DANCE

My relationship with dance began in 2005 in confronting & overcoming a paralysis like fear of dance. As a recovering Alcoholic & to some extent influenced by outback Australian culture, I soon fell in love with the recreational art form & many of the healthier aspects of the dance community which provided a relatively "safe" & healthy recreational environment that facilitated healthy physical, spiritual & social interactions within an extremely diverse community in terms of ethnicity, age, socio-economic background, etc. Although aware of some of the unhealthy egotistical aspects of the industry typically relating to the conduct of those running some of the dance companies I was able to manage this with little issue for well over half a decade by avoiding toxic individuals  & associating with the many free spirited individuals I have came to love over the years.  

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Although I was like the Scarecrow, Lion & Tin Man in the level of heart, courage & oil in my joints it required to get me started I was soon dancing up to 6nights a week & began training to be a professional dancer within 12months or so. Failing the my first audition at the Adelaide College of the Arts, I was scooped up by a private company Dansar Productions where I trained full time for the following 12months. However, I sustained a back injury in performing a charity musical theatre performance for the MS Society, My Fair Lady, in which I blew two discs in my lumber spine executing a lift.

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Thinking my life was over before my mid 20's I was able to begin my recovery via Pilates prior to gradually resuming dance training to rebuild core strength. 

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Later that year I avoided disclosing my spinal injury in my physiotherapist report to the Adelaide Center of the Arts, prior to taking Panadol, anti-inflammatorys & working within my limits successfully passed the audition to undertake a Bachelor of Dance Performance.

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My professional dance training was among the most physically healthiest period of my life. However, the inability for our year to work together as peers drastically inhibited all of our progression. I also struggled with my physical facility due to being in my mid 20's about 5-6years older than the majority of my peers. Unfortunately, I failed one practical subject due to tearing a ligament in my toe & was faced with having to repeat.

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This presented me with a huge moral dilemma as a father as although my heart was very much with dance I was forced to consider the harsh reality that if proceeded in repeating I may continue doing injuries & never complete the qualification in a profession that for most is typically a short lived career. 

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As ongoing personal development & working with others were also central components of my recovery from "Alcoholism" - I applied to undertake a Bachelor of Psychological Science / Bachelor of Sociological Science as a four year double degree. Although I was not confident about being accepted having never completed school I made a commitment to myself to drop out of "Dance School" if I were accepted.     

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Additionally, throughout the more serious stages of my dance training I also witnessed a great deal of unethical & rather toxic behaviour from those running schools. Most of which was small stuff like unethical business practice, deliberately teaching poor technique & slowing down peoples learning to cash in, scorecards changed in competitions, toxic ego based rivalry between schools accepted within the community & associated politics. At some point I trained to teach a range of partner dance styles for a particular company however pulled out due to personal discomfort with being instructed that teachers were not to admit to having a partner & learning that female teachers were expected to remove their wedding rings. There was a strict no fraternisation policy. However, business tactics very much played on the "dirty dancing" scenario of falling in love with dance teachers, etc. In addition to deliberately slowing peoples learning I couldn't do it. All of which contributed to my decision to pursue a career in Social Work as it was more inline with my sense of morality. 

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Throughout my Bachelor of Social Work, I maintained my relationship with dance through the Latin Dance community where my relationship with dance began & throughout my studies I always planned on someday being in a position to apply the healthier aspects of dance as a mode of therapy, recognised its artistic potential to serves atavistic purposes in relation relevant social issues & as a potential means of fundraising. These dreams are yet to come into fruition in any significant ways however there's still time. 

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Actually one of the greatest productions I was involved in was a community development project to assist with bridging cross-cultural understandings between African youth growing up in Australia & their parents. 

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I do also believe that taught "right" partner dancing has the power to assist in building respectful relationships between young men & women, & promoting positive culture if taught in a healthy manner.

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At this point in time I am not in a position to run group classes & am only able to provide a limited amount of private dance tuition upon request. 

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I've long toyed with the idea of putting together affordable (or ideally free) group dance therapy classes on a regular bases. However, at this point in time I am not in a position to do so.    

One of my many dream is to attain a position where it is possible to provide free high quality & ethical dance training & events that fall in line with the healthier aspects of the recreational arts community I fell in love with half a lifetime ago. However, our economic system is currently presenting great challenges to this.

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Universal Asylum Youtube: Dance 2005 - 2021

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Photo credit: Jason Wong Photography www.jasonwongphotography.com.au