Nature Heals

As a 10th grader in Silicon Valley, California where everything is about competition and exceeding expectations, I have always felt the pressure. Pressure of doing well in school, Pressure to fit in and be cool, felt the strain in my shoulders and brain with the blue hum of computers and phones as my only companions. Many days I have felt trapped in my room, overwhelmed with the need of trying to do more, be more without ever stopping to breathe. My inspiration for “Nature Heals” comes from how I heal when I finally step outside away from the dreary world of digital media and closed doors. When I am hiking in the beautiful wilderness or playing in the park with my friends, I feel lighter, my thoughts slow down and become more purposeful, my body forgets its strain. Nature doesn't ask me to outshine, it just lets me be. The dance starts with a grey mood indoors using tight tense movements that convey the stress and disconnect I feel. As the dance moves outdoors, the colors become more vibrant and the movements become open and airy signifying the way my mind/body responds to the natural world. It conveys a sense of ease where I start to breathe again. The dance ends with being indoors again to show that I cannot fully escape the realities of life but I can balance it by spending time in nature and with a reminder that when the world feels too loud, nature always brings me back to myself.

This dance won the 2025 Ocean Awareness Contest for Junior Performing Arts!! Visit https://bowseat.org/gallery/nature-heals/

Published By - Anya Pal (Irvington High School)

July 7th 2024