Dance of The Living

Indian Dance

Among so many human development called culture there is dancing. Almost every races and countries has their own unique ways of expressing themselves in the form of dancing from samba (Brazil), tango (Argentina), waltz (Germany), salsa, rumba and cha-cha (Cuba), bedoyo and saman (Indonesia), odori (Japan), flamenco and paso doble (Spain), dragon dance (China), bharatha natyam (India) and so on.



And one of the fascinating things about dancing is that it isn't literally written in the scriptures. I mean look at their movement and see if you can relate them to the act of worshiping. I tried to search in the Quran if there is any words about dancing, I found none, nor do I find the word in Tao Te Ching. Yet, when I was in Bali and talked with the local people, he explained to me about the Balinese dancing as part of their worshiping rituals including when they are about to cremate the dead body. This is similar to some Odori of Japanese dance. This got me to think about dancing from different point of view not just as human acts but something deeper and meaningful to come along with since it seems to be inseparable from human activity.

And I like dancing. I learned some Indonesian traditional dances and basic steps of waltz till my high school was over and then I wore my head scarf. Since then not many people see me doing it anymore. With my outside appearance and me being an adult Muslima they have tendency to think that I should behave, whatever they mean with behave is. I think because they have their qualification of what a good Muslima should be. And I believe you will never find a statement that said 'A good Muslima is also a good dancer'. They may see most of dancing performance are either cultural, sensual, free-spirited, body-tight costume, meaningless, show off or just a kind of sport. In a way I think I am affected by the opinion though it doesn't stop me from liking it.

So the conversation I had with the Balinese man some months ago while I was there, had me questioning myself about the essence of dancing. I didn't find the answer yet, things happened and I forgot about it till this morning. When I tried to understand this emptiness feeling that I had within. Understand it doesn't mean that I can immediately change the state of it. It is still there and may take months till I get over it. Understand it means I have to practice patience in coping the feeling and dance to its silence rhythm.

Into the Tune

There is a basic requirement that we need to have to be able to dance. One of them is the music. You can either dance alone or with partner but the music should be there. If the music is there, the music is your partner even if you dance alone. From this we then can qualify whether a movement is called dancing or not. A cook can be called dancing when he/she moves to the rhythm while he/she cooks. A sport player can be called dancing when he/she moves to the rhythm while he/she plays sport. A worker can be called dancing when he/she moves to the rhythm while he/she do his/her work. Look at the edited video where the cook or sport player or worker did their jobs and the music was added to it thus turn their chores into a dancing recital. Even animals can dance to the music as we see on TV or movie. And the plants and the trees.also do their dance into the breeze.

And a dancer is called a good dancer when he/she can dance to the rhythm and his/her heart is there to emphasize his/her feeling to be in sync with the music and the meaning of his/her movement so that it can captivate the audiences' attention and feeling.

Somehow there is this magic thing about music; that to anyone close enough with their heart or their spirit, it is easy to fall into it, being captivated and move to its rhythm. No longer the person shy, inhibited, or care of others' opinion of them. To the extreme, this captivation is called trance. Some rituals dancing involved that kind of ecstatic trance like Kecak Dancing of Balinese Hindu or Reog Ponorogo of Java or Whirling Dancing of Turkey Dervish. And their movement may be meaningless physically, but the soul knows better why it is so. When I'm not in trance, I will not whirling around and around for no reason. Because I know what will happen. I will have a headache and as I get tired, I will fall and stop whirling and I may throw up. But those who is in ecstatic trance will do it maybe for hours, without tired because they're possessed by the music. Their heart got ecstatic. Their spirit dance to the music. And since the spirit is what makes this physical body alive, we see their physical movement. In reality it is their spirit that is dancing.

Harmony in Motion

So the music is there and the performer is there. It is either single performer or plural performers (two or more). As I mentioned earlier for single performer the good quality is measured based on her/his harmonious movement to the music. To the plural performers the good quality is measured not only to her/his harmony to the music but also the harmony of the movement to the other performers. And this is very subjective. It could be that every step that is taken by the performers never be the same but they created such a beautiful dancing performance because they are in sync with each other, they compliment each other's existence. When one is not there, the other can still dance beautifully but it become less meaningful. But when the two dance together, the movement may not be the same but they make the whole performance meaningful and complete.

