Today I attended First Light’s 20th event in Hong Kong, like yesterday’s event it is a dance which takes place during the day and the participants are high only on adrenalin and oxytocin. We also had some talented participants, leading the event, a great DJ compiling diverse sounds, unexpected Brazilian dancers and an operatic voice who sang out for a song. However, the emphasis was different, with the lights down we focused on our sensorial experience, our inner feelings, emotions, memories and felt sense rather than how we looked and how the other people were.
After a gentle warm up and eye contact activity we were led by Sudevi Sundari through a five elements dance, to find what was in our bodies, to recognise it and to let it go. And I felt fully emerged, more so than when I have done this in the past, the time and place just felt very right today. Sudevi encouraged us to dance including our heads, to involve our whole being in the flow.
After a short break we began the Dance in the Dark and were encouraged to move through the space, focus on certain parts of the body, the soles of the feet, hips, shoulders and really ‘be’ in our bodies. Dancing as though no one else is there. Time passed but the tempo kept changing from fast techno beats to 80s dance music, to natural soft, gliding sounds. I felt really able to be caught up in the emotions that flowed, to embody them and release them, mostly it was a great feeling of connectedness and fun, at one point something sad came up powerfully but was also released and it was a very healing space. No judgements, no expectations.
The afternoon ended with a gong bath performed by Matha Collard. We lay on the floor as she beat the gongs sending waves of vibrations through our bodies. They build from very slow, soft, muted sounds to vibrant expressions and a thunderous roar. It is easy to imagine the energy travelling through the body and leaving through the fingers and toes like lightening. Such a beautiful experience to spend hours in deep, nonverbal communication with people who I do not know, a place to come and explore yourself with honesty and trust, no need for masks, just a heartfelt desire to explore.
