I remember the first time a video of mine went viral. It was a solo performance I'd choreographed, a testament to my journey as a woman, a dancer. The backdrop was a hazy Seoul sunset, a painting of purples and golds enriched by the city's lights. As I dived and twirled, the city was my audience and the sky my stage. Each arc of my body, each twist and fall was a candid confession of my rebellion against time, my celebration of it.
The internet's reaction was unexpected. It was like waking up to find strangers peering through your window, eyes wide with astonishment as they watch scenes that resonate deeply within. It was thrilling, terrifying, and strange all at once. It was exhilarating to touch souls through the screen, but the sudden spotlight gave rise to an unusual sensation, a delicate balance between exhibitionism and intimacy.
Then came the realization. The intimate spectacle of aerial dance was no longer confined to live stages and silk curtains. It had spilled over into the infinite stage that was the virtual world, ripe with challenges and opportunities. Is it possible for one to exhibit oneself while simultaneously experiencing an intimate dance with the self? Could the lens of a camera capture that raw dance of vulnerability and strength that twirls itself around the silk of my rig?
As a dancer, one learns to communicate through the body. We bend, we break, we rebuild. Our bodies become storytelling instruments, capturing spectators' hearts through the universal language of movement. When I dance in the sky, I bare my soul to the world. I let go of chains and inhibitions and dance with absolute authenticity. Under the harsh light of the social media spotlight, it becomes a public declaration, a testament of my tenacity to keep dancing, no matter the age, no matter the medium.
This strange relationship with social media, with the scores of spectators behind the screen, has redefined my dance. Despite its challenges, it has allowed me to touch more souls than ever before. The thrill of soaring in the air, the exquisite intimacy of my body with the silk rig, is now a shared experience. A form of sensuous exhibitionism. The triumphs, the falls, the recovery, my dance is now a saga the world can partake in, a click-worthy content on the virtual stage. It's as intimate as it is vast, as personal as it is public. It's my dance, my story, playing out across world stages, caught in the infinite loop of the internet.
