getting to know people through dancing
Dancing is paradoxical. It is communication but without words, free movement tied to a rhythm.
There is something deeply vulnerable about letting yourself feel the music and dance. It's interesting how you can get to know someone through dancing, to reveal a layer of their personality beyond the conversational. This has happened to me many times. Sometimes, I go dancing with someone that I've talked to at depth. When we dance together, parts of their personality often become clearer and others are revealed entirely.
Once on a date, my friend and I were walking back home from a night walk in the forest. We were talking about dancing and soon after we started dancing in the middle of the street. We were anticipating each other's motions and our bodies flowed. I learned about my friend's softness and grace. In other times, I've learned about their joy of life. Although I could tell from conversations we had, when we danced the joy felt intoxicating.
When dancing with another friend, I felt their silliness most. They were very playful and just having fun. It felt like I glimpsed at a core of their personality.
It's amazing to me how much wordless movements convey about a person. I've danced with people who were assertive, shy, strong, soft, affectionate, silly, curious, attentive, proud, and many more. Many times I didn't even talk to the person (sometimes we didn't even speak the same language!), but I still felt like I learned about them.
Perhaps that's why we feel so vulnerable when we first venture out into social dancing. It is a form of expression that bares our deepest self, that which we so often keep closest to ourselves. It would hurt to show who you are wand be shunned for it.
To me, the wonder of dance is that, if you give yourself space to express who you are, it will always turn out beautiful.