On expressing oneself............

In 1989 Madonna released a song titled ''Express Yourself''...
Some of us express ourselves using words, some through music, some through sculpting,
some through physical activities, etc.etc......and some through dance.
Some folks hear music and immediately feel the urge to move their bodies.
(Take children for instance, put on some music with a strong beat and more often than not they will begin to move their bodies.)
Some years ago, one of my nieces introduced me to Trance Music, a form of electronically driven music, and thus began my journey of exploration into EDM, Electronic Dance Music.
I asked my niece what it was about Trance Music that she liked so much and she told me that it made her feel good. ''Okay, but why does it make you feel good?'' I asked. ''I don't know, it just feels good to dance with a lot of people all together, no one if arguing or fighting, everyone is at peace and just dancing, it feels like a happiness thing,'' she responded.
''Are there specific moves one does when one dances to Trance Music?''
''Nah, everyone just expresses themselves through their own way of dancing'.''
''What bands playing Trance do you like?''
''Not bands, Dee-Jay's, sometimes there may be two Dee-Jay's but mostly its just one person running the show. My favorite Dee-Jay is Tiesto.''
After listening to hours worth of EDM music I concluded that Tiesto was may favorite as well, but the music had begun to wear me out, catchy and driving as it was, for me there was something missing. (I did find however that it was an excellent kind of music to work out to.)
According to those in the know, we all have a need to express ourselves, to express our emotions/feelings one way or another, and we do so either through words, actions or movement.
Some put this need down to that we are social beings, and that in order to function together we need to get along and we do so when we understand each other.
But there is a but, expressing ourselves may often be helpful, but in my view, considering time and place as well as how it will affect others, is in my view equally important.
Some feelings, like anger, frustration, irritation, sadness or worry, can be hard to restrain but if we express our feelings in a somewhat calm manner, chances are that others may respond more compassionately to us than if we do so for instance loudly and in the middle of a social setting.
Being able to communicate our feelings in a constructive and helpful way often takes practice, often beginning with us understanding and recognizing the feelings we are having, and where they come from.
''Managing your emotions does not mean you don't express yourself; it means you stop short of hurting others and sabotaging yourself.'' [Sue Fitzmaurice]

''There are times in life when words just don't seem enough,
enough to adequately define what it is that we feel,
those are the times when we may
have to get up and dance,
sing at the top of our lungs,
paint as if our lives depended on it,
get lost in a movie or two,
sculpt a something out of nothing,
listen to music we've never ever heard before,
and stare into a painting we don't understand.

or

we may need to
jump in puddles of water,
run with the wind,
swim in the sea,
fly a kite,
sleep with the windows open,
laze in front of an open fire,
smile til our cheeks hurt,
cry until we're empty,
dig a big hole,
then fill it again,
see, the crux of the thing,
is a simple, simple thing,
express yourself,
that's the thing.''

[My mother has a passion for ballet, whether on ice or on boards,
for me however, it was always about the music they danced to until
I watched a ballet called ''Rite of Spring'' with music composed by Igor Stravinsky.
Suddenly I connected not only with the music but also with the movements of the dancers,
which led me to have a period when I feverishly sketched dancers, and the above is one of those sketches.]