Filming (more like fighting) for your life...

I remember attending a dance class once and getting pushed to the centre when the teacher was asking for volunteers to film the routine. I was livid! I barely knew these people that were pushing me and was appalled at their boldness. I had no intention of getting filmed during that class, so it became quite a scene - they kept insisting, I remained unmoved, all while the teacher was looking at me like I was wasting their time. Such unnecessary drama that could have been easily resolved by a mutual understanding of the word "volunteer." Welcome to today's blog post dancer friends.

I don't know what it is about the camera that is so intimidating. Regardless of how many videos I have taken, I still panic a little every time I see one. I can have known the routine backwards and forwards and even with my eyes closed but when it comes to filming, I can feel the choreography slowly escaping my body. It doesn't actually, but it feels so real. I think it's a combination of the camera, which is right in front of me, having to do the routine from a different direction, which mostly happens during filming, everyone else watching as I am supposed to seamlessly figure all of this out on the spot, and having a good time while at it...

I'm discovering that it takes intentionality for me to film well. I like to feel like I am the one who is making the choice to challenge myself in this way, as opposed to being forced into it. This way, I am ready for all the little things that I have to think about without feeling ambushed. Granted that won't always be the case, it helps to decide what my intention for the specific class is. Often are the times I attend a class knowing that I'd like to be filmed for the purpose of seeing my growth, content creation, or simply for keeps sake. Sometimes I want to fully experience the class without the pressure of getting it all right for the camera; therefore, I have no interest in filming at all. Other times, I am indifferent and it's all dependent on how the class goes. If this is the way I look at it, imagine the different approaches of other dancers...Let's practice letting people be- if they'd like to be filmed, great. If not, great. The entire class experience is way more than those few minutes spent filming at the end...

Keep creating & sharing!

~your dancer friend