I’m always encouraging my clients to find their unique ways to reduce stress. It is amazing how enriched your life becomes when finding something you are passionate about.

Piper Flair is the ultimate example of finding that passion in her dance. when I saw her perform for the first time, it was like her whole soul was bare for the world to see.

The amazing raw emotions, that she spoke through her dance, took my breath away. I couldn’t resist asking what dancing meant to her and am pleased she agreed to answer that question in this interview.

Thanks, Piper and I hope you continue with your beautiful art form!

Piper, After working with you in the past we had talked about how your dancing was your form of de-stressing. Your comment that, “dancing is more like breathing.” comes to mind. 

Could you expand more on that for me?

 Dancing is my passion.  Choreographing a dance is my artistic expression, the stage is my canvas, the dancers create the images and the colors, and the music is the inspiration that ties sound, visualization, and emotion into one creative package.

So would you say that dancing is your form of releasing and working out any emotions you may be going through?

Yes through dance, I not only get a great workout of my muscles and cognitive exercises, but it is also a transmission of my emotion and my way of “getting things out”.  Sometimes, I may channel heartbreak and loss, such as when my grandmother passed away, and I can throw myself into my dancing and create such a release that it truly feels like “everything is going to be okay”.  Other times, I may channel more of my frustrations from everyday life, whether it be kids constantly complaining, to feeling overwhelmed with work, or even my way of working something out that someone said that has been bothering me.

How are you able to use these “feelings” you create from your dancing to apply as your focus while doing The Healing Codes? You know, like how do you transform what you love, into that feel good feeling we need to carry us higher?

By putting my emotion into my movement and letting the music carry me away, I can create a feeling of euphoria that is physical, physiological, and psychological thanks to the natural body chemicals that create a sense of happiness.

Wow, that is amazing! I think this will inspire many people to find something in their lives, that brings their passion in life to a higher level. Something that they can focus on and use for bringing them to greater healing.

How do you use dance to improve your feelings in your daily life? For instance, if you are having an especially hard day?

Sometimes, I just create a dance that is simply happy.  It may be reflective of the seasons like Christmas or the coming of Spring, or just a song that sings to me that makes me feel good and helps me to find my happy place.  Unless you have really experienced a high-level dance class or aerobic activity that has pushed you to your absolute limits, it is hard to put into words what dance does for me.

I know how exerting physically dance can be. Would you say that it is a form of mental therapy as well?

Every time I dance, I move my body and push my muscles to the point of complete exertion and fatigue, up and down, on the floor, off of the floor, pulling, pushing, stretching, jumping, balancing, reaching,….the list goes on and on.  Since I’m not much of a “talker” and many of my best friends don’t live close to me, dance has evolved into my own personal therapy of sorts.  And once you have found something that no matter how bad of a day you are having, or no matter how sad or anxious you may feel, when you do that one thing and you can’t help to feel better, your body craves it.  Your mind craves it, your heart craves it, and soon it becomes a matter of necessity, like breathing.  Dance is my sheer joy, it is my compassionate shoulder I cry on, it is my constructive punching bag, it is my heart on my sleeve and for all the world to see.  That is how I define dance is my breath.

Piper, You are an amazingly beautiful person. Thanks so much for giving people a little peek at who you are in the deepest way. I think this will really inspire all of us to be looking for what will bring us this form of peace and joy in our lives.

It can be in any form. Some people will turn to beautiful artwork like painting or pottery. Others may do something more physical like running or training in some other way. Mine changes all the time from watercolor painting, to weaving, to crochet and knitting. Whatever inspires me to enjoy the moment to moment life. These things that bring me to the present and gives me that feeling of creating, giving or accomplishment.

I challenge you all to find whatever is your INSPIRATION and make it a daily part of your life. The feelings you gain from these will help you improve your life drastically. It can be used as a wonderful focus while doing your daily Healing codes as well as your custom codes.

I hope you all are remembering to take the time each day, to take a step back, relax and enjoy the present.

Happy New Year!

A few more words about Piper

Piper Flair began her performance experience at age 4 in high school, Piper has learned many styles of dance, including jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, pom, high kick, and prop, of which she later taught at the Universal Dance Association where she was an instructor, head instructor, and district representative for 7 years. After graduating college she took her career to the next level, dancing with the NBA Portland Trailblazers.

She is settled in with the staff of Main Street Dance Theatre in 2002 teaching hip hop, jazz, and lyrical.  She continues to train at studios in New York and L.A. when the chance arrives and attends dance conventions throughout the Northwest.  Her goal is to provide continuing dance opportunities for local dancers which came true in 2007 and 2008 when she choreographed and placed local dancers on the China and Japan tours of the Magic of Jay Owenhouse