Egyptian Elementals Dance Blog

Recently I had an email from a reader who had enjoyed The Beauty in Being Barefoot article. In this email she shared how most women in her age group are displaying very poor posture and nearly all are troubled by (and/or) knee, foot, shoulder, neck, hip issues etc.

Ancient Egyptians clearly new the importance of good posture

I would have to agree - in fact I would say this is not restricted to ‘a certain age’ but it is endemic across all ages.   From teenagers  through to the elderly, so many are clearly showing the effects of alignment and postural issues.

Hardly any of us will get through life without some injury or muscular/joint complaint  – however allowing it to gradually impact on our lives ‘till there is no return is another issue.

One of the most exciting challenges I have as a teacher is preparing beginner students for dance, and part of this process is highlighting what has been slowly occurring to their body’s overtime, then engaging them in a proactive reversal of this process.

Some of the improvements can be quite dramatic, others (especially if it has been going on for a while) – take some time. However I have witnessed enough miraculous transformations in my time to know that reversal is possible, even for those who tell me they are too old to change.

Once students become aware of their own bodies and how their issues can be addressed, they also become increasingly aware of the number of people they see daily (nay – hourly) who would greatly benefit from this knowledge.  One of the most frequently asked questions from new students is whether I feel compelled to approach women I see out and
about and offer some advice.  Of course this is not possible, it would be inappropriate and most likely construed as very rude – not to mention professionally irresponsible.   ’When the student is ready, the teacher will appear’ ….unfortunately this wonderful Buddhist proverb doesn’t work in reverse!

From our day of birth we are all walking towards the final exit, but that doesn’t mean we have to run and jump into the open armchair of pharmaceuticals and other soft props without first exploring preventative or restorative possibilities.   I have noted that due to
our natural ‘tribal’ tendencies, conforming to the tribe is often much easier than taking a different approach or attitude.   How we age is not exempt from peer pressure – what the BFF or ‘tribe’ do, can often become ‘group policy’. The rules of engagement – so to speak.

Let me explain a little, we often come under pressure in life to conform so others feel comfortable i.e. why bother with exercise, we are all going to die anyway; accept the inevitable now – less disappointment later!; ‘drink up- what harm can it do?’; ‘this is what happens when you age, we all get there – you will too soon enough’!!,  ‘I don’t want
to do that, and you shouldn’t be bothering with it either’; ‘it’s all part of aging’…. etc etc.

This brings me back to the point of this entry  -  exercise and aging.  Posture, placement and technique is integral, not only to exercise and dance, but to the very quality of our daily lives.

It is always a challenge to emerge from our comfort zone, and the longer we have been there the more scary it can be.  Excuses will abound!  When faced with the actual physical work of change some may choose to run ‘home’ to the tribe for some validation, others might blame it all on aging or bad genes,- that is not to say that genes and other unforeseen circumstances (i.e. illness) do not play a part, – nature/nurture is a fascinating study and the research is still delivering exciting insights  – but here is the crunch: as adults we can at least be responsible for our environment – can’t we?

We are born with innate intelligence and the capacity to hope, strive, learn, imagine and create (specifically to create change) for good reason – and I believe the results are well worth any effort. The thing is – how much do you genuinely desire change? – or are you more content  simply finding excuses – blaming, complaining and avoiding? Or perhaps you are hiding in the comfortable fold of a tribe?….whatever your blanket, remember: if you can articulate the excuse, it doesn’t have to be the reason any longer. ©Juliet 2012

The Egyptian Elementals Beginners Introductory Course is a great way to reconnect with your body’s full physical potential and rediscover your inner power!

Want to know the aging secrets of the Ancient Egyptians?  Follow this link to read an article by our resident Egyptologist Suzette Hartwell on Beauty and Aging in Ancient Egypt

The Sufis advise us to speak only after our words have

 managed to pass through three gates.  At the first gate, we

 ask ourselves, “Are these words true?”  If so, we let them

  pass on;  if not, back they go.  At the second gate, we ask,

                                             “Are they necessary?”  At the last gate, we ask

                                             “Are they kind?”          Eknath Easwaran

Hmm…Learning to rehearse the response….

