When leaving college I was prepared to live life a lot like Theory 101, 102, Counterpoint and Harmony 101, 102… meaning there was a rule for everything. Musicians always say it, “you have to learn the rules to break the rules.”
As a music graduate I was highly trained to spot parallel 5ths like a boss, I could tell you if a cadence resolved perfectly or deceptively, I knew ALL the rules.
Yet life doesn’t come with a rule book.
One of my favorite authors, Dan Millman calls it, “the school of life,” some call it “the school of hard knocks.” You know, where you just have to learn as you go.
Our adult lives are filled with learning on the spot – yet remember the fear of the teacher calling on you and you didn’t know the answer? Well, many of us live every single day like that wondering how we’re going to do what needs doing, what we want to do, what we dream of doing, or even how to be in 2 places at once.
Dan Millman also says, “life develops what it demands.”
It’s true, we do learn as we go along. We do learn right on the spot.
This is why I love SharQuí and the format of the workout and class. Students are dancing before they even realize they have 2 left feet or no rhythm- because all that stuff is a lie. It’s the kid thinking they won’t know the answer syndrome. SharQuí moves so fast, there’s no time to wonder if you can do it, if you can remember it. You might be like wait a minute – it moves fast? Yes, but progressively. It builds. It develops what it demands! A 16 count combination isn’t thrown right at a student. Simple foot work that anyone can do is where we start. And when we start transitioning, it’s not before the student has done the drill progressively with lots of repetition. In this way, we build mental and muscle memory.
One of the best cues I was ever given dancing was from my Nia trainer who told me to “relax the thinking mind.” “Light bulb!” as Gru would say in Despicable Me! It went off, I really understood I could allow my body to move with intention, direction, expression and my full energy because I did all of the mental work. That’s the breakdown in SharQuí, by the end of class students can relax their thinking minds and trust their bodies to move!
And hey- just like life- we get another try. One class is an amazing workout and you can learn a ton, but you come back for another, and another and before you know it you are the dancing diva you always thought you could never be!
So who knew SharQuí was the rule book on how to live life without a rule book?
Dance goes deeper than a bunch of steps I always say. Take your practice to your life and watch it transform!
Join me today.
Love,
Marisa