Shannon Kook Instagram – Besides acting; martial arts, photography, and dance are what I’ve spent most of the last few years obsessing over. It’s barely been a year since some Social Dancing has come back post pandemic, and me being away from dance and martial arts most of last year I am extra thankful to think of all the privilege I have getting to explore all of these mediums. It was #InternationalDanceDay yesterday and I’m late as usual. Partially cos I was too nostalgic taking a trip down memory lane 😊 A lot of why I was drawn to Social Dancing was because of the immediate connection to another person in the moment during the music. So much of what I do as an actor or exploring dance, martial arts & being behind a lens 📷 is about me being present. Which oddly enough is something I struggle with. It’s not hard to catch me looking up into my memory bank🙄🧠 trying to remember a move and forgetting to be present opposite the person dancing with me. And if I’m solo, then being present with myself. There is so much in common dancing, rolling/sparring in martial arts and doing a scene as an actor. They all boil down to breath and connection to the present moment. But either way, whether I hit the mark or not, the journey of getting to explore these things brings me so much joy. You might want to try a class in one of them yourself. Just go to what calls you. Don’t think. And breathe into your instincts. We just had a wonderful Bachata Sensual dance congress in Vancouver last week, and my main takeaway while getting to dance with the Pros was rather than try to verify my competence by doing fancy moves with them, was to enjoy the sensation of their connection and breath in their tension and flow with me. They were so connected to their bodies and movements that it felt like I had jet fuel and didn’t know how to steer the ship 🚀 – but the gold wasn’t in living up to their skill set, but unclenching my hand to meet their open one. This is something I can grapple with every day – being frustrated with where my head thinks I should be instead of connecting to where I actually am. That being said, time to go enjoy the fresh air and walk my doggo 🐕 Happy #internationaldanceday2023 Vancouver, British Columbia