The Art of Expressing Yourself

Expression is a skill, not a personality trait

People often tell me they are not expressive enough to dance. What they usually mean is that they have never been taught how. Expression can be trained in the same way as a turn or a jump: with clear exercises and plenty of repetition.

Nobody is born knowing how to show sadness with their shoulders or joy with their feet. We learn it by trying, watching and trying again.

Start with the face you already have

Many dancers freeze their face while their body works hard. We begin with simple exercises where the face leads: react to the music with only your eyes, then let that reaction travel down into the chest, the arms and finally the legs.

The goal is not dramatic acting. It is connection, so that what your face says and what your body says are finally telling the same story.

‍

Give every movement an intention

A reach can be a greeting, a plea or a goodbye. Before running a phrase, we ask each dancer to decide what every movement means to them personally. The steps stay the same, but the performance changes completely.

Your steps show what you have learned. Your intention shows who you are.

Let the audience in

Expression only works when you allow people to see you. That can feel exposing at first. With time it becomes the most rewarding part of dancing: the moment a stranger in the audience feels exactly what you meant them to feel.