While in Mahapleu we spent lots of hours with our hosts and their families that we were living with as well as the community that would come for church services and programed events. During several of these occasions dancing would come about. Not an organized dancing, but fun freestyle, move how your body wants to move to the rhythms of the drums.
I experienced such freedom in watching and being pulled into participating in these moments. ??
I love dance, but it hasn’t always been easy for me to just let go and have fun without caring about what I look like or who is watching. I struggle with comparison and being concerned with how I look to others.
But here the dance was pure joy, fun, and free. The kids and adults loved to move and groove and were always coming to us and pulling us in to the fun. You really can’t say no when a kid takes your hand and pulls you into the dancing circle and then usually once you’re in they would exit and watch encouraging you to show off any moves that you have.
This happened a few times. Yes, I danced, and it was so freeing, because everyone would laugh with you and cheer you on, the pure joy all around was so radiant one couldn’t help but smile and have a good time.
During those moments I found myself not caring what I looked like or how sweaty or slightly (sometimes extremely) out of breath I was, I was instead filled with joy.
One evening our ministry was to play with the children that joined us on site for the evening, we did: worship, limbo, jump rope, hokey pokey, and some other things as well, but it ended in an all-out dance party!
I was only in the thick of the massive circle for a little bit, but the majority of my time was spent with some of the smaller children on the outskirts on the circle. This time with those little ones was so sweet and I will never forget it.
They were standing there still, so I approached them to see if they wanted to dance too, we didn’t need words to communicate. I started dancing pulling out some moves like the sprinkler, raise the roof, the wave, etc. and the kids loved it! So, we started a little follow the leader, monkey see monkey do sort of thing. Where I would do something and then they would copy what I did.
They were having so much fun and when I would stop, they would look at me and I could see on their small, pure, little faces the joy and longing for more so I danced with them for quite a long time, I fell asleep pretty quickly that night…! ??
During my time with the littles I realized that I wasn’t struggling with what moves I should do next, or how I should do them, or what I looked like, or anything that I usually struggle with thinking that holds me back from just being free and enjoying the fun that is dance.
I realized about half way through that moment how free I felt in this fun little session of freestyle dance with these kiddos. I found myself thinking, “wow I don’t care if anyone is watching, I don’t care what I look like, I’m not concerned with me right now, or with what others think.”
I felt light, I felt joy, I felt peace, I felt freedom, I felt the presence of God.
He spoke to me in that moment about how I had lost my child-like perspective of dance and what it had originally meant to me. He was showing me what dance can really do, taking a step towards healing in my heart towards dance and starting a shift in my perspective on what He thinks of dance and my dancing.
Dance can bring life, joy, healing, freedom, light. It’s capable of bridging barriers like language or nationality, etc.
He is still working in me on renewing my mind and changing my thought patterns when it comes to dance, I’ve got a long way to go but this was a little step in the right direction, in His direction, in shifting my gaze towards God and away from the world in the area of dance.
I’m sure I’ll be writing my on the journey God’s got me on with dance this year if you would like to hear more subscribe and stay tuned there will be more to come.
If you would like to give towards this journey click here ?? https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=worldrace&desc=Caitlynn%20Bruscher&appeal_id=BRUSCHERCAITLYNN
