A masterclass on groove and rhythm at Nude Floor
If January felt like a long, painful drag and more like three years than one month, February has turned out to be quite the opposite. It seems the world can collectively agree that this month has been a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of hectic. With 2020 proving to be an ongoing challenge to keep our heads above water, the Wonder team decided it was high time to pause for a breather and put together our next Wonder Experience.
In case you missed the memo, Wonder Experiences are a series of pocket events we at Wonder plan, prep and execute for friends and fans. The first one, our Self-Care Workshop that happened early last year, was a deep dive into all things sensorial and empowering. Pottery! Scents and crystals! The power of masturdating! It was an enlightening afternoon of self-love and fun and introspection—and that was the exact kind of energy we wanted to bring to our second pocket event. In the spirit of welcoming the year (albeit belatedly) and celebrating our January and February themes of Hard Resetting and Love is the Word, we rounded up a crew to join us for a little somethin' called Wonder Hits the Floor.
RELATED: Welcome to the Wonder Experience: What Went Down at Our Self-Care Workshop?
It’s only fit that we reconnected with our bodies at Nude Floor, a liberating space to “move with intention, create with meaning and strengthen in collaboration” last February 16. Through an hour-long dance workshop, we used joints and muscles, which have been unemployed for some time, with the help of professional dancer and educator James Wong, co-founder of Move Manila.
RELATED: Dance is Not Dead at Nude Floor
Our attendees for the Groove and Rhythm session included Wonder’s charming roster of collaborators and readers, an eccentric mix of bodies of all shapes and colors. Some dance leisurely, while most have never been to a dance class—excluding mandatory PE classes in our younger years, of course.
For a while, one gets self-conscious, especially with the floor-to-ceiling length mirrors, seeing every crevice of your body moving—and fumbling—to Montell Jordan’s This Is How We Do It on repeat. But for every dance step we mastered, our self-confidence heightened; we eventually got the hang of it. Dancing, albeit recklessly, was a way to explore our bodies, through unfamiliar movements and clumsy gestures. It involved unlearning preconceived ideas we had of the craft.
The full experience reminded us of a striking scene in Jojo Rabbit, the satirical Nazi comedy-drama from 2019. Young Elsa declares, “Dancing is for people who are free. It’s an escape from all this.” After the war, they dance—with David Bowie singing in the background. Letting your body let loose through dancing was liberating.
Though resolutions don’t always stick, we’re keen on incorporating this newfound interest in hopes of pursuing an active lifestyle. More importantly, we’re shedding light on the importance of self-love through the body experience.
Photography and Videography Favour Ajah
Art Alexandra Lara
