, endlessly broad, high, and rich with sparkling stars. In the dance just let myself gaze at the stars in awe and wonder. Later, I held a flower, and enjoyed its velvet petals on my skin.

These are stories.

They are secret, because no one else knows them. Only me. And even though no one else knows, they FEEL that what I do has meaning. They will layer their own meaning into the dance, and the dance will become so much more to them than steps. I remember performing at a recital for a class I was taking. The teacher’s students converged on me afterwards. “What was your dance about?” they demanded, leaning forward intently. Forbidden love, I replied. “I knew it!” one dancer exclaimed. I have had this happen over and over. I have had folks explain my dance to me, what they received from it. Or just to thank me, with tears in their eyes.

Our dance is meant to be meaningful. It is a playful dance of joy, yes. But we dance to meaningful songs, the musicians pour their feeling into the music, and the whole concept of tarab, musical ecstasy, is a vital component of our art. So it’s a short hop from feeling the music to theatrical dance. We can build worlds and tell complex stories–not through pantomime–our dance is impressionistic and abstract–but through letting our impressions, our stories, our worlds–color how we stand, move, and interact.

Here’s a tiny exercise.

Put one hand to your heart. Extend the other hand. Do it slowly. And each time, let yourself feel something different, let yourself be in a completely different situation, and let that feeling color the qualities of your action. Let it affect the tilt of your head, the line of your body, the images you envision. Sad, happy, frightened, courageous, determined, loving… Just see how those things can come to life. Put on some music and try it to the music. And let me know how it goes.

For those who would like to explore expression more deeply, we have two offerings coming up.

Secret Stories is a FUN Class Deep Dive into theatrical expression. We’ll use exercises, prompts, and free dance to develop comfort and ease as we allow our bodies to express what we feel from the music. Secret Stories runs Tuesdays at 4pm EDT for five weeks, from March 1-March 29, 2022. More information is here: https://aliathabit.com/shop/#live/

Wonderland is a fully-coached month-long intensive exploration of finding, developing, and composing dances based in symbolic and narrative structures. Wonderland starts the week of Feb 27 (PS Folks joining Wonderland get Secret Stories for free!). More info is here: https://aliathabit.com/wonderland/

Both of these classes will help you embody your true style, your true voice, your true dance. I invite you to join us. It will be memorable.

With love,
Alia