It can be fascinating to observe people dance. You can easily spot those who have their minds occupied - their neurons almost visibly fluctuate throughout the air.
However, is there such a thing as a multitasking brain during a dance? An intriguing question. Even if there is, it comes at a cost - when the mind is busy, the body cannot feel.
The Brain
In most cases, "thinking dancers" would be the vast majority of the crowd. But once in a while, you would lay your eyes upon an odd couple floating on the dancefloor. They may not be the most technical of dancers, yet they soak all the colours into themselves, making everything around them appear grey. They let go of the brain, allow their body to feel and share that passion and love.
So what happens to the other couples? Their mind is blocking the body from feeling. You see them deliberating about what moves, steps, or styling to do next, brooding about song structure or upcoming breaks, worrying about impressing their partner, videographer, or anyone watching the dance, posing for photos, or pondering about whom to invite for the next song. Some of them, you see completely lost in thoughts of what to do during a dance.
Sometimes, we do not know what to do because we let the brain tell our bodies what to do. Hence, the need for patterns, styling, and other technical stuff in salsa. We genuinely believe we need it first to dance with our own flavour. If that was the case, the salsa world would be filled with unique, flavour-full dancers, which we can probably agree, it is not.
Instant Gratification
The whole idea of moves is generated through the belief in instant gratification. Some years ago, to watch a programme or a movie, you would take a newspaper, look for the date and time it is due, and patiently wait for it. Now, you simply go on Netflix and binge the whole season. You order something on Amazon, and it arrives the next day.
This type of instant gratification has transferred to salsa too. Students arrive to the class expecting to learn a cool pattern or a styling move straight away, and teachers conform, as they do not want to lose business. This has a detrimental effect on the dancer's individuality in the long run.
Teaching
A good instructor can teach choreography to random people from the street and have it look good, because following a predetermined pattern is only moving to the music. Dancing with true expression comes from within - to be further referred to as "the soul". It does not come from the mind, but to a thinking society, such a belief comes difficult to stress.
It would be riveting to see a teacher spend half the class doing only the basic step, and the other half teach the students to relax their body, listen and follow the music, and allow them to move based on how their bodies cause them to move. For a month or two, without teaching any moves or patterns, without touching a partner. Hypothetically, this would make the students grow exponentially and find their individuality very early on, because they would simply be following the beat and doing what it makes them feel. Sadly, the likely outcome of this experiment would be the class shrinking drastically, as instant gratification cravings come from the students, expecting rapid development.
Mind and ego need something to feel good about, yearning for a dopamine hit. That something happens to be moves and shines, and the thought of achievement through more and more complicated moves. However, while the ego rules, telling someone that true fulfilment comes from within has almost no use. We have been taught repeatedly that there is a chronological way of dancing salsa, and we undoubtedly follow it.
Flavour and Individuality
It is quite a phenomenon that dancers start searching for their own style and flavour only once they get comfortable and content with themselves. This does not happen because they are technically advanced and know their stuff. It happens because their soul is telling them to look for their inner dancer. While we are taught to do all sorts of things, our souls have been waiting to be let loose. Yet, when we eventually learn the steps and moves, we go back to the beginning and say to ourselves - "My body just wants to feel and play with the music, but I do not know how."
This is ultimately why great musicians and top dancers are idolised and lifted to Olympus - because of their passion. The same tools they use to dance - brain and body - take the second precedence to what their soul tells them to do. Mastery of technique only comes from experience, whereas true greatness from that something inside of you. Choose someone who is the best at any area of life; they will all share a passion about that given something. We can all be technically great, but who is willing to surpass technique? What is going to separate your technique from the person next to you? What is going to separate you from the rest? Do you want to be a mini version of your idol or teacher? While we are busy following patterns, the great ones are busy feeling their souls and then using that technique to make these moves look and feel a hundred times better.
As an experiment, allow your inner dancer take over at the next social, and may your soul paint the dancefloor with the truest of colours.
However, just because there is one way, it does not mean that it is the way for everyone. Some minds are too challenging to turn off even when aware, and require self-reflection and discovery of an own channel to redirect that energy.
And that is why I drink...
Joke.
Or is it?
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