As for violin, I think what I missed was feeling part of a musical experience.
I used to be part of an orchestra yes, but I was part of a sound experience. It was a way to transcend our bodies and blend into the music. To lose the boundaries between our ears and the hall. It’s a way to lose oneself.
That’s what I miss. I was never phenomenal at violin, so I don’t miss that, but I miss being a part of that large sound.
And so I shall just immerse myself in musical experiences. Relatively easy fix.
As for dance, I think I just miss that total abandon. It’s freeing to succumb to the beat, to not care. There are two aspects: choreography and then free dance.
I like both a lot. Choreography because it’s movement that someone else has designed that is beautiful. We all fit together in a seamless piece of art. It’s feeling that you’re part of a larger something, a something that is beautiful. It’s an active experience in art. With free dance, the beauty and freedom is just moving, letting your body move with you. Abandon sense, abandon insecurity, and just move. Don’t care if it’s repetitive, if it’s ‘dumb’ movements, if you can’t ‘pull it off’, it’s you. It’s dance. That’s what I miss, but that’s what I can just do in my apartment.
We used to have nightly dance parties for a couple songs and it was fun. It wasn’t going to a club, it was better. We controlled our music. And it wasn’t the long time commitment of going out, it was in our pyjamas, so it was even more fun.
Take a dance recess. And see how you feel.