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Dancing Away the Years

I’ve never been comfortable speaking in front of large audiences or having the spotlight directed on me. It’s why I became a writer—finding my voice in a solitary space, finding the courage to speak my truth on paper where I can edit and polish my words and send them out into cyberspace to be published a week or a month later, appreciating the feedback one person at a time.

So, it puzzles me why my favorite thing to do above all else (besides spending time with people I love) is dancing. Starting when I was five, twirling in front of the wall-length mirror in my parents bedroom, everyone who knows me, knows I’ll be out there happily dancing alone or in a group whether it’s a summer concert on The Green or one of our friends’ bands playing in a bar.

You will not find me doing the smooth, choreographed moves of a swing dancer. I could never master the oppositional moves of jazz dance—my left brain doesn’t function that well when it comes to memorizing steps or memorizing anything. But my right brain takes me into the sheer joy of improvisational movement, of letting the music take me on a journey.

Dancing is one of the few times I can turn off my brain, the circular thinking, the worrying about what will be, and just be. Dancing is the only time I feel the years fall away and I don’t care if I am “too old” to be out there jumping and swirling, even if I know I’ll pay for it later with achy knees and sore feet.

A woman I recently met recognized me as “the crazy dancer” in the front row of Zumba dance at the Soundview YMCA. Yep, that’s me.

Angels in Deep River

So, I was thrilled to discover the Wild Angels Dance Company, based out of Deep River. I went to one of their performances at the Guilford Art Center last month and was mesmerized. I had never seen anything quite like it. A group of women, many of whom were around my age or older, dressed in dazzling costumes, masks, and wigs expressively dancing to choreographed pieces that addressed topical social justice issues like immigration in “America the Beautiful,” the opioid crisis in “Addiction” performed to Sting’s “Walkaway,” as well as a poignant tribute to mothers—”Mi Madre”—and the pure fun of “Partners,” danced with broomstick men to “Do Run Run.” Flute and vocal solos punctuated.

At the end, everyone in the audience was handed colorful hula-hoops and invited to join the dance party.

Daya Soudan is the creative force behind Wild Angels. She is a dancer who began at Hartford Conservatory at eight years of age and went on to study creative movement and improvisational dance with such greats as Allison Chase (founder of Pilobolus), Richard Bell at Wesleyan University, and the late Georgette Schneer of New York City.

Soudan’s daughter, Vanessa Soudan (30), who grew up in Deep River, is a professional dancer who travels the world performing and teaching jazz and high-energy hip-hop dance moves.

All are Welcome

About five years ago, Daya Soudan joined forces with another dancer, Astrid Uryson of Argentina, who lives in Higganum, to start a dance company, welcoming anyone with the desire to dance and perform in a nontraditional, natural style.

Soudan teaches dance (along with yoga and Pilates) in a studio that’s a converted, turn-of-the-century beach cottage she relocated from Madison. It’s on her 14-acre wooded property and retreat center known as “The Peace Barn” in Deep River, where she has resided for more than 40 years.

“I pretty much choreograph all the pieces,” Soudan says. “There is a whole language with improvisation. It’s an art form in itself. My role is to teach the tools, the elements of dance.”

Performance is a key element of the dance company.

“The concept is to spread joy through movement,” Soudan explains. “We perform in hospitals, hospices, rest homes, etc. We work in 10-week sessions, spring and fall, and at the end of each session, we perform, usually three times. This year, it was up to six. We’re growing. Most people’s feedback is, ‘We’re authentic.’ It’s what they like.”

Every season has a different theme and new pieces are performed. Although some of the subjects addressed through dance are more serious than others, the idea is to keep it “lighthearted and fun,” Soudan says.

For this reason, in addition to the seven dancers currently in the company, there is often the quirky addition (depending on where the Wild Angels are appearing) that Soudan describes as “a little bit of Vaudeville.” A dog show is performed by Anasuya Stein of Ivoryton and Leo the dog. Stein has been in Wild Angels since its inception and also dances and plays flute. And Libby Burdock of Groton as “Lillibelle the Clown” adds another humorous twist.

“Anyone can move. That’s how I was taught,” Soudan says. “It doesn’t have to be a big movement. It’s just putting that awareness there and we learn different things about shape, rhythm, weight. With creative movement it’s easier to teach someone not all set in their technique.”

Soudan confirmed for me that we’re never too old to dance and it’s great for the soul, even if one’s soles suffer a little pain.

“Joy. That’s one of the things this [creative movement] gives a woman getting older that she may not be getting in her life,” Soudan says with a smile.

Wild Angels welcomes women and men of all ages to join the dance company. For more information, call 860-526-3109 or 860-938-1229 or email dayasoudan@gmail.com.

Amy J. Barry is a Baby Boomer, who lives in Stony Creek with her husband and assorted pets. She writes theater reviews for Shore Publishing newspapers and is an expressive arts educator. Contact her at amy.j.barry@snet.net or www.aimwrite-ct.net