No wonder they whirl in silence, think I might join them……

Well today was the first class for 2012 and we always start the year with the more advanced students. Everyone was clearly excited to be back in the space and ready to take the challenge to a new level.    However within a short time I was getting the pouts and nervous side looks that generally accompany the realisation that the spirit is willing but the flesh is surprisingly weak!

‘Isn’t it amazing the difference the Christmas and New Year break
can have on the body?’ they say to me – and each other, smiling sheepishly…

It is a common theme of complaint among returning students every year, and interestingly, none seem to remember that the lament is exactly the same each year……’I've lost it!’ and/or ‘my legs are so weak!’ and/or ‘wow!, this is really h-a-r-d’ .

Everyone deserves a holiday, a break from something, a full stop, an extended luscious time of nothingness…….right?    Yes and no…depends on what you want….poor, average or exceptional. There are many pursuits that will only demand a part of you, and from those you can have one of those long, nothing at all breaks.   But from dance - (especially at a high level or when trying to achieve it) there are very disappointing consequences.

Chances are you love it so much your spirit and body scream for it in any case, so…. what are you waiting for – dance!

Anything you want – from Go-Go to Bollywood* in the privacy of your home (or not) is a great way to keep extremely fit and physically ready during a break.  It is also a great way to inject some fun into the technical component of training hard.  Iyengar Yoga is fantastic for maintaining flexibility, stamina and strength.

I remember reading once that the extraordinary Margot Fonteyn had
only one real break from dance in her life before her retirement. It was for 6 weeks and she claimed that her initial return to dance was so challenging physically and mentally she would never do it again.

There have been a few occasions in my dance life where I have had to have lengthy breaks and to move away from the studio and into the ‘everyday’ world.  I have found that a disconnection, a kind of ‘dimming’ occurs as I lose touch with that special magic that offers relief from the mundane….the excitement of transforming space and communicating through dance …of-course it does return once you get back in there and start, but there is always that niggling fear the magic has left you… just being physically capable is not the same as creating dance.

One way I have of igniting the flame is going back to some of the most inspired performances I have ever witnessed.   It can be any genre, but it will have one thing in common and that is the mastery of the performer.   It can be raw and edgy or quite sedate, provided it is truly inspired and innovative and not someone else’s work rehashed.  There is something very special about the performance of someone who is the creator – they are the source and it shows!   Performances that transcend the mundane and fire your soul inspire you to also create and move!   Another way to get moving is to listening to music that has been similarly composed from the spirit, the rhythms are too great a tease to ignore and before I know it you will be up and holistically engaged!  Powerfully evocative images can also do it, even more so – because your imagination experiences the emotion, the next moment – a whole story.  A great book can do the same. Lastly but not at all least, is immersing yourself in the culture of your chosen genre - chances are (like me) that was your first inspiration in any case – and it is your true source.

And now to my pouting, concerned and frustrated students – (that is,
until they find their wings again – which incidentally, never takes as long as they think it will),  I say: ‘don’t worry – just let the music carry you and dance with me - it will come back’………….. but each year I also have to remind them ….’It’s not knitting you know – you can’t expect put it down and pick up exactly where you left off!’   It takes time to reacquaint and recondition.

The body/mind/spirit phenomenon that is dance is a little unforgiving like that I’m afraid.    The important thing is that you re-engage, as there is nothing of value that doesn’t require discipline, but oh! how that discipline is sweetened when it is fired by the desire to dance.      Juliet x

© Feb 2012

*Go-Go and Bollywood would not be enough to keep high level Classically trained dancers dance prepared - and they already know it!

Princess with offerings

An article by Suzette Hartwell is the latest addition to the History and Culture section of the EED website. It is entitled ‘The Role of Women in Ancient Egypt’.

