Having been unable to dance in a studio for months because of local curfews I was ecstatic when classes recommenced. Once curfews were lifted I was back at rehearsals and classes returning to a busy schedule of dancing five times a week.  Having certainly fallen behind in terms of technique and strength despite having worked through quarantine I was determined to push harder in class and practice on my own as well.

Towards the end of August, I was given the opportunity to perform in a group dance with some of the senior dancers in my dance school ‘with my feet’ for an event in Colombo. The dance was done to “You Say” by Lauren Daigle and is one of the routines from our show line up for our dance show next year.  The piece is a lyrical routine which I had the pleasure of assisting to choreograph. This was my first time choreographing a group dance and it’s

safe to say I found it extremely difficult. In this situation, I had to make sure to think about the entire group as a whole rather than myself as an individual dancer. Creating steps that would utilize shapes and formations I was pushed to think of ways to add dimension and depth into the choreography. As I was creating the choreography under my dancer teacher’s guidance she would also continuously remind me to listen to the lyrics as I usually tend to lean toward adding a series of tricks and turns to fill up the music. This was a great opportunity to use m

ore nuanced movements that better encapsulate the meaning behind the music rather than those purely included for aesthetic appeal.

The final performance wasn’t perfect and we have a lot to work on but having had taken such a long break from dancing it feels amazing to be back performing again.