Body Notes #1

My body is so happy right now. I just had possibly my favorite dance class ever, a delicious nourishing meal, a jump in a pool, shower and pineapple jello. Really, could it get better?
We had an Afro-Brazilian dance professor come today, and she led us through some capoeira, dance of the blocos afro and samba. She was one of the most beautiful women I've every seen, with pulsing muscles and curves. She didn't speak English, but was one of the best communicators I've every met, using her body, voice, sound to let us know what we were doing. (Also, my Portuguese is rapidly improving.)
Usually when I dance, I have some level of self-doubt and self-consciousness. Even though I love to dance, in a class setting I feel like I am trying to prove myself and my title as a "dancer." At the beginning of the class I felt a little like that, because I've talked with a lot of people about dance here, but I really tried to focus on being in my own body and not compare myself to anyone. By the end, I felt completely present in my body, just moving and sweating and singing.
The fact that I am such an outsider actually helps to some extent because I feel like I have very little to prove in my capabilities, I am here to learn. When I was younger I often felt that I had to "prove" my black identity through dance. And even though dance is such an important part of black identity in Brazil, I've matured to a point where I no longer feel that pressure and since I am definitely not Brazilian, it is obvious that I will not ever have a black-Brazilian identity. With that pressure off I'm able to let go and enjoy myself much more.
This class was perfect because one of my major goals for my time here is to take dance classes and this instructor teaches a class twice a week that I plan to take and I'm thinking that she might be a great resource for my ISP. Just in all, everything feels so right. I just have a sense that I'm in the right place, at the right time.
tchau!