Bella Dancer
- Sep 18, 2022
- 4 min read

ELEMENTAL METAL - Domain of the Persona; Realm of Martial Movement & Mindset

The Element of Metal

And Things Made From It

Tools & Treasures.
Weapons & Armor.
Both Hammer & Anvil to make them.
Locks on a box.
Keys, hairpins, handles, needles, picks.
Currency: coins & wires both.
Some of Earth's shiniest and most highly sought-after faces.

Domain of the Persona

What our clothing says about us.
How, where, and if we wear hair.
Accessories, makeup, vehicles, brands.
Our armor, defenses & other shields.
The weapons we use, and the reasons we give for how we wield them.
The way we communicate--or don't.
The masks we wear--how opaque or transparent are they to the thoughts, emotions, hopes, & fears beneath?

🛠 NAKED IN THE ARENA 🛠

Vulnerability, Creativity & Bravery

Realm of Martial

Moves & Mindset

As grounded as Earth, but harder. Sharper. Fiercer. Brighter.
Disciplined. Direct. Dedicated.
Devoted.
Treasured. Protected. Respected.
Focused. Intentional. Honorable.
Do No Harm; Take No Shit.

The Samurai sword is a remarkable instrument, renowned for its strength and its mind-boggling cutting power. But that’s only part of what makes this weapon the peerless wonder that it is.

The core of the sword is made from a softer metal that is more malleable, easier to bend out of shape and gouge - a seemingly "weaker, more inferior" substance. But it is precisely this flexible core that prevents the hard, highly carbonized outer edge from breaking upon impact.

In order to transform raw metal into such a finely crafted instrument, all four of our other Elements are required:

Melting down and purifying metal requires FIRE.
Fire requires AIR and fuel to burn - fuel that grows up out of the EARTH.
Once the heated metal has been worked into the desired shape and strength, it must be quenched in WATER. The rapid cooling forms the weapon's distinctive curve.

In this final Element of Metal, we heat up and pound our bodies into shape. We hone intricacy and precision of the mind. But just as the hard cutting blade and flexible, resilient core is what gives the Samurai sword its balance and superpowers, it is the foundation of what we've previous built in our softer and more stable Elements that allow us to fully and masterfully develop the Dance and Mindset of Metal.

⚔️ ✨🥰✨⚔️

One of my greatest acts of Self-Defense: I had to walk into the Enemy Lair after a decade of rebuilding myself. I'd gotten my ass kicked while I was already on the ground, so when I returned, all I wanted was to make a dance full of bristling hackles, fangs and claws. I wanted to wear heavy metal and dance to grindy, stompy, nasty music with my middle fingers upthrust like blades--RAWR!

Instead, I made the decision to take off the armor, sheathe the swords, and I remembered that I also had a crown. I remembered that I, like Neo, didn't even need to dodge bullets. Not because "I knew Kung Fu." But because those old missiles could no longer touch me.

Sometimes the most powerful protection comes from the softest Yin: yielding, getting out of the way, letting an attacker do themselves in with their own energy, while I simply shine as my best self.

That was the inspiration for this dance:

Of course, there is always this - to the Spartacus Soundtrack, duh:

Metal Dance

Stab. Slash. Slice-Poke-Cut.
Punch Through. Hammer Down.
Demolish.
Embellish.
Intricate, precision motions.
Moves are executed in a linear fashion using solid grounding and meticulous muscular contraction.
Air moves within the space; Metal pierces and cuts through the space.
Dramatic poses and stances.
Reverent salutation.
Deep bow.

🎶 MUSIC FOR MARTIAL MOVES & MINDSET

Dragon Warrior - My Meditative Martial Playlist
Kick Arse - Playlist For Whaling On the Bag
Gladiatrix - What I Play While Writing Mine
I Am Neo - No Longer Need To Dodge Bullets
Treating One's Self as Precious: The base essence for Self-Defense

METAL: THE FACE

Metal is also the final touches of a dance: costumes, makeup, hair, props, setting.
It is the realm of stage presence. It's the crafted energy and facial expressions that convey our chosen emotions, as well as any character or mood we've designed during the Water/Storytelling aspects of creating a dance.
It is our communication level with the audience--are we making eye contact? Getting close to them? Are we oblivious to them and letting them come along for the ride? Or is today's audience our living room furniture, the pets, and our own mind? Are we paying any attention to any of that, or are we dancing as though no one is watching?
This is the home of "The Show Must Go On" - the transparency or opaqueness of the stage-face compared to what's actually going on in the dancer's internal landscape.
It's also the home of Dances With Swords. And knives and cane and staff and...

For the full Realm of Dance - See ELEMENTAL EARTH

⚔️ METAL ON MY BLOG ⚔️

Beware All Ye Who Enter:

HERE THERE BE BEASTIES!

My content is NSFW and is full of adult topics & language.

Especially in the Element of Metal.

So if you need it to be family- or kid-friendly, if you need it to be conservative and wholesome, if you need it to be a safe-space full of trigger warnings and censored language...

There's a reason why my blog is called Bella & The Beast.

SO ABANDON SHIP NOW!

New around here and uncertain about this adventure?

I suggest you read this first.

⚔️ HOW I ENTERED THE DOJO ⚔️

From an episode of body painting gone wrong

⚔️ "HEY IZZY, WHAT KIND OF MARTIAL ARTS HAVE YOU STUDIED?" ⚔️

⚔️ ALL MY MARTIAL ARTS & SELF-DEFENSE WRITING ⚔️

⚔️ "SO IZZY, WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A MARTIAL ARTIST?" ⚔️