MOVEMENT
Dance with me
Dancing, ‘the hidden language of the soul’, is uplifting and health-giving, but can you engage with spiritual forces to heal psychological pain? Lilian Kannemeyer, a Chakradance virgin, discovers…
IMAGES: SHUTTERSTOCK
Wide-legged, rooted on the edge of a cliff in billowing robes, a wise woman stands with her arms outstretched to full aching capacity, as she fearlessly challenges an unknown future, represented by the night sky, stars, moon, infinity… She howls savagely with pent-up rage at the injustice that she has witnessed. Her tribespeople chant with heartrending melancholy, purest joy and empowering furious energy, while booming drums vibrate through her heart, essence and bones. She is me, transported to another existence, perhaps prehistoric, another life and embodiment, or maybe it’s a dream…
I am actually standing on a yoga mat in threadbare leggings and a T-shirt. The resonant music is all-consuming, deep, tribal and emotive, and I have danced myself into a sweaty frenzy with my eyes closed, except for moments that I am peeking at the other dancers, who inspire me to lose myself and give it unadulterated welly, because no one seems to give a fig about appearances here. The stars are soft electric lightbulbs, punctuating the blackness of the hall, and the moon is a dangling glitter ball. I catch a glimpse of my gyrating self in a mirror, arms akimbo, but turn away because I don’t want misplaced embarrassment to intrude on my inner journey. I need to be alone with my raw and neglected self.