Dancing. Some people love it, some people claim to hate it, and some people are just afraid to do it in public.
But dancing is more than just fun. As this Harvard article explains:
“dance helps reduce stress, increases levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin, and helps develop new neural connections, especially in regions involved in executive function, long-term memory, and spatial recognition.”
Scott Edwards, Harvard Medical School
For episode 71 of Siren Soapbox, the Sirens all learned to dance a new dance.
Four of the Sirens were together on the island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands: Sara, LC, Mur, and TC. Along with our partners and TC’s sister, we learned how to dance with fire.
Teaching us the magic, the moves, and keeping us safe in the process was our very patient teacher, Kiki Mason with her assistant Renee. Kiki is known as the creative force behind fire dancing in the Virgin Islands.
The Sirens and our friends had such an amazing time at Kiki’s house learning to respect the flame and being completely vulnerable with each other.
If you get the chance to visit St Croix, fire dancing with Kiki is a unique experience you’ll never forget! To learn more about Kiki, check out this article, or explore her website.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, Siren Liz learned traditional Thai dance.
“Last week I had a fun time learning some traditional Thai dance moves with the wonderful Nuengruethai Chuayniam. So much to learn and a challenge to coordinate my brain with my hands and feet all doing different things.” ~Siren Liz
Whether you are a professional ballroom dancer or you think you have two left feet…we can all benefit from learning a new dance.
We can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
‘Cause your friends don’t dance and if they don’t dance
Well, they’re no friends of mine
Men Without hats
Don’t worry…we won’t leave you behind. But get out there and dance!