Recently, an article titled, “Strange! Humans Glow in Visible Light” by Charles Q. Choi showed up on internet headlines, reporting scientific studies showing that the human body literally glows, emitting a visible light in extremely small quantities at levels that rise and fall with the day. Japanese scientists, using extraordinarily sensitive cameras capable of detecting single photons of light in rooms of complete darkness, recorded subjects’ light levels. Researchers found the body glow rose and fell during the day, lowest at 10:00 a.m. and peaking at 4:00 p.m., once again dropping after that. Faces glowed more than the rest of the body. Kirlian photography also captures this glow around us, evidently colored by thoughts and feelings.

Some people have the ability to read others’ pupils, to watch them expand and contract with emotion, and use this signpost to their advantage. An interview with a famous dancer in Egypt some time ago quoted her as saying that belly dancing is
”dancing with the light” and that her inspirations came from God.

“We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God [Goddess}.
Your playing small does not serve the world.”
Marianne Williamson

If light is measurable, perceivable, if thoughts and emotions can be photographed, then won’t those elements affect a dance by one who is, consciously or unconsciously, sending out aura messages, aureoles of light? How can a belly dancer create and shine even more light? Emotions and thoughts have an interrelationship. They exist in the invisible world, but can dominate the visible, if we are not aware.

Let’s expand our dance enlightenment from the outside, in. Cabaret costumes are designed to reflect light—rocailles, seed and bugle beads; sequins, paillettes, and metallic fabrics glitter and gleam. Tribal and ethnic costumes are replete with coins, mirrors, and metal bits. Polished finger cymbals sparkle and reflect light as they are jingled. The candelabra (shamadan), votive or poi lights are obvious props for what I will call light dancing; swords sparkle and gleam.

What do our feelings say in our minds? Are we mentally saying to ourselves, “I’m so nervous about . . . .”? We can control this thinking and say instead, “I’m so excited about . . .!” The physiology of stage fright and excitement are similar; it’s up to us what we choose to call these thought feelings—stage fright or excitement. Before a performance, we can sit quietly for five minutes and just visualize ourselves surrounded by light of a color that speaks to us and then carry that vision with us into our show, and it will show.
On stage, we project our thought feelings into audiences too, particularly those frowning ones, with arms crossed across their chests. Instead of feeling rejected, let us take the power and send out thoughts of “I bless you,” “I love you” in their direction. We just might see a change in body language.

Anger and resentment can affect our light production. Are we having tension with another person? Resentment is an acid that eats the container holding it. Releasing resentment will remove the veil of negative emotion from our minds, enabling our light to shine in our faces and in our dance.

“There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God{Goddess} that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.”
Marianne Williamson

The simplest thing we can do to bring light to our dance is to smile. The act of putting a smile on our faces has been proven to change our emotional state. Our eyes are windows to our souls. Let’s shine our inner light by making sparkling eye contact with our audiences. If we are sending out thoughts of Light and Love in our glances, they’ll get a shot of energy, which will make that show unforgettable.

“And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.”

A wise choreographer once said that it’s the face people watch most, more than body, choreography, or technical precision. Those Japanese test results validate this thought; in all the old religious icon paintings, there is a reason artists can see that the halo is around the head. It has been said that angels can fly because they take themselves so lightly. “Shimmy from the Heart!”

Contact: jherico@cox.net