Dancing Queen

I have been dancing today, its not a usual occurrence other than for exercise when I shake ‘my thang’ to Beto and instructions to ‘touch,touch, travel’ for my Zumba work out. I like to think I can dance but to be honest I have 2 left feet and my co-ordination is shocking. But today I have been learning a whole choreographed dance courtesy of Debbie Allen’ a star of the film Fame and the choreographer of the dance for the organisation ‘One billion Rising’ a global day to raise awareness of the abuse of women.
At one point I dragged Alan into my training because for the life of me I could not get the simple instruction to pivot.
I feel that this dance is significant from the opening where we are told to raise our hands to pray to ‘our God’. Then we begin to march to the beautiful voices singing ‘I’m not afraid anymore’.
The vision of its founder Eve Ensler author of the book the 'Vagina Monologues' One Billion Rising is an opportunity for women to use their creativity to come together and say 'no more' to the abuse faced by women on a daily basis across our globe. The statistics that are on the opening page of their website seem too shocking to comprehend, 1 in 3 women will be raped or beaten in their lifetime; as my daughter pointed out this is the same stats for the chances of being diagnosed with cancer; and this abuse is a cancer in our world eating away at our mothers, sisters and daughters.

So today I dance
‘I raise my arms to the sky
On my knees I pray
I’m not afraid anymore
I will walk through that door
Walk, dance, rise
Walk, dance, rise’.

When I wrote about the dance on my facebook page one of my very dear friends looked at the suggestion to learn a dance for this day and this is what she wrote

“I was wondering how this dance would help things. I decided to watch the choreographer's lesson on the page. (You know I am unable to dance because of all "the stuff" - never have been able to, that has never changed.)
Then she got to the part "this is my body. My body's holy. No more excuses. No more abuses" - left me in shuddering sobs, can't stop. I have NEVER heard that, seen that, felt that........... Have to take it in, meditate on it...... try to believe it.
I am not sure if the dance will stop people from hurting women, but certainly that line has been a knife into the mind of this victim of violence and abuse.... I pray the knife will be a scalpel, that will cut out "this is my body, My body hurts me."
My body's holy????? - This morning I have realised.... The most long term damage left over from abuse is the stuff THEY put into our MIND that goes on in our THOUGHTS every moment of every day, affecting how we see ourselves - how we relate to others - how we detach ourselves from our physicality ("this is my vehicle. I travel around in it.")
"this is my body. My body's holy" - I long to be able to believe it.
Thank you.”
Xxxxxxxxxx


I think this sums up what I am sure Eve and her team wanted from this day. So I am choosing to rise and I am going to ask a few of my friends to rise with me, and I am going to dance, yes me with my 2 left feet and I am going sing out loud:

'This is my body, my body’s holy
No more excuses, no more abuses
We are mothers, we are teachers,
We are beautiful, beautiful creatures'.

ONE BILLION WOMEN VIOLATED IS AN ATROCITY
ONE BILLION WOMEN DANCING IS A REVOLUTION

Break the Chains
I raise my arms to the sky
On my knees I pray
I’m not afraid anymore
I will walk through that door
Walk, dance, rise
Walk, dance, rise
I can see a world where we all live
Safe and free from all oppression
No more rape or incest, or abuse
Women are not a possession
You’ve never owned me, don’t even know me I’m not invisible, I’m simply wonderful I feel my heart for the first time racing I feel alive, I feel so amazing
I dance cause I love
Dance cause I dream
Dance cause I’ve had enough
Dance to stop the screams
Dance to break the rules
Dance to stop the pain
Dance to turn it upside down
Its time to break the chain, oh yeah
Break the Chain
Dance, rise
Dance, rise
In the middle of this madness, we will stand I know there is a better world Take your sisters & your brothers by the hand Reach out to every woman & girl
This is my body, my body’s holy
No more excuses, no more abuses
We are mothers, we are teachers,
We are beautiful, beautiful creatures
I dance cause I love
Dance cause I dream
Dance cause I’ve had enough
Dance to stop the screams
Dance to break the rules
Dance to stop the pain
Dance to turn it upside down
It’s time to break the chain, oh yeah
Break the Chain, oh yeah
Break the Chain
Dance Break Inst.
Dance, rise
Dance, rise
Sister won’t you help me, sister won’t you rise x4
Dance, rise
Dance, rise
Sister won’t you help me, sister won’t you rise x4
This is my body, my body’s holy
No more excuses, no more abuses
We are mothers, we are teachers,
We are beautiful, beautiful creatures
I dance cause I love
Dance cause I dream
Dance cause I’ve had enough
Dance to stop the screams
Dance to break the rules
Dance to stop the pain
Dance to turn it upside down
Its time to break the chain, oh yeah
Break the Chain, oh yeah
Break the Chain

Lyrics by Tena Clark
Music by Tena Clark/Tim Heintz