A Society Without Smiles....

 As I set off for my day of teaching, masked in my favourite flamingo face covering, lathered in copious amounts of antibac gel, my journey was actually a much more pleasant one than perhaps the beginning of this year where i’m always faced with a mad dash to scramble for a seat, however, I felt like I was missing something…a smile…receiving a smile or indeed sharing a smile with someone…anyone. That translation of communication that requires no words, just one simple action, that anyone, from anywhere can understand. 

“A warm smile is the universal language of kindness”

William Arthur Ward

My newborn nephew is just starting to smile, seeing it hits me with a joyous warmth and an instant reaction to communicate back!

It then got me thinking about the importance of communication. 

Reflecting back this is something that i do on so many different levels, in so many different ways.

Both my students and I are wearing Face coverings throughout classes. This is guidance that we have followed from One Dance Uk but also we would rather be overly cautious than run the risk of an outbreak where firstly, someones health could be at risk and secondly, we have to then go back to online teaching which, lets face it, was fine for a short term fix but not nearly the same as physically being in a studio, our second home if you like, our safe, creative space.

We discussed the saying “Dead behind the eyes”, which is widely used in dance. For me it represents an incomplete expression.

The Musical Theatre students are now finding such strength in using this time to ensure they communicate with their eyes, the importance of eye contact, gives a sense of being engaged and focus, allowing the eyes to do the talking.

They are also aware of how much harder they need to work their bodies, being braver, bolder, taking risks, challenging their shapes and movement to communicate their story because their mouths can’t. 

Dance for me should be about continuation of story and enabling you to communicate information when you can’t use words.

The negative (face covering) has become a positive by way of enabling the student to dig deeper into their souls to communicate their stories. They have already become much better communicators and have gained a strong sense of achievement from it.

On my journey back home, I reflected on the day and found myself smiling, perhaps for now, the masks are ok!

I can’t wait to see a sea of smiles when this time is all over! 

But for now, don’t lose your internal smile. Your smile can be for you too.

“Smile, breathe & go slowly”

Thich Nhat Hanh