InnerMotion - Opaskirja - Miksi kirjoitin tämän oppaan
Kaikki alkoi eräänä iltana vuonna 1993. Olin levoton kolmetoistavuotias, joka odotti innolla ensimmäistä rave-biisiäni. Kun seisoin huoneessani epävarmana siitä, mitä odottaa, vanhempi sisareni käveli sisään, hymyili ja antoi yksinkertaisen neuvon: "Sulje vain silmäsi, kuuntele musiikkia ja tanssi." Noudatin hänen neuvoaan, ja se oli juuri sitä, mitä tarvitsin. Olin harvoin tanssinut tuollaisen musiikin tahtiin, mutta sinä iltana, kun elektroniset biitit täyttivät huoneen, suljin silmäni ja aloin liikkua. Se tuntui upealta ja rakastuin siihen heti! Oli kuin jokin sisälläni olisi odottanut juuri sitä hetkeä. En tajunnut sitä silloin, mutta tuo ilta sytytti minussa yhteyden musiikkiin ja liikkeeseen, joka muovaisi loppuelämäni.
Siitä hetkestä lähtien teknoklubeista tuli minun pyhäkköni ja kouluni. Jokainen tanssi-ilta tutustutti minut eloisaan yhteisöön – valittuun perheeseen, joka oli täynnä inspiroivia ihmisiä ja mullistavia ideoita. Belgradin rave-skenen voimakas energia 90-luvulla tarjosi täydellisen taustan kasvulleni ja tutkimusmatkalleni. Tanssimisesta tuli enemmän kuin vain harrastus; siitä kehittyi elintärkeä harjoitus, joka auttoi minua hallitsemaan stressiä, käsittelemään tunteita ja yhdistymään uudelleen itseeni. Vielä tänäkin päivänä, 32 vuotta myöhemmin, klubeilla käyminen on olennainen osa elämääni, vaalittu rituaali ilon, vapautumisen ja itsensä löytämisen iloksi.
Monta vuotta tanssin puhtaasti vaistonvaraisesti, ilman rakennetta tai ohjausta. Tämä muuttui vuonna 2016, kun matkani otti voimakkaan uuden suunnan psykoterapeuttini ja mentorini Hana Stamatovićin ansiosta. Hän kutsui minut yhteen Open Floor-työpajoistaan, joka tarjosi ainutlaatuisen sekoituksen liikettä ja psykologista tutkimusta. Heti ensimmäisestä kerrasta lähtien olin koukussa. Aloin ymmärtää, että tanssi ei ole vain fyysistä, vaan se voi olla syvästi parantavaa, transformatiivista ja paljastavaa. Hanan opetukset ruumiillisuudesta, maadoituksesta, tietoisuustaitojen hyödyntämisestä ja tunteiden ilmaisusta koskettivat minua syvästi, ja huomasin dokumentoivani huolellisesti jokaisen oivalluksen ja harjoituksen, innokkaana pitämään kiinni kaikesta oppimastani.
One unforgettable workshop became a turning point in how I related to dance. For the final session of our seven-week cycle, we were invited to come in costume as a way to embody and express a new version of ourselves that had emerged through the dance process. I chose to turn my hands into living reminders of everything Hana had taught me, covering them with symbols that formed a kind of “cheat sheet” based on the notes I had collected over the years.
At our next therapy session, Hana asked me, “How would you feel about becoming a teacher of a practice like this? You’re a natural. Both your parents are teachers, and your detailed notes, combined with your scientific mind, would make you excellent at it.” I laughed and said, “Nooo, that’s not for me - I can’t see myself teaching a group of people.” Yet, within three years, everything had dramatically changed.
When Hana passed away on November 4th, 2022, our dance community was left heartbroken. She had a rare ability to guide people toward a deeper connection with themselves through dance. There was something extraordinary about the way she held space, it was calm, intuitive, and full of presence and love. She didn’t just teach movement; she helped people feel safe enough to be fully themselves. Through her work, many of us experienced breakthroughs we didn’t even know we needed. She was truly one of a kind. After her death, I felt a quiet but strong pull to keep exploring the knowledge about dance she had shared with me.
As I searched for deeper understanding, I was surprised to discover a significant gap in knowledge and there were very few comprehensive resources on conscious, intuitive dance. I spent hours digging through websites, articles, and videos, hoping to find something that reflected what Hana had taught us. I couldn’t find anything that captured the essence of her work. Then, at the Parallel Festival in September 2023, surrounded by beautiful music, nature, and a sense of belonging, something clicked. I would write the guide I had always needed and share this knowledge with others who might be searching too.
Fueled by years of personal notes, extensive scientific research, and relentless curiosity, I began pouring myself into this project. What started as a simple idea rapidly evolved into an ambitious mission - a comprehensive manual filled with techniques, exercises, and insights on mindfulness, embodiment, emotional connection, and transcending inhibition. Each session on the dance floor became a laboratory for testing and refining these ideas, deepening my understanding and bringing newfound joy to my own dance practice.
As my vision expanded, I realized I needed to develop new skills, especially in creating safe spaces, guiding groups, building trust, and understanding how movement can evoke deep emotional responses and altered states of consciousness. Then, in September 2024, once again at the Parallel Festival, I experienced another powerful insight: this knowledge wasn’t something to keep to myself, it needed to be shared widely. That realization inspired the creation of DanceResource.org - a non-profit, open-source platform for dancers, facilitators, researchers, and curious newcomers to explore movement as a path to self-awareness, healing, connection, and transformation. Determined to grow further, I enrolled in the Center for Integrative Development (CIR) in September 2024. A few months later, in December, I began mentorship with Alexey Kuzmin, an experienced teacher with over a decade of leading conscious dance workshops. Finally, in March 2025 - after twenty years in the IT world - I took the leap. I left my job to dedicate myself fully to the path of dance.
This guide is more than a manual; it is a testament to the transformative power of dance, a tribute to Hana’s legacy, and an invitation to anyone who has ever felt the pulse of music stirring within. My deepest wish is that through this practice, others will discover the boundless freedom and authenticity waiting to emerge from within their bodies - just as I did on that unforgettable night, all those years ago.
