I will never forget when I began dancing again after 10-plus years of feeling constricted and locked in my mind—forgetting my deep passion and love of dance. For most of my life, I experienced constant anxiety. It consumed me and led me to hyper-fixate and be disconnected from others and my body. I ignored my body. Anxiety and other things led me to deprive my body of nourishment—food and other sources. I still deprive myself from time to time and am untangling the roots. And yet, I feel free. I can now sit with the discomfort and pain and any emotion. I am learning and unlearning. Dance is a source of this freedom. It allows me to dance with shadow, light, and everything between and beyond. It helps me give thanks to this body for all that it does. Simply being alive is a gift. Dance is home. It reminds me repeatedly to let go, release control, and trust this body, mind, and soul in this dance of life.
