As a therapist, I spend my days helping others navigate their emotions, manage stress, and cope with anxiety. But what about me? What happens when I’m the one who feels overwhelmed by the weight of the world? For years, I relied on traditional methods—talk therapy, mindfulness, deep breathing—but nothing quite addressed the physical sensations of anxiety that often feel like they live in my body.
That’s when I discovered Dance Improvisation Lab, and it changed everything.
When I first walked into the studio, I was nervous—nervous about moving in front of others, nervous about what it would feel like to step out of my head and into my body. The world outside felt like a constant buzz of thoughts, worries, and to-do lists, and I wasn’t sure how I would even begin to quiet it. But what I quickly realized was that the space was different.
The facilitator’s invitation was simple: “Move however you feel. No right or wrong. Just notice what happens in your body.”
In those first few sessions, I felt a lot of resistance. My anxiety lived in tightness in my chest, shallow breaths, and an urge to control every move. But, rather than being told to stop feeling that way, I was gently encouraged to move through it. With every improvisation prompt, I allowed myself to let go, even if just a little. I stopped thinking about how I looked. I stopped analyzing. I started moving from a place of curiosity instead of judgment.
What struck me most was how my body knew what to do. I didn’t need to force myself to relax. The movement itself—slow, fast, fluid, jerky—began to speak for me. It began to release the tension that words could not reach.
I remember one session where we worked with the concept of “resistance” in movement. At first, I resisted everything—my own body, the space around me, the other dancers. But through guided improvisation, I was able to transform that resistance into energy. Instead of pushing against it, I let it shape the movement. The tightness in my shoulders, the anxiety in my stomach, all began to melt away as I moved with it—through it. I found that my body could carry and release things that my mind couldn’t articulate.
Since that first class, I’ve made dance a regular part of my life. I use it as a tool to release the anxiety that accumulates in my body. Whether it’s a quick 10-minute solo at home or an open lab session with fellow movers, the studio has become a place where I can turn my worries into movement—transforming stress into creativity. It’s not about perfecting the moves or even “dancing well.” It’s about moving to meet the anxiety head-on and letting the body process it in its own way.
For anyone who struggles with anxiety or feels overwhelmed by the constant buzz of their thoughts, I can’t recommend Dance Improvisation Lab enough. This isn’t just dance—it’s an embodied therapy. It’s a way to feel your feelings without getting stuck in them. It’s a chance to reset, recalibrate, and re-connect with yourself.
If you’re ready to move with your emotions instead of against them, this is a space where you can do just that. You don’t have to be a dancer. You just have to be ready to move.