Named by the psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in 1975, the concept has been widely referred to across a variety of fields (and is particularly well recognized in occupational therapy), though the concept has been claimed to have existed for thousands of years under other names. (Source: Flow (psychology) – Wikipedia).

Then while browsing through selected news I found Harvard Business Review- from Oct 17^th 2022: How can you find joy (or at least peace) during difficult times?. That article brought me to a very interesting application: Joy Generator. One part of it is Find Your Flow (You can see other parts if You open Menu in the upper right corner of the screen).

This session of application actually supports you in making art (drawing), with following explanations (source: Find Your Flow):

Focusing on these little in making art can help unlock a creative mental state that scientists call “flow” — it’s when you’re so absorbed in a task that time, space and any worries seem to disappear. Flow is seen as a positive state of mind, where deep focus, skill and productivity harmonize.

Playing with art is just one easy way to take a short break and create. It doesn’t even matter if you like what you make. The point is the process.

Flow is seen as a positive state of mind, where deep focus, skill and productivity harmonize.

Now, let’s get back to our topic: Dance and Flow.

Dance is one of the oldest flow activities. It’s complex and appeals to people of all ages. Both informal dancing, such as dancing in a club, and specific genres of dance, such as ballet, can create flow experiences. Teenagers who went clubbing reported a sense of connection with the people around them, and they enjoyed the challenge of producing movements that matched the music and the movements of other dancers (Source: Finding Flow Through Yoga, Martial Arts, and Dancing | Shortform Books).

In the chapter Flow in the dancing body: an intersubjective experience, of The Oxford Handbook of Dancing and Wellbeing interesting connection between dancer and spectator is explained, related to flow:

“It is argued, flow enables the researcher/spectator to connect to, act into, and merge with the experience of the dancer, informing both their understanding of the dancer’s wellbeing and their own wellbeing in the moment of observation. Flow thus offers a perspective of wellbeing that enhances the spectator/dancer relationship”.

Although a lot has been written about flow, you can always find something new.

So, now You can try Joy Generator, and put Youself in flow.

And after that, go dance!😊

SOURCES:

Flow (psychology) – Wikipedia

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – Wikipedia

Flow (psychology) – Wikipedia

https://www.health.harvard.edu/

How can you find joy (or at least peace) during difficult times? – Harvard Health

https://apps.npr.org/joy-generator/#story=menu&page=0

Finding Flow Through Yoga, Martial Arts, and Dancing | Shortform Books

Flow in the dancing body: an intersubjective experience (openrepository.com)

The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Wellbeing – Hardcover – Vicky Karkou; Sue Oliver; Sophia Lycouris – Oxford University Press (oup.com)

Photo: Unsplash.com

Pexels.com

Članak Dance and flow or Generator Joy se pojavljuje prvo na Ples & Grad.

This time we talked with Nela Maran (USA); her beautiful daughter Leona dances from an early age. We wanted Nela to tell us, from the position of a parent, why she thinks children should dance.

PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF BRIEFLY FOR OUR READERS (YOURSELF AND YOUR CHILD, BASIC INFORMATION AND ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO TELL US AND YOU ARE HAPPY TO SHARE)

While some of us choose dance as a way to express ourselves, I can say with confidence that dance had chosen Leona! This is by far her greatest talent that gives her happiness and freedom. Leona is my 11 years old daughter and dance has been part of her life for the past 7 years.

SINCE WHEN YOUR CHILD DANCE AND WHY? WHO IS HER INSPIRATION IN DANCING?

Ever since Leona was a baby she enjoyed music and dance. She couldn’t even walk on her own before making her first dance steps in front of the TV while listening to Barney’s tunes. The sound of music will immediately have her move with the groove!

She would perform for us her own made-up dances with such enjoyment and pride, that it would leave us mesmerized.

Around the age of 4, she was insisting that we take her to a dance school! Naturally, we wanted to encourage her love for dance so we enrolled her at the dance school where she chose 3 dance classes:  lyrical ballet, tap dance and jazz. She loved it!

HOW DO YOU THING DANCE WAS USEFUL FOR YOUR CHILD AND CHILDREN IN GENERAL? WHAT DOES YOUR CHILD ENJOY THE MOST IN DANCE?

Since Leona has always enjoyed the attention it was only natural that she would love performing on the stage and enjoy all the moments that will allow her to shine. Dance and stage boosted her confidence as all came so naturally to her!

After two years of dancing she joined the competition team and being the competitive person that she is, she loved it even more. But competitive dance has also thought her that success will only come with hard work and discipline, nothing less.

While dance was giving Leona wings to fly, it was also helping her with so many important skills like listening, following directions, memory, punctuality, all that can help a child fit better and adopt easier in new environments and be more successful not only in school but in the real world, as well. It thought her the importance of teamwork, but also of being a leader. It thought her to enjoy and appreciate the results of diligent work and that only perseverance will lead to success. It also helped with her perfect posture, acting, and social skills. However, the most important lesson of all is that dance brings joy and happiness and to always have fun!

WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND PARENTS TO TAKE THEIR CHILDREN TO DANCING SCHOOL?

