the cuban salsa blog

Good performers reveal a private truth in a public situation.
- Lorna Marshall, The Body Speaks.

This revealing of “private truth” in a public situation is what both good actors and good dancers do.

In other words, through their dance they express emotions that, on a day-to-day basis, are not normally expressed in public.

I think authenticity is what makes dance deeply satisfying for many people to watch.

Authentic emotion in both actors and dancers can be touched, felt, and absorbed as your own.

When a good dancer or actor expresses the “private truth” of their anger and passion in public, you can FEEL it. You can relate to it so closely, that for that moment you almost become them.

And I think this is what makes great dancing and great movies so incredibly addicting. As human beings, even for brief moments, we love to become someone else.

Real dance allows someone else to become you.

Sometimes it's pretty obvious. Always be your own dancer.

Don’t try to fake the funk.

Authenticity is an inside-out deal. When you are truly connected to the music and your movements are generated by living, breathing emotion, it is in that exact moment that you become real as a dancer.

Ultimately, it’s not your tricks on the dance floor that touch the human soul.

Don’t get me wrong, we love all the crazy turn patterns and tricks, but without an emotional anchor, they are worthless.

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