Rachel & Micah: Learning to communicate through dance

Accomplished movers Rachel and Micah champion dance as a means of expression and communication. I was delighted to join their training session at Pirate Wembley for Find Your Space to find out more.

From the off, Rachel alludes to the communicative power of dance as “a reason to connect and speak”. However, it wasn’t a conversation about dance that brought her and Micah together, rather the act itself. She explains:

“There was something about both our vibes which meant we just wanted to dance near each other in the studio.”

Micah is quick to agree that there’s more to dancing than what meets the eye:

“I feel like movement itself and how a person moves helps you know about their character.”

Watching the couple fill the studio, it's clear that space is vital to their practice. Asked what it means to him, Micah states:

“An actual studio means anything is possible: gymnastics, circus, even that sense of home.”

Building on Micah's "sense of home", Rachel explains space isn't just physically essential, but mentally too:

“I know after work I can go to the studio and be in my own mental headspace and be free.”

Faced with the pandemic, Rachel is clear that dancing has been her crux:

“Dance is that escape, and it's that safe space.”

On this, Micah leaves us on a positive note, citing greater connectivity and creativity as by-products of the crisis:

“I feel like restrictions open up space for creativity. That’s why everything has essentially moved onto digital media. People all around the world can connect.”

Here’s to bringing that attitude as we embark on the ‘new normal’, whatever that may look like.

Find Your Space is our new content series, created to highlight our community, exploring what space means to them and how they adapt their creativity in the face of change.