~ Tap Dance ~
Have your movement and create your own music

And then there is this group performance in which one wrong step can cause the dancing lost its harmony and create confusion. A Saman Dance from Aceh is one of them. It was done so fast and precise that if one dancer forget the step, she/he can face the wrong side or move the wrong arm.

Some qualification given to the word harmonious are in accord to the rhythm and the groups, coordination of physical movement, consistent, pleasing arrangement and simultaneous. Having those definition we can then be the judge to decide which of stage performance will be called the good one. Because most of us will think that the one that isn't in sync with other movement maybe consider at fault.

But is it really so? Have you seen a ballet recital? How do we know that she/he is the main dancer? Because the scenario is written in such a way that the main dancer will dance different movement while the others dance the same movement. Or he/she wore different color than the rest. Here is where we need to also understand that sometimes being different is alright. Because the scenario of life required us to be the unique one instead of following the crowd.

Silent Dance

Now we may often hear the term of Silent Dance due to the underlined term that dancing is a motion in sync with a rhythm. And as I learned about Self Knowledge, my teacher taught me about the music within into which I shall dance to its rhythm and derive my joy from it. Hence I paid attention, understood thus experience his true meaning. All of a sudden dancing became an expression of love.

Dancing is no longer limited with music, if we understand that the origin of music is silence. Just like the origin of dancing is stillness. Tao Te Ching may not use the word dancing for dancing is part of movement, but its essence is there. Taichi or yoga steps are some of the silent dances. Their slow movement is synchronizing the flow of energy within their body. In their breathing in and breathing out, the practitioners connect themselves with the Nature. When dancing comes from the deeper part of our being, it becomes an expression of love. And it brings tranquility, joy and ageless.

And that's the difference of the dance I did then to the dance I do now. The dance I did then was focusing on the certain outward steps of particular dancings and the dance I do now is following the inward steps of the silent dance. And the wonderful thing about this is outside I can be motionless but inside I'm dancing to the silent rhythm. I move to the rhythm of my heart in my remembrance.

The Waltz of Life

Have you seen a couple doing their waltz? What did you see in them? What can you learn from their movement? Either you're a single or married one, can you relate them into your life?

To give you some thought to reflect, here's the video of a waltzing couple.

For me, as I witnessing and feeling the emptiness within me, I was reminded to this waltz. Some that I would highlight in the waltz are:
- there are two entities involve they are facing each other, holding hands and embracing the other
- between the two there is one that leads and the other follow the steps
- the follower surrendered herself to the leader to enable her to move gracefully
- to avoid collision between them, when one moves forward, the other moves backward. It is only when they go sideways that they move in union.
- though the follower surrendered to the movement of the leader, she has her own steps to do thus make the waltz beautifully performed

Now why do I highlight those qualities? What does it have to do with living this life?

Have you ever felt alone? Where you are surrounded by friends and family yet deep in your heart you feel alone and no one can make the feeling go away. Have you ever felt empty in your mind and heart? Where you seem happy to the outside world but deep inside you know there is a blank void that you can't fill with anything to make you feel whole. Have you ever felt stagnant in living your life? Where you know you are alive and living your life but you don't know what you want, so you feel unmoved. In your singularity, your emptiness, your stagnancy, do you know who do you dance with? Who is your partner in this waltz of life?

For me as I wrap up in the feeling, I know that I am dancing with the Source of Life. The One within that gives me life. The One that has so many names and characters. He is both the Lover and the Beloved. I am learning His Rhythm through feelings and be in sync with it. To be in sync is a continuous process. Because the variable that will divert our attention is unlimited. But the most beautiful thing about this is once we get captivated by the music we will be held closer and closer till I find my pace and be one with the music and motion. And when I lose my focus in following His steps, I will feel so wrong and tossed away from His proximity.

