Divine Beings Dancing

For the past several years, the advertisements for Shen Yun, the Chinese classical dance performance have popped up on cue just like the holidays.  The show blows into town at the top of year bringing promising to be a spectacular event.  The reviews are filled with comments like “exquisitely beautiful”, “an extraordinary experience” and superb! 

Well, this year, I finally had the opportunity to see the show and I was blown away.  It was superb and magnificent, all the reviews had stated.  I was enchanted and captivated by the music, the colors, costumes and, of course, those most extraordinary dancers.  My eyes were glued to every move they made.  Their movements were graceful and soft, powerful and explosive, rhythmic and ephemeral, meditative and entrancing.  I was amazed at how they moved with precision, grace and strength.  Truth is, I’m always amazed at how dancers move, how they find beautiful, unparalleled expression through their bodies and how they can accomplish this with their bodies when the rest of us with bodies cannot.  It mesmerizes me and it reminds me of the practice of yoga.

While dance is meant to entertain, transport and transform the audience by expressing the human condition through movement and music, yoga transforms the individual through movement, concentration and breath, improving our personal human condition and bringing us more love peace and happiness.  Both dance and yoga require practice; and both are arts that bring about incredible healing.

Sitting watching Shen Yun, I thought about the incredible discipline and all the hard work it takes to be one of those dancers.  How much they give up for their careers, for what they love!  And so we yogis must also be disciplined, hard working and persevering, giving up all attachments to find the enlightenment we seek.  Know that it’s out there as we move, breath and dance in this wide, vast universe.

While watching the show, the emcee explained to the audience that the meaning of Shen Yun is “the beauty of divine beings dancing.”  I thought to myself well how apropos because the show is spectacularly beautiful and so was each one of the dancers.  But the beauty doesn’t end with the dancers or the show.  It extends to the audience and to each and every one of us for we are all beautiful, divine beings dancing.   Dance on, my beautiful, extraordinary friends.  You are light, love and joy!
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Much Love,
Anietie