From the Editor: Groove to your internal rhythm this International Dance Day

When I look back on my childhood, I’m transported to a world of purple leotards, frilly tutus, beaded hair elastics, and soft pink ballet slippers. I’d spin and dance around my house, practising the moves I’d learned in my recreational dance classes, often scaring my cat Penelope into the depths of our basement. 

As I grew older, my taste in “girly” ballet aesthetics changed, but my love for dance always remained. I’d ride waves of serotonin while practising various spins, jumps, and kicks across the floors of my dance studio. The music we rehearsed became part of my energy, and so it played with every move I made.

I used to marvel at the dancers at my studio who were older than me as they’d flutter around in their flat ballet tutus, all while balancing on the hard wooden boxes of their pointe shoes. I didn’t know it then, but I’d become one of those dancers in my teenage years. 

I slipped on my first pair of pointe shoes when I was 14, and yes, pointe shoes are as painful as you’d imagine them to be. But the pain manifested into elegance, and being able to perform ballet was an almost out-of-body experience. Not only was I able to portray a story through movement accompanied by music, but dance allowed me to push myself to grow stronger and step outside of my comfort zone. 

My dance classes provided opportunities to meet new people and make new friends. It instilled principles of dedication, discipline, and determination into my work ethic. During year-end recitals, I would perform on stage in front of hundreds of people and feel my nerves transform into an unmatched sense of excitement and personal satisfaction. 

I retired my pointe shoes after I graduated from high school in June 2019. They now hang off a shelf in my room, and my flat tutu drapes down from my wall, both serving as reminders of the absolute pleasure, and privilege, I had growing up dancing. (Another reminder of this time is the chronic foot problems I now deal with as a result of carrying my body weight on the tops of my toes, but we won’t get into that.) 

Dance is more than what it seems like at the surface level — it’s a form of communication and connectivity that doesn’t align with any one language. Its pure movement and music convey emotion, lifting hardships and stresses off a dancer’s shoulders as they perform. Dance is an expression, a sport, and inherent to human behaviour. 

At a time when there feels to be so much division in our world, it’s important to remember the ways in which we are all connected, and dance is one of those things. As with food, clothing, and music, dance is an integral part of the many beautiful cultures in our world. While dance styles may vary, its underlying purposes remain the same — to express, connect, and entertain.

April 29 marks International Dance Day, which was initiated in 1982 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). On this day, people are encouraged to take part in celebrating and appreciating this beautiful art form. 

I’m a big believer that everyone is capable of dancing in some way, shape, or form, whether that be training in a specific genre or just grooving along to your favourite song. This International Dance Day, I encourage you to let loose and dance to the rhythm that flows throughout all of our bodies. 

You don’t have to be a professional to be able to dance, as so many naively believe, you just need to be human.