I’ve been performing professionally for over a decade. From contemporary stages to experimental street pieces, I’ve lived inside choreography—inside structure, rehearsal, repetition. It’s beautiful work, but somewhere along the way, something in me started to go numb. I was dancing, yes. But it didn’t feel like mine anymore.
So I took a chance and signed up for a weekend intensive at Dance Improvisation Lab. I was skeptical at first. I assumed we’d just roll around on the floor and “feel things.” But what I found was something far more transformative.
From the very first session, I felt invited to show up as I am. There were no mirrors. No corrections. Just a series of thoughtful invitations to move, respond, and explore. Some were deeply physical—like tracking weight or leading with different body parts. Others were strangely poetic—like “what does absence feel like in motion?” These prompts unlocked something in me that choreography hadn’t touched in years.
What struck me most was the space: non-judgmental, open-ended, yet carefully held. The facilitators weren’t just teachers—they were guides. They asked questions that lingered long after class ended. “What are you resisting?” “What happens when you stop editing yourself?” “What if movement begins with listening?”
I found myself dancing in ways I’d forgotten. I laughed. I got stuck. I risked. I even had moments of stillness that felt louder than movement. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t trying to create something impressive—I was just creating. From the inside out.
That weekend gave me a reset I didn’t know I needed. It reminded me why I started dancing in the first place—not to impress, but to express. Not to perfect, but to explore. I left with new tools, yes—but more importantly, I left with new questions. And in this phase of my artistic life, that’s exactly what I needed.
If you’re an artist, a mover, a performer—or even just someone feeling a little stuck—I can’t recommend Dance Improvisation Lab enough. It’s not about being “good” at dance. It’s about being brave enough to meet yourself again.