A side-effect of recovery and healing is the impact to your sense of self . Loss of fulfillment when we dance may result in losing our dancer identity . We become depressed that we are “ no longer who we once were ” and that “ we no longer recognize ourselves .”
Dancing makes us proud to be who we are , defining us and giving us a “ sense of self .” The mental high and exhilaration in performance feeds the soul of every dancer .
To avoid losing my dance identity , I wore a wig , eyelashes , and make up to restore my image as the same dancer I was before cancer . Since I looked the same - no one realized that I was bald and battling cancer . Here is my business card image post-chemo – with a wig , and false eyebrows and eyelashes .
Dancing feeds the soul .
Dancing can be the mechanism and process for dealing with depression . I admit much of the energy I had while performing came from “ I can ’ t believe I ’ m still alive !”
As you recover , you ’ ll notice a greater range of motion and feel that familiar mental high while performing . Thus , performance feeds the soul , encourages us , and helps relieve depression .
Dancing can help us cope .
It ’ s good to remember that while dancing – we often feel a mental high and exhilaration in performance , and we don ’ t feel the usual pain triggers . For every dancer , their movements and performance feed their soul , makes them proud to be who they are , and in the process , define us .
Dancing may be how we have dealt with stress and helped us cope with life stressors . Since dancing feeds the soul , it can also be the mechanism and process for dealing with depression . Some dancers can recall being amazed at dancing with a physical handicap that involved pain , but after performance realizing they felt no pain during a
14 The Belly Dance Chronicles � May 2022