Of all the feeling that comes into my heart, I have no one to blame nor complain. It comes and it goes and it is there for some reason. I will take it as another lesson of life that I need to pay attention to. In such situation, a guideline has been given "And whoever submits his face to Allah while he is a doer of good - then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold. And to Allah will be the outcome of [all] matters." [QS 31:22]. Following the verse given, can you now picture out that the one who submits his/her face to Allah is doing the waltz with Him? And as the verse further said that 'to Allah will be the outcome' means that He shall lead the dance and we as human being should be the one to surrender.

Yet many people mistakenly read the signs. When they come to the state of emptiness, lonely or stagnant they want to get rid of them immediately. Those feelings are unpleasant to the mind. It gives a sense of being imprisoned to the one who feels it. They don't want to pay attention to it and read their own Self and do the right response. And what will happen? They take drugs, they take entertainment, they take on other people, they take whatever they can think of out of this world to fill in the void, to get friends, to move on. And they lost the precious opportunity of knowing the Self and knowing their Lord.

For me since I've been wrapped up with the feelings within and can't really know how to get over it, I better pay attention to it. As I mentioned earlier, patience is required to be practiced to gain lesson from such situation. Because the feeling isn't there for no reason. And I believe that everyone at some point of time in their life ever experience them. As I try to understand the message and the meaning of it, the waltz come into view.

So what shall we do when the feeling of emptiness, alone or stagnant ever grips us? We don't want that, the mind don't want that. The mind wants to fix it because it is a sign of atypical, yet it is there. In such state we need to both forget and remember. We need to forget things including ourselves and remember the One who hold us firmly. Surrender ourselves and let ourselves be swept away in His Waltz. Resisting it is like creating collisions. The greater we resist, the greater the collision will rack us. So there is no need to fight the feeling. Because to fight Him will be pointless. To fight Him is a self-tortured. To fight Him is an infidelity.

If we have to forget, what is to be forgotten?

From the verse of Tao Te Ching "The follower of knowledge learns as much as he can every day; The follower of the Way forgets as much as he can every day." there is a work On Forgetting as mentioned in The Opening The Dragon Gate that said:
By forgetting things, you can nurture your mind.
By forgetting feelings, you can nurture your essence.
By forgetting stillness, you can nurture your spirit.
By forgetting sensuality, you can nurture your vitality.
By forgetting desires, you can nurture your body.
By forgetting your body, you can nurture energy.
By forgetting your self, you can nurture emptiness.
By forgetting things, you can nurture the Way.

In the Sufism term this forgetting is known as the state of fanaa. As Wiki describe the state, it is a term for "dissolution" or "annihilation" (of the self) in which the person dissolve their egoself, while remaining physically alive. Persons having entered this enlightenment state obtain awareness of the intrinsic unity (Tawhid) between Allah and all that exists, including the individual's mind. Since he is alive yet the self is annihilated, another term given to this state is 'a living dead man'. And in forgetting the self, he/she is also entering the state of baqaa' which literally means permanency. What is it that is in the state of permanency? It is the remembrance. And if we have to remember, what is to be remember?

Remember Our Lord. Remember Allah. Remember The Way. Remember Life. Remember The Breath. Remember the One that leads this waltz of life. For the remembrance of Allah is greater [QS 29:45] How great it is that in our remembrance we then lead into the right way, the right steps that will guide us in living this life. And certainly there is no lose to the one that is in His remembrance. For in our remembrance, we will be remembered [QS 2:152]. And being in Remembrance is about being in Love. For one cannot perform the best dance they possibly do without loving the partner nor the steps she/he has to take. Right?

And Kahlil Gibran wrote this beautiful waltz of life in one of his work The Prophet on Love that said

When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden.

For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. 

Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.

Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.

All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, 

and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart.

But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the season-less world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.

Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in the heart of God."
And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

From this elaboration, I can conclude myself that "A good Muslim(ah) should also be a good dancer."
So, shall we dance? :)