my real reflection in the dance class
As a commerce student, I deal with corporate strategy and digital every day. However, attending the FA/DANC 1400 class allowed me to relax, meet new classmates, and even improve my physical health. Initially, I participated in dance classes to learn some techniques and skills to appreciate dance, but I found out that dance classes gave me more than that. It made me understand that the pleasures of hops are available to everybody. Like Martha Graham said, “Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body.”This class teaches different dance styles, such as jazz, modern dance, hip-hop, breaking, and so on. I used to think that dance is a complex activity that belongs only to dancers, but this class is teaching me various dance skills, encouraging, and boost my motivation. This essay is my most real reflection in the dance class. I will discuss the difficulties I encountered, the growth I experienced, and the achievement I gained.
At the beginning of the first class, I tried to avoid eye contact with everyone because of timidity and inferiority. I have never taken any physical training courses before this class. I tried to stand in the corner of the classroom; I was very unconfident. I even felt I was like a funny clown in fitness pants. By the middle of this lesson, my limbs began to become heavy, and I was exhausted. However, when I returned home to lie in bed at night, I began to recall the lessons, I realized today’s class is undoubtedly the most relaxing time of my week! I started looking forward to the dance class next week, and I found that “lack of confidence” and “lack of strength” are my main weakness.
The enthusiastic help of the students and the unique teaching method of the instructor made me overcome my weaknesses. The “relationship” in glossary vocabulary involves grouping and interaction. My partner and I are doing the same actions as face-to-face synchronously as if looking in the mirror, which is very interesting. The instructor taught us different steps, from simple to complex, with the rhythm of the music. I felt that I couldn’t keep up with the rhythm when the movement became complicated. To my surprise, my partner did a good job, but she still repeats exercises with me. No one would blame me for my clumsiness, they accompanied me to practice, and after I made progress, they did not hesitate to praise me. The instructor added abdominal training to our class, which is horrible at first, but it helped conduct me well in the dance performance.
On the other hand, the instructor found that it is not just me; many students have the same problem. We are used to dancing in front of the mirror, and we cannot express emotionally. So he closed the curtains in front of the mirror and dimmed the classroom lights so that everyone would relax and indulge in the joys of music. Such training is beneficial. I wrote down a sentence in my notebook：, “We dance to seduce ourselves. When we dance with another, we manifest the very thing we love about ourselves so that they may see it and love us too.” According to the instructor’s suggestion, I follow the melody and try to imagine that I am a unique “character” like a wonder woman. I did much better in this system that allowed me to unleash my talents fully and reach my fullest potential. The part impressed me most that the instructor made faces in front of me to make me laugh. Under such infection, my dance is no longer a mechanical, repetitive action, but it is full of joys. I moved my body out of mechanized dance, and I can also dance, feeling very comfortable.
The unique part of our dance class is that each student will teach everyone a part of the dance as a teacher. This approach shows the beauty of cultural diversity, our broad themes, diverse contents, and various styles. Near the end of this semester, all students completed teaching tasks, including me. I can dance confidently, whether it is a one-on-one battle or facing the audience. I am delighted with this experience at York University and thank myself for being brave in joining this course. Dance made me realize that different dance styles in different music genres represent different meanings and emotional cultures. For example, jazz is sexy; breaking represents street culture; hip-hop is full of rhythm. Overall, this semester of dance lessons has given me an invaluable skill and a new way to vent my emotions in my future life. You can dance in life. Dance is not a “privilege.” We need little training to learn some skills to use this “right.” I said goodbye to the dance class but said hello to the confident me. This skill will improve my quality of life in the future!