I can't even remember the first time that I saw a youtube video of Rachel Brice, but I, like many of her fans, was mesmerized. I played them over and over and searched for every video that I could find of her. As a novice to all forms of dance, I was fascinated by her control of her body. She could isolate muscles I did not know that I had. In the year that I have been actually taking lessons off and on, I use her DVD's to practice. At home, I often pause her DVD's and play sections over and over until I can understand the movement.
When I found out that she would be giving workshops at Jamballah, I marked my calendar to get tickets the very first available moment to get tickets. Then, finding out that she was the surprise yoga instructor before the workshop, I was worried that I could not keep up.
I knew that she not very tall from her videos, but was surprised at how tiny she really is. Without makeup or costuming she is a completely different woman, and I doubt anyone who had only seen her in performance would be able to recognise her. She was warm, friendly and most surprisingly very funny. She has adorable names for yoga poses that are not nearly as funny is you are not there in person.
I was prepared to stay in the back left corner of her dance workshop, so I would not get in the way of other students who are professional dancers. I was still so star struck that I would get so caught up in watching her move that I was not as self conscious as I usually am.
There was a point where everything shifted for me. There was a new combination that she was teaching us in reverse and it wasn't flowing as she had it written in her book. She called a friend/student/dancer up and just walked it out with her. I know that I am not the only one who could not imagine that the best dancer ever actually has to practice. She told me that sometimes she would get so frustrated when learning something new and was pretty hard on herself. Like me she thought she was the only one that wasn't getting it. Yes, I said just like me.
Wow! An amazing shift in my feelings about dance happened hearing that. She works hard to be able to use her body so artfully. Sometimes she isn't perfect. The way she was able to laugh about it and solve the problem by just talking it through with Shanti made me finally feel that I could actually learn to dance one day.
She is human and it made me have even more appreciation for her talent. Somehow I thought that all the dancers that I see are just amazingly gifted and it comes easily. They don't show youtube out takes. They don't show hours and hours of practice to make it look so effortless on the instructional DVDs.
This moment with her completely shifted the way I see my practice. I am more encouraged and excited about learning that I have ever been. Not because I think even with daily hours of practice, I will be as wonderful as Rachel, but I now believe that I will be the best dancer that I can be.
When I found out that she would be giving workshops at Jamballah, I marked my calendar to get tickets the very first available moment to get tickets. Then, finding out that she was the surprise yoga instructor before the workshop, I was worried that I could not keep up.
I knew that she not very tall from her videos, but was surprised at how tiny she really is. Without makeup or costuming she is a completely different woman, and I doubt anyone who had only seen her in performance would be able to recognise her. She was warm, friendly and most surprisingly very funny. She has adorable names for yoga poses that are not nearly as funny is you are not there in person.
I was prepared to stay in the back left corner of her dance workshop, so I would not get in the way of other students who are professional dancers. I was still so star struck that I would get so caught up in watching her move that I was not as self conscious as I usually am.
There was a point where everything shifted for me. There was a new combination that she was teaching us in reverse and it wasn't flowing as she had it written in her book. She called a friend/student/dancer up and just walked it out with her. I know that I am not the only one who could not imagine that the best dancer ever actually has to practice. She told me that sometimes she would get so frustrated when learning something new and was pretty hard on herself. Like me she thought she was the only one that wasn't getting it. Yes, I said just like me.
Wow! An amazing shift in my feelings about dance happened hearing that. She works hard to be able to use her body so artfully. Sometimes she isn't perfect. The way she was able to laugh about it and solve the problem by just talking it through with Shanti made me finally feel that I could actually learn to dance one day.
She is human and it made me have even more appreciation for her talent. Somehow I thought that all the dancers that I see are just amazingly gifted and it comes easily. They don't show youtube out takes. They don't show hours and hours of practice to make it look so effortless on the instructional DVDs.
This moment with her completely shifted the way I see my practice. I am more encouraged and excited about learning that I have ever been. Not because I think even with daily hours of practice, I will be as wonderful as Rachel, but I now believe that I will be the best dancer that I can be.
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