Dancing is Freedom

Taking dance classes promotes the development of a wide range of skills that are beneficial to our children in their daily lives. Learning to dance is a slow learning process that goes against the grain of our times. No virtual reality or computer screen can produce a dancer. Ballet is all sweat and generosity, never an instant victory. Becoming a dancer is a long journey during which a student learns steps and positions that must be mastered before they become meaningful interpretations after years of practice and commitment.

As a matter of fact, the art of dancing bears many resemblances to the East Oriental art of calligraphy, often described as a dance on paper. In today’s world, when everything is produced and consumed hastily, dance remains an activity that requires patience and gives our children a chance to pause and reflect. In dance, like in calligraphy, there are no cheap tricks, no luck involved and no shortcuts. Work and time are key to a student's development. A dancer is a constant work in progress always redefined by his or her own abilities. Master Teachers acknowledge that only time and practice help a dancer fully understand the importance and meaningfulness of small details such as the movement of a hand or a wrist. Attention to detail makes all the difference between the average and the stunning. Both calligraphers and dancers use details to express their uniqueness through their characters, whether it be on a parchment, or on a stage.

A few years ago, I was fortunate to attend a performance by an already aging Mikhail Baryshnikov at the Theatre des Champs Elysees. Dressed in black, he was alone on a dark stage with just a light shining from above. Baryshnikov’s partner was an old wooden chair. The artist focused his incredible artistry and energy mostly on his hands and his arms. That night, on that Parisian stage, with an economy of movement, Baryshnikov was making his unlikely partner come alive. He was not trying to impress the audience with the remains of his glorious past. Instead, with the greatest honesty and virtuosity, Baryshnikov was meticulously writing a poem about himself and who he was at that particular moment in his life. Through years of hard work and dedication to his craft, his mind had prevailed over his body and like a venerable calligrapher Baryshnikov was demonstrating his wisdom through a masterly interpretation of what felt, to us mesmerized onlookers, like a gentle call to freedom.

Our children must be encouraged to become the free, wise and generous calligraphers of their own original story.

Let's dance!