Do you dance? I asked Özlem, only to have him ask how I defined dance. I didn’t give him an answer, because for me, dancing is so much more than ‘dancing’… (ok, bear with me for just a while longer:)
“I had a coach who used to say ‘Dance with whatever comes knocking on the door’.
Ever since, I’ve been using dance as a metaphor, as an inspiration, as an intention. How do I want to show up in life? Well, dancing! There is the rhythm, there is the going with the flow of things. There is the following and the lead, or that I’m totally doing this on my own.
And if I’m dancing with somebody and they do something surprising, what do I do? Do I get offended and say ‘No, you’re not supposed to do that’. Or do I go ‘Oh my God, what are you doing? This is so much fun!’.
Dancing. A metaphor for life.” ~ Helena
If you’ve listened to me and Özlem before, you know we’re on the hunt for an improv-class, but in this episode, I invite Özlem (and his wife) to tag along to a lindy hop-beginners taster, because there are many similarities (in my mind) in how you dance lindy hop and how you do improvisational theatre.
As our conversation progressed, I fretted a wee bit whether or not I should – could – would – dared – to share a story from a recent party I attended, where I danced with life in a way I’ve not done before.
How? Well:
“[Reading a piece of erotica I’ve written, at a party,] is part of me dancing with life. It is part of me owning that side of me, the side of me that has lust –the side of me that is sensual and that wants the sensual– in a way that I haven’t before.” ~ Helena
I didn’t read the actual piece, during our meandering conversation (perhaps I should record it?), but as always, I am surprised at where our meanders takes us. I mean, I did not plan on sharing this story, for sure. But… it just seemed right, and it invited us into a continued meandering down a very sensual path, so… if you feel like some sensual tankespjärn, I invite you to dance with us!
Links:
Find Özlem Tan on LinkedIn
Tisdagsgruppen with Malmö Impro
HepTown and Cats’ Corner, two organisations providing opportunities to dance Lindy hop/Swing in and around the Malmö-area in Skåne
Dans på stranden (dancing at the beach)
Doing Gentle with an Edge, e/audiobook by Helena Roth
Twilight retreat with @wildherbarista and @whentheblackbirdsings_
Wildhaga Sanctuary/Fiskabäck Österlen
Process-oriented therapy with Dominic Bosman Venter
Parable of the sower by Octavia E Butler
The quote from Parable of the sower from the Tankespjärn Instagram