Maintaining The Groove
By Ariel Meadow Stallings
Published in Lotus Magazine, February 1998
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Recently, I was at a weekly dance event here in Seattle, and between sessions of toe-kicking, arm-rolling, hip-winding dancing, I took a short breather. Towards the dark recesses of the warehouse, I found local promoter slumped in a chair. After giving him a sweaty hug, I asked him why he wasn't dancing and he sighed, asking me in response how old I was. My genetic lot in life is that I look 12 years old, so he seemed surprised when I answered that I was in my early twenties, since his explanation for not dancing was "Well, you know, I'm 24...I'm getting too old to dance." I wiped the sweat out of my eyes and gawked. Too old to dance at 24?
For some terrible reason, ecstatic dance (meaning non-performance dancing for the joy of it, not dancing on MDMA or "ecstasy") has been socially identified as primarily a youth phenomenon. This mis-association of youth and dance is not completely surprising, I suppose, since we undeniably do have more energy when we're young. However, there is a fatal mistake in confusing this unbridled and frequently unfocused youth-energy with the unbridled vivacity and inspiration of dance-energy. The concept of youth is not synonymous with the concepts of happiness or enthusiasm, nor should it be synonymous with dance.
The rave community in particular is often identified as "for kids," the assumption being that once they turn 21 they'll all quit this silliness and go to bars, right? This is a distressing perception, since it implies that once people grow up, they'll grow out of raving and dancing. The equally unfortunate flip side of this is that older dancers are frequently left out of the rave community, which has so much to offer anyone devoted to music and dance. It is our responsibility--as dancers of all ages, as young people who are inevitably aging, as supporters and revelers of electronic music--to combat this misconception. ecstatic dance is valuable for those of all ages. Raves can offer a desperately needed environment for ecstatic dance to everyone, not just the under-21 set. It is not something you grow out of, in fact it would be of great benefit if more people grew into it.
Physical Benefits of Ecstatic Dance
Dancing is physically good for you. Long identified as an excellent form of aerobic exercise, dance works a variety of muscle groups and increases stamina and strength. Let's flash back to health class. It takes 20 minutes for your body to reach the elevated heart rate that is necessary for aerobic exercise (like ecstatic dance usually is), which is really just 3 or 4 good tracks by your favorite DJ. Judi Sheppard Missett from the Los Angeles Times draws it out: "Your heart beats faster to pump more blood (which contains important oxygen, fluids and nutrients) to the working muscles. In addition to strengthening your heart muscle [ecstatic dancers, insert your own metaphor here], aerobic exercise trains your heart to pump more blood with every stroke -- increasing your cardiac output up to eight times its resting capacity. Ultimately, your heart becomes more efficient at delivering oxygen and draining metabolic waste products away. Best of all, this improved efficiency is sustained even after exercise, translating into a lower resting heart rate." All this, and you thought you were just raving!
Extended ecstatic dance is a form of getting in shape like any other form of exercise, and if you're consistent you "can make bones stronger, improve balance, and increase muscle strength and mass," according to the National Institute on Aging. Rhythmically moving the body in time is good for a person's neurological systems and dancing is a healthier--and more interesting--form of aerobic exercise than just working out.
These lasting physical benefits of ecstatic dance are available to anyone, young and old, but everyone knows that as we age, our bodies' health depends more and more on how we take care of it. At 17 our bodies are pumping at maximum. We can eat sh*t, treat ourselves like sh*t, not sleep, do drugs, and we may still feel (relatively) OK. Our bodies' ability to take that kind of a beating decreases quickly as we age (trust me, this is a very good thing) and yes, you do start to feel it in your 20's. It becomes imperative to actually care for your body so that it will take care of you in return (Read "Health With Ricki" in the back of this magazine if you're interested in additional methods of preventative health). ecstatic dance is an excellent way to care for the human body young or old, while caring for the spirit and soul as well.
Emotional Benefits of Ecstatic Dance
Ecstatic dance is undeniably a special experience for many of us, more than just a physical activity. In Lotus, we've devoted thousands of words to spirituality and dance (Read back to "Trance & dance" in Issue 9 or "Glowsticks & Incense" in Issue 11) but we haven't appropriately emphasized that these ties exist for all dancers, young and old. This use of dance is cross-cultural and is a presence in many different spiritual paths. The Bible says people should offer ecstatic whirling dances as a means of adoring God. Rastafarians, Sufis, and African cultures will dance throughout their lives in celebration. They dance with both the young and old alike. In America, however, ecstatic dance is a form of articulate expression that seems to be forgotten about as people age and as a result our culture is at a disadvantage. For many young Americans the ecstatic dance release that they find at a rave is often their first touch with a transcendent energy, which gives them an epiphanetic rush of spiritual enthusiasm. However, this means of "touching god" through dance is something that people of all ages can explore, and it can be an even more powerful experience to an older person.
Everyone has a different "My First Rave" story, but here's one not-uncommon description:
Some of [my friends] were going to raves and after a while they convinced me that I had to go too. I was really impressed with the music and so many people were really friendly and nice to me. I saw people like myself who were obviously transported by the music! I felt like I was with family! I was hooked and haven't stopped since! I am getting to know people and a warm feeling of genuine community is developing.
Sound familiar? Read on as this dancer continues to describe her experiences:
When I dance, I feel so perfectly centered! I feel very sort of self-focused, yet very sympathetic and empathetic at the same time. It's like a meditation and I think it's good for me and good for others, because it is an exercise in accepting what is, as it is found and in going with the flow - FULL TILT! I am experiencing something intensely, observing the experience quite objectively and accepting without judging at the same time. I feel like the music is something that it is safe for me to completely abandon myself to. It thrills my body! It thrills my soul! I feel almost religious about it. I have never experienced such a concentration of such incredible music that makes you dance like that in my life before, ever. I sometimes wonder if the music didn't stop if I could die dancing.
