on moving to that music in your soul & showing that to the world.

Ever have those moments where you just want to break out into dance? Especially in a public place?

I often get those moments, especially in airport terminals, when I’m listening to music while I am waiting for my flight, and I just get the urge to move. Or in grocery stores, when a great song comes on, and no one is in the aisle, you might actually find me prancing down one. ;)

But the thing is, most of us (me included), usually don’t act on these impulses. We don’t want to look stupid in front of others, or get funny stares. We don’t want to draw attention to the fact that we really want to let ourselves go in that moment, and shine.

During my shoot with Alyssa, I watched her as she shared herself through movement on the Oceanside Pier. People came and went and passed by, some people stared, some people stopped to watch. Some people simply walked by without batting an eye.

Dancing in such a public place is certainly much easier when you have the excuse of doing a photoshoot. You have something to fall back on — it feels less silly to do than if you had just suddenly decided to dance on the pier for no reason in particular.

While we were dancing and taking photos, two young men came up to us, and just began asking questions. What we were doing? What was the purpose? The best answer I could give them?

Because we wanted to.

Sometimes when it comes to doing things from your soul, that’s the only answer you need. Because we want to. Because we feel compelled to. What better reason is there? Obviously doing such things is within reason — we don’t want to hurt anyone, for one thing. But does it hurt anyone to just break out into dance, especially if your soul wants it? Certainly not. If anything, it touches people.

When those moments happen, I believe they help us feel alive. Movement from within, at it’s purest form. During Alyssa’s session, I noticed that she loved to move to funkier music, but she would probably side with more ballet & contemporary/lyrical/modern styles if you asked her. I encouraged her to express and get in touch with this funkier style, which clearly wanted to come out.

Maybe she didn’t feel like she was a funky enough girl to get down with that style, but who the hell cares? If it wants to come out, it should come out. And we should let it out. Because what comes out of that is pure energy, pure soul, and a feeling of pure aliveness. And that’s what I saw in her.

So we should all let it out. That funky, or fluid, or downright crazy movement that is dying to be shown to the world. Let it out, because the worst that could happen is that people see you.

So go, be seen.

. . . . . . . .

Obviously, it’s been some time since I’ve posted any dance photos — but be prepared, because you are going to experience an explosion very soon. I have been shooting a lot of these that I haven’t shared yet, and I feel that right now I am at the cusp of something very exciting with this project. I have no idea what is on that other side, but I know it’ll be amazing.

xo

past dancers: shannon leith | kyle filley | mathew paul chounlamontry | melissa sanchez | tiffany kadani | emily pepper