In case you missed it, this link will also take you to her previous article ‘Beauty and Ageing in Ancient Egypt’  ……please follow the link for a wonderful read!

A big thank you to Suzette for the contribution,  just like Ancient Egyptian women she is quite the multi-talented busy woman herself!

http://www.elementalegyptiandance.com.au/page/culture/index.htmlke

What an extraordinary year it has been – a global ‘show’ I would find hard to believe if I had not been able to witness!
People apparently seeking a very similar final chapter – the right to justice and a fair go, to be heard, counted and considered – from countries through to relationships – the boiling point was 2011.   Each day seemed to deliver a new episode that left me spinning – extraordinary bravery and sacrifice, juxtaposed against some of the most diabolical cruelty – sent to us via satellite in real time.

But it is the inspirational courage and selfless sacrifice I have witnessed which will take with me into 2012, giving me hope for the chance of a better future for us all.

A little something else I’d like to share apropos the media hype and shallow celebrity culture that seems to permeate our lives today:      Have you noticed the world is littered with the regrets of those who failed to heed the words of more experienced souls  – the wisdom of those unsung heroes who humbly walk among us?  Oscar Wilde – arguably one of the most astute observers of the human condition – once quipped ‘youth is wasted on the young’.

But I would have to say any age could benefit from a few hours with a soul who has walked the walk, done the hard yards, fought the odds, traversed the depths and survived…perhaps even found ‘the grail’.    Whomever that may be in your eyes, seek them out before the new year and show your appreciation by listening, I can guarantee an exchange you will not forget……

Wishing you a Joyous, Safe, and above all else  -  a Personally Meaningful and Satisfying 2012…… Juliet Le Page  2011

I know I could never deny anyone the right to progress. But it is a little sad that the quietly unobtrusive, non-polluting shadouf has been largely replaced in Egypt by the very loud and incredibly smelly diesel machines for irrigation of crops along the Nile.
Here is a You Tube example of a 5,000 year old ancient Egyptian technology still operating today on a small plot of land in Egypt. It may be more manually intensive, but this juxtaposition of effective, soft and gentle set against intrusive, polluting and loud, really makes we wonder about ‘progress’ in today’s world – what are we really losing? and what are we really gaining??

Special thanks to Jane Akshar for obtaining this wonderful footage of a Shadouf in action:

Rumi - 13th Century Persian poet and philosopher

‘The Radiance that is neither east nor west
comes from a single moon……Infinite mercy flows continually’.

Rumi

™
Excerpt………….The juxtaposition of Deshret (the red desert) with Kamet (the black land) hints at the strong dichotomy that exists throughout Egypt. The juxtaposition of the bold geometric shapes with the Islamic Architecture and the fluid arabesque shapes of theCalligraphy, – water/desert; ; modern/ancient; tension/release; green/red; chaos/stillness; contemporary and traditional ideas do – inexplicably – sit side by side in wonderous harmony.
This theme of opposites is also reflected in the dance itself – a constant quest for balance and harmony through the expression of male and female energies.

I experienced this preternatural energy throughout Egypt – but particularly when traveling on, or when by the Nile in the South. There is an almost tangible sense of timeless balance and harmony between the female/male energies – a warm and wondrous envelopment, a strong impression of a great nurturing beauty and potent natural wonder. This sense of male/female accord that spans time and creation serves as an inspiration to what can be achieved when strengths are realised, rather than weaknesses exploited. ©
Excerpt taken from ‘About the Logo’ by Juliet Le Page on the Egyptian Elementals Dance website

Juliet Le Page - Contemporary Classical

Every soul needs to soar with music and take flight with dance.

Cocoons and safe and warm: why leave?

Two fine ironies I have found as a dance teacher:
1. Skill does not necessarily translate into Artistry
2. Knowledge does not necessarily translate into Development…

only the daring will brave the outer boundaries of their comfort zone, staying there long enough to shift and Transform.
Juliet Le Page 2011