Looking back

Dragi ljudi,

nadam se da ste dobro. Ovih dana sam razmišljala o svom dosadašnjem iskustvu volontiranja s djecom i srednjoškolkama. Vjerujem da im je moj trud donio lijepe i drage uspomene, ali je prije svega meni pružilo veliko iskustvo i znanje. Ovo je iskustvo iziskivalo iz mene puno strpljenja, organizacije i nježnosti. Čovjek ne bi vjerovao koliko ga daleko nježnost i toplina mogu dovesti. Zbližilo me je s djecom do granice u kojoj mi prepričavaju svoje dogodovštine, probleme i planove, čemu se nisam nadala, no istinski mi znači. Osim toga nerijetko tijek druženja uopće nije išao onim tijekom kakav sam ja zamislila. Katkad jednostavno nastavim pratiti njihove želje i interese, a svoj plan prilagodim realnom tempu učenja i koncentraciji tog dana. Iako je moja primarna dužnost prenositi iskustvo i prepuštanje plesu, zapravo sam uronila u puno dublji spektar manjih zadaća. Potrebno je u zajednici održavati bliskost, povezanost i poštovanje prema ostalim plesačima. Kao trenerica moram održavati dovoljan autoritet radi održavanja organizacije tijekom plesa, ali i dalje pružiti dovoljno topline i osjećaja prijateljstva kako bi to i dalje bilo mjesto opuštanja i užitka. To je osobito izazovno s mlađima. Sa starijim je djevojkama bitno raditi na samopouzdanju i slici sebe, što ne mogu prenositi ako sama nisam sigurna u isto o sebi. Ples je puno više od samo monotonih zagrijavanja i učenja plesnih koraka i koreografija. Ples je gradnja discipline, guranje vlastitih sposobnosti na višu razinu, razbijanje ograničavajućih misli, kreativnost u pristupu zagrijavanja i razvijanja vještine. Ples su trenutci prepuštanja vlastitoj kreativnosti u pokretu, osjećaja sigurnosti i ljubavi u vlastitom tijelu. I dok prenosiš to znanje drugima, na pamet pada još 100 podpitanja kojima zapravo donosiš novo znanje i sebi. Eto, zapravo sam u namjeri da pomognem drugima i naučim ih nešto novo pomogla samoj sebi.

Do idućeg puta <3

Dear people,

I hope you are all doing well. These past days, I have been reflecting on my experience volunteering with children and high school girls. I believe my efforts have given them beautiful and cherished memories, but above all, it has provided me with invaluable experience and knowledge. This experience has required a lot of patience, organization, and gentleness from me. One would not believe how far kindness and warmth can take you. It has brought me so close to the children that they now share their stories, problems, and plans with me—something I never expected, but which truly means a lot to me.Moreover, our time together often did not go as I had originally planned. Sometimes, I simply follow their wishes and interests, adjusting my plan to the real pace of learning and concentration that day. Although my primary role is to pass on my experience and the joy of dancing, I have actually immersed myself in a much deeper spectrum of smaller tasks. It is essential to maintain closeness, connection, and mutual respect among dancers within a community.As a coach, I must uphold enough authority to maintain organization during dance sessions while still providing enough warmth and a sense of friendship so that it remains a place of relaxation and enjoyment. This is especially challenging with younger children. With older girls, it is important to work on self-confidence and self-image—something I cannot pass on unless I am sure of it in myself.Dance is so much more than just monotonous warm-ups and learning steps and choreography. Dance is about building discipline, pushing one’s abilities to a higher level, breaking limiting beliefs, and approaching warm-ups and skill development with creativity. Dance is the moment of surrendering to one’s own creativity in movement, feeling safe and loving in one’s own body. And while passing this knowledge on to others, a hundred new questions arise in my mind, bringing me new knowledge as well.So, in my intention to help others and teach them something new, I have actually helped myself.

Until next time. <3