Formless Form
As a bboy I wanted to explore how contemplative education could highlight the inherent contemplative nature of freestyle dancing found in hip hop and street dance cultures and communities. It was through my rich experience with many diverse contemplative practices as well as my enjoyment of breaking and the hip hop culture that inspired me to create a contemplative hip hop dance curriculum.
The curriculum I created is a pedagogy that seeks to uncover the art of warriorship found in martial arts and other contemplative traditions through the medium of street dance aesthetics and culture. This method is a contemplative approach to dance because it calls on the individuals who practice it to invite a conversation with their body, emotions, and mind as it co-exists and interacts at the individual, communal, and global levels of our shared humanity. The underlying confidence in this approach is that we possess the means to bridge a gap of dualistic perception through embodied dance within community. When we start to uncover this holism an experience of ultimate truth dawns as a feeling of flow in the moment. The experience of letting the rhythm flow through you as a pure form of selfless expression is often equated with spiritual experience. The tradition of warriorship is one in which we contemplate the deeper meaning of these embodied experiences as a method to awaken to an awareness of interdependence. As we embark on this inner journey it calls upon us to embrace an aspiration of radical love and acceptance for one another.
The curriculum I created is a pedagogy that seeks to uncover the art of warriorship found in martial arts and other contemplative traditions through the medium of street dance aesthetics and culture. This method is a contemplative approach to dance because it calls on the individuals who practice it to invite a conversation with their body, emotions, and mind as it co-exists and interacts at the individual, communal, and global levels of our shared humanity. The underlying confidence in this approach is that we possess the means to bridge a gap of dualistic perception through embodied dance within community. When we start to uncover this holism an experience of ultimate truth dawns as a feeling of flow in the moment. The experience of letting the rhythm flow through you as a pure form of selfless expression is often equated with spiritual experience. The tradition of warriorship is one in which we contemplate the deeper meaning of these embodied experiences as a method to awaken to an awareness of interdependence. As we embark on this inner journey it calls upon us to embrace an aspiration of radical love and acceptance for one another.