Listen to the rhythm
As it pulses and
Bends with the dancer
From the soles of her feet

Feel the melodies
Floating through hands
Opening the heart
Awakening the senses

Envision the shapes
That unfold like flowers
Vines and leaves
Across the dancer's floor

Surrender the music
With its swelling waves
Of rising crescendos
And undulating rhythms

Breathe in the verses
Chorus and pattern
Weaving the tapestry
Of our gathered stories

Watch the memories
Pass like a movie on
The ever changing screen
Of the dancer's body

Hear the human heartbeat
In music that reminds us
That vulnerability
Has strength at its core

The dancer embodies
The power of the music
For without it there is
Neither step nor sway

Sacred to the ear
As light is to the eyes
The essence of freedom
Is the gift of dance

The most hypnotic of all
Persuasions is music
Leading and the dancer
Falling into its step

Feeling not thinking
Knowing not guessing
Surrendering completely
Music's vision manifest

***


Keti Sharif
from 'Elements of Dance' 2005