In continuing with our Body Empowerment celebration, BollyX’s National Community Manager, Meredith, shares with us what Body Empowerment means to her:
The competitive dance world is where young dancers come together, learn routines, put on elaborate costumes, and rehearse for at least 6 hours a day to win first prize and bragging rights in the dance community. I grew up in a very competitive dance company where your body was everything. It meant everything. It did all the speaking for you. I never thought much of it because I LOVED to dance. I loved to move and I wanted to do that for the rest of my life.
Once I reached middle school, I realized how different the body is seen in social settings compared to my competitive dance community. It absolutely terrified me because it was all about hair, makeup, clothes, and that perfect figure. What a mess! I couldn’t keep up. I didn’t want to keep up and it turned me into a wall flower. I was so heartbroken that I had to start caring about certain things that I never cared about and didn’t want to care about in order to avoid being alone.
However, it all turned around for me when my dance teacher, Kitty Carter, had each of us perform our competition dance routine alone. We all took turns and watched each other, learning from each other, and paying attention to what made us different, unique, and then also what pulled us together as a team. She would give notes on technique, timing, and thoughts on how to dig deeper and really make the movement matter. It was my turn and I was terrified, so I just took one big breath, and said to myself, “Listen to the music.” I disappeared into the movement, the song, and I completely forgot anyone was watching. Little did I know, that by disappearing, I would attract so much attention. Once I stopped dancing and the music was over, I then remembered where I was. I looked at my dance teacher and she was crying. I thought I disappointed her to tears and then she said, “Every movement came from your heart and right through your eyes. We could see into your soul. That’s what dancing should look like, feel like, and that’s how we change the world.”
In today’s world, it is entirely possible to get lost in only what you look like and NOT what you are made of. I met a lot of challenges after that class, but I have always held those words so tight that they are branded on my heart. Now as a BollyX instructor, I find myself in Kitty’s shoes encouraging others to unleash, be empowered, taking ownership of your body, challenging it to go further by the power of the heart and the mind.
To me, “Body Empowerment“ means owning everything you are down to your core and letting it shine.
