Dance, The Spiral, And Your Body-Movement

The never-endingness of the spiral speaks to us of ete al life. Spirals in motion can go on indefinitely, and therein lies much of the fascination and excitement we derive from looking at, and experiencing the movement of spirals. Without them we could not move our bodies. Spirals are all around us, and deep in us! From micro to macro. From the double helix of our dna to the spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy where we reside, the spiral is intrinsic to life. Just as our DNA knows what to do in so many ways that are impossible for us to comprehend, such as keeping our blood circulating . . . so does our body keep track of uncountable instructions on how to walk, sit, move our limbs, fingers and toes, torso, neck and head. From the liberating feeling in children who spread their arms and spin fearlessly for fun, to the highly ritualized spinning of the Sufi dancers who spin for ecstasy, the spiral is above all a natural movement. So natural, in fact, that we use it unconsciously as we walk – our bodies rotating around our spines, to the left and to the right. Look at your arm. Lay it on a table with your palm up – and as you initiate movement by turning your palm down, and then up again, you will see what a fascinating rotation happens to your bones and muscles. Now if you leave your hand still, and initiate movement through your shoulder, then continuing it down through your hand, you will experience how complex the whole body-movement system is. Who has not been fascinated by watching birds spiral in formation, water spiral in the ocean or down the drain, smoke rise and circle above a candle, or stray plastic bags and newspapers spiral off the sidewalk on a windy day. Just such a mundane thing as a newspaper wafting in the air became the inspiration for a fantastic surreal scene in the great ballet movie “The Red Shoes” where Moira Shearer spirals from on high down to earth, and begins to dance with a newspaper that turns into a man. . . and then back to a newspaper.* So many examples of spirals abound to inspire and reflect dance and body-movement. I've chosen a few pictures to intrigue you: and to be start points for a nice waking meditation, and perhaps an inspiration for you to stand up and dance. Above all, keep yourself moving. Click here to see the pictures.nn*See Moira Shearer on YouTube nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4_C7VSbwvc&feature=related