Recharging Over the Winter Break

After spending a week hibernating and reflecting the school year, I ventured out into a coffee house with a good friend of mine, Theresa Wasiloski. She is an elementary dance teacher at J. Wallace James, an arts school in our public education system. We discussed the trials and tribulations of being a classroom teacher and how to recharge as a singular human being after the demands of absorbing the energy of your students. On top of being an educator, she is an artist that is needed to choreograph and inspire others through movement, which in return gives her students a tool to apply in their everyday lives.

This made me think. I had the tool of movement from the inspiration that was taught from my dance instructors and peers around me, but I have not applied it in quite some time. I thought about a ballet studio in our area, The Ballet Academie, which oversees the downtown area. It reminds me of a studio in Ohio where I was first introduced modern during a summer intensive.

I felt the pull to hold myself accountable and practice being present during an improv session. There was no one present but myself. After moving, I felt this source of connection that was needed to find connection with others again. Movement is a source of energy that grounds yourself and radiates within your surrounding. Even if it’s grooving to your favorite tune, the joy of movement is contagious, and I hope you are able to find yourself venturing into your own source of groove therapy.