By:  Stacey Chamberlain

In a series of seemingly effortless bounds, Paul Deering’s branch-like legs reach out for the procession of rocks in front of him. For Paul, dancing is not limited to a dance studio or performance space; it is seamlessly woven into the movements of his everyday life. When he began dancing with Ecstatic Dance, a movement-based community, Paul’s way of relating to the world around him shifted entirely. Learning how to soften his body and become sensitive to the subtle characteristics of his environment was a critical stage in healing from a debilitating spinal disease.

Movemen0t-based practices have always been a part of Paul’s life. He grew up skiing and played various sports throughout high school and college. However, when he was diagnosed with Ankylosing spondlytis (AS) in his early twenties, movement was no longer simple. AS is an inflammatory spinal disease which makes moving both painful and difficult. Paul began practicing Qi Gong and Tai Chi which allowed him to keep moving with guidance. As he developed more mobility, Paul became involved with Tuishou, a type of tai chi sparring which focuses on honing control of your body. In Tuishou, the goal is to reveal as little as possible about your own position while trying to destabilize your opponent. It wasn’t until Paul was introduced to dance that he learned letting go and experiencing vulnerability was essential to his healing process.

Paul’s first experience dancing was at Ecstatic Dance, a community dance gathering that takes place in cities across the globe. There are three guidelines at Ecstatic Dance: move however you wish, no talking on the dance floor, and be respectful. Ecstatic Dance gives people a safe space to move with others and develop a sense of community through dance—For Paul, this changed everything. It was the first time he experienced movement without trying to control the situation. “It offered me the opportunity to test where I was. Tuishou allows you to test where you are within your practice as a martial artist, but the social and physical opportunities were very limited… At Ecstatic Dance you never know who’s going to be there from week to week. It was like re-learning how to be a social human.” Through dance, Paul learned how to move fluidly with others and his environment. This allowed him to fully recover from the spinal disease which affected him for nearly a decade of his life.