The true nature of ecstatic dance is conveyed perfectly through this dancer's words, and the purest joy of the passage is that this dancer is a 43-year-old mother of two! Pat explained to me that when she began dancing at raves she was "self-conscious about my age. I was afraid that I'd be intruding and that I would make people uncomfortable and they'd resent a parental-type being there." Despite these concerns, she reports regularly dancing for 6-8 hours straight with a couple short breaks and only the assistance of Gatorade and a power bar. Although she is "old enough to realize that my body has changed," Pat says that she is "usually surprised" by her own stamina and endurance. In the course of researching this article I interviewed several "Geriatric Ravers" ranging in age from 27 to 43, and they all emphasized the joy and energy they found through dancing at raves, frequently sounding more enthusiastic than the younger ravers I spoke to.
Aging and Dancing - Attitudes and Expression
If you read Pat's passage and thought, "That doesn't sound like any 43-year-old I know," then you must now ask yourself how many other 43-year-old ecstatic dancers you know. Why are so few older people still dancing? My perspective: An unfortunate and unnecessary aspect of aging is a certain hardening. This hardening is both literal (the physical hardening of arteries, joints, etc.) and metaphorical (the emotional and expressive hardening of cynicism and bitterness). As children, we are open hearts and open minds, but as pain and fears start to stack up, many people start to shut down, close doors, build walls, and harden. ecstatic dance can combat both this metaphorical and physical hardening, since it is a limbering of a person's whole self, an un-fettering of physical and emotional creative channels. Everyone stands to benefit from this whole self flexibility, but especially those who have been hardened by years of accumulated pain.
Not only can ecstatic dance keep you healthy, it also has the potential to heal, both physically and emotionally. dance Therapy has long been used by the medical community as a component of treatment for patients with such serious problems as head injuries, spinal trauma, arthritis, gunshot wounds and even those recovering from rape and other forms of sexual abuse. If dance is effective in treating those with severe physical and emotional conditions, then we know that it has the ability to combat bitterness, self-consciousness and other symptoms of a hardened soul.
Ecstatic dance is a form of creative expression that is unique and valuable to all of us. So many people, when they stop dancing, lose one of the few physically creative outlets they have. Frequently, the only way people have left for creative physical expression is their sexuality, which is limiting. Imagine being unable to speak and only being able to use your mouth for kissing. You could still convey some things (wonderful things) but so much would be left unsaid. In this era of increasingly impersonal technology-based communication, we cannot afford to grow out of one of our few remaining physical forms of expression we have.
A uniquely articulate and spontaneous expression of self, ecstatic dance lets your body act as a combined manifestation of the music and your own story. When you dance you are speaking...and older dancers may have an even greater need for this expression than their younger counterparts. Older dancers may have more to "say" since they have a larger bank of experiences to express through dance. Younger dancers have much to learn, and much to share of their own. The unity of the community that we enjoy so much is the most enjoyable when it's a unity based on diversity. We are a community united by our love of this electronic beat and our diverse creative expressions of ourselves to it and through it.
Maintaining and Creating Ecstatic Dance
And so, how can we maintain the groove? Here are a few ideas to consider and explore.
Vow to never stop dancing. Make a commitment to your health, to your heart, to your soul to never harden or grow out of what is an incredible expression of joy. The moment you stop dancing is the moment you begin to die, so dance forever.
Pace yourself! When you view ecstatic dance as a life-long activity, it's easier to understand the need to monitor your exertion, thus avoiding the ugly, all-to-common raver burnout. Is it any surprise that people overdose on raving when they attack it like a slippery animal that's about to escape? Dance is forever. No need to abuse yourself in an effort to enjoy it all at once. Dousing yourself in chemicals is not maintainable, and your body will eventually make you slow down. The question is, when the drugs run out, will you still be dancing?
Invite an older person to come dancing at a rave with you. Chose both both the older dancer and the event carefully, but understand that our community has much to gain from wider diversity of age-energies. Sharing ecstatic dance with an older person can be a powerful experience...ask anyone whose brought an open-minded parent to a rave!
Be kind to younger dancers. Older dancers have a duty to younger dancers. "Old Schoolers" and "Grumpy Old Ravers," this means you. We learned once, now we have to teach. That's part of the way things go. How can we expect a culture we love so dearly to regenerate without attention and affection to the new members?
Explore other forms of ecstatic dance and expression. Even if someday you stop raving (heaven forbid!), vow to never stop dancing. You may grow out of certain aspects of "the scene," but never out grow ecstatic dance or the sense of unity that sharing dance creates. If the cigarettes, drugs and hardcore environment stop working for you, then throw house parties for your friends and dance the night away in a more comfortable, less toxic environment. Or try exploring outside the electronic dance community. Long dances, trantrikas, "Old Hippie" gatherings, and rhythm/drumming festivals are just a few of the environments that cater to expressions of ecstatic dance. Just as our scene needs diversity in our dancers, so do other communities. Try dancing with the belly dancers, ballroom dancers, country line dancers, even those old hippies in tie die. The common bond of dance is strong, and reaches across more lines than you would expect!
And, my final piece of advice in maintaining the groove... Since none of us can maintain (or re-obtain) our youth, we can learn from it. Maintain attitudes of openness, curiosity and enthusiasm. Never let your heart or your body harden. Remember that when people say they've "grown out of dancing," they often mean that their heart has grown old. Do not let this happen to you. For the sake of yourself, for the sake of our community, for the sake of our shared experience as a generation, for the sake of our shared joy as humans, promise to dance for the rest of your life!
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[© 1999-2003 Ariel Meadow Stallings]