Years I was ashamed to dance

I’ve always been a very rhythmical child, and I was never the ‘sit still’ kind of kid (on the contrary). Yet, for more than 10 years, I didn’t allow myself to dance whatsoever. There are two distinct moments that jump out at me as to why I didn’t dare to dance for many years. First there was shame, which for me was more a fear of being humiliated. Shame to show myself. I guess I always knew deep down that the way my body wants to move is quite eccentric and expressive, and I wasn’t sure how a group of 12-year-old classmates would react to that. So I chose to hide.

A few years later I would actually muster the courage to overcome this fear of being seen, this shame. Unfortunately, a group of partying 16-year-olds didn’t react as open-minded as I believed they would. So, I was humiliated. Simply for moving my body freely, in the way that felt good to me.

Safe to say, I didn’t dance very much after that. Years went by without dancing, until I actually started to believe that I could not dance. I would simply tell people: “I’m a musician, I can play, but I cannot dance.” They accepted this as truth, as this was a common phrase uttered by musicians.

It was nature and a couple of very close friends that helped me to gain the confidence to start moving again. To dance my heart out. I started to realise that not only could I dance, but that I loved it too. In the video below, I share my story with you. I hope you find it inspiring, and that it might help you to realise that you love dancing too.