For the last two years Leona has been focused on classical ballet and she has magically transformed into a graceful, elegant dancer. As she passionately dances throughout our home, every free moment she has, I can see the love and emotions she puts into every move she makes. I can see the sides of her that I am only able to see when she is dancing! Beautiful colors of her young personality.

As a parent, I believe it’s beneficial to enroll a child in any activity that they enjoy and feel passionate about. If they love to dance, please support it. It helps them to develop physically and mentally, but most importantly it makes them happy. As parents we want our kids to be healthy and happy, so if your child chooses dancing, help them dance their hearts away and color our homes and stages with their wonderful, colorful dances. It’s magical!

Članak The dance chose little Leona se pojavljuje prvo na Ples & Grad.

Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, the heir apparent to the British throne, and was the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry (Diana, Princess of Wales – Wikipedia).

Diana was talented in music, dance, and sports. She studied ballet and tap dance. Diana also worked as a dance instructor for youth until a skiing accident.

It is well known fact that she had suffered from depression, “rampant bulimia” and had engaged numerous times in the act of self-mutilation. Dance was like a cure, we can see her dancing in TV Series at different occasions. “I love dance. This is where I can express myself and show how I feel”, she said.

So, I decided to write about Princess and her love for dancing.

There are several known occasions when Diana was dancing. And you can see pictures 😊

Ballet star Wayne Sleep worked with Princess Diana to surprise her husband, Prince Charles, with a special performance for his birthday in 1985 at the Royal Opera House (Dancing with Diana: Princess wowed audience in surprise appearance – YouTube)

Sleep met Lady Di in a rehearsal studio in west London. Sleep said: “She was in leg-warmers and a leotard. My first thought was, she’s too tall to dance with me, I’ll be a laughing stock: I’m 5ft 2in and she’s 5ft 11in. But I soon realized she had a good sense of humor, and that we could have some fun with our height difference. She’d already decided on the music: Billy Joel’s ‘Uptown Girl.'”

The choreography reportedly included “jazz, ballet, even a kick line,” and Diana seemed to love every minute of it. “Now I understand the buzz you get from performing,” she later told Sleep.

Prince Charles was not happy with her performing. He did not like it and he was jealous as all attention again was on Diana.

There is her famous dance with John Travolta, back in 1985. They had a great time together, Travolta said he would never forgot how happy she was and how she looked at him when he asked her to dance with him (John Travolta and Lady Diana Dance – video dailymotion).

Only recently we could see photos of Diana dancing in White House in 1985 with president Regan and actors Tom Selleck and Clint Eastwood See Previously Unpublished Pictures of Diana Dancing With Tom Selleck and Clint Eastwood (parade.com).

Dance was helping Diana to go through difficult times in her marriage and life. She loved dancing and she was very talented.

Dance is a cure. Sometimes the best one.

On 31 August 1997, Diana died in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris while the driver was fleeing the paparazzi. She was 36.

Wherever she is now, she is dancing with grace and beauty.

Sources:

www.wikipedia.com

Dancing with Diana: Princess wowed audience in surprise appearance – YouTube

John Travolta and Lady Diana Dance – video dailymotion

See Previously Unpublished Pictures of Diana Dancing With Tom Selleck and Clint Eastwood (parade.com)

Članak Dancing princess se pojavljuje prvo na Ples & Grad.

She was a hopeless case at school. It was in the 1930’s and the school wrote to parents: “We think Gillian has a learning disability”. She couldn’t concentrate, she was constantly fidgeting. This is called ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) today. But that was in the 1930’s and ADHD was not yet “defined” at the time; it was not an “available” diagnosis. People were not aware that they were allowed to have such a disease.

But Gillian’s mother took her to a specialist. The girl sat for 20 minutes while the doctor talked to her mother about all the problems she had at school. She disturbed others, was late with homework, and so on. Eventually the doctor sat down next to her and said, “Gillian, I’ve heard everything your mother told me and now I have to talk to her alone, wait here, we’ll be back soon”. They went out and left her in the room, alone. As they were leaving, the doctor turned on the radio on his desk. When they came out, he told her mother, “Just wait and see”. The moment they left the room, Gillian got up and started playing to the beat of the music. They watched her for a few minutes, and then the doctor turned to her mother and said: “Mrs. Lynne, Gillian is not sick, she is a dancer. Take her to dance school.”

Her mother took Gillian to dance school. It was wonderful for her there, she remembers: “I can’t describe to you how wonderful it was. We entered a room full of people like me. People who could not sit still, who had to move to think. They danced ballet, jazz, contemporary dance”. Later, Gillain was admitted to the Royal Ballet School, became a soloist and had a great career. When she graduated, she founded her own dance group, met Andrew Lloyd Weber… She is credited with some of the most successful theater productions in history (musicals “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera”), gave joy and enjoyment to millions of people and became a multi-millionaire. It also received the title of DBE (Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) and today a theater in the West End is named after her; before her, no woman of non-royal descent had a theater named after her, in that prestigious place.

Some other doctor would prescribe Gillian tranquilizers!

This one prescribed her to dance and… the rest is history!

Try dancing as a medicine, it can only be joy and enjoyment.

And it can become something much more than that 😉

Text about Gillian Lynne is taken from: https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity/transcript#t-898565

Članak Prescribe me The Proper Medicine! se pojavljuje prvo na Ples & Grad.