To Be A Dancer
Tom Perry
Issue date: 5/28/09 Section: Arts and Entertainment
To be a dancer is to be a perfect mirror, reflecting all facets and aspects of the world as they impact the subconscious. As the world is poured into the dancer, the dancer pours the world back out. In this way, the dancer is able to fully embody his/her own self and individuality while simultaneously fully reflecting the intentions and interpretations of the choreographer. For the dancer, there is no distinction between the self and the other, nor is there a distinction between reality and imagination; rather, all things both true and false are brought into harmony.
To be a dancer is to be free. Inhibitions cannot exist, and doubt is not an option. To perform, the dancer must release himself/herself from all thoughts, the most persistent of which being the thought of insecurity, and allow the unconscious to move through the body. Only as the dancer relinquishes the grasp that we all have on controlling and being controlled, can apprehension slide away and the dancer become transparent. As this happens, the dancer too is released, and becomes free to embrace a character or an intention, allowing them to penetrate through the body and be manifestly radiated back outward.?
To be a dancer is to be flexible. With the mind and the body being nothing more than two different interpretations of the Self, before the body can bend, the mind must also be ready; it is a slow process.?
To be a dancer is to be resolute, but accepting of change, and ready to accept that both resolve and change are equally necessary for the construction of a true oeuvre.
To be a dancer is to be whole, yet part of something larger.?Intimate with the company, the dancer is one of many and has a purpose; and it is through this recognition that the many parts can work in flawless concert to produce a whole greater than the individuals of their collection.? But for this achievement to be realized, every part must first be complete within itself.
To be a dancer is to work hard.?There are no shortcuts, and there is no easy route.? To dance requires physical and mental athleticism, which can only be achieved through training and will, and while there is no easy path to achieve this, neither is there a singular path.?To appreciate the beauty of the valley, the traveler must view it from the depths of the interior to the peaks of mountains surrounding it, and the route she chooses to take is equally important as the mountains she chooses to climb. There is no correct interpretation; there is only effort and the realization that it does not matter whether a mountain has been climbed before or if it would even be considered a mountain by others, but that the personal journey towards growth is all that exists.
There is no simple way to define a dancer, just as there is no simple way to define a person.?A dancer is at peace while in motion, under control while in full release, and confident in her ability to balance. She is not concerned. She is not proud.
To be a dancer is to be in love.
To be a dancer is to be free. Inhibitions cannot exist, and doubt is not an option. To perform, the dancer must release himself/herself from all thoughts, the most persistent of which being the thought of insecurity, and allow the unconscious to move through the body. Only as the dancer relinquishes the grasp that we all have on controlling and being controlled, can apprehension slide away and the dancer become transparent. As this happens, the dancer too is released, and becomes free to embrace a character or an intention, allowing them to penetrate through the body and be manifestly radiated back outward.?
To be a dancer is to be flexible. With the mind and the body being nothing more than two different interpretations of the Self, before the body can bend, the mind must also be ready; it is a slow process.?
To be a dancer is to be resolute, but accepting of change, and ready to accept that both resolve and change are equally necessary for the construction of a true oeuvre.
To be a dancer is to be whole, yet part of something larger.?Intimate with the company, the dancer is one of many and has a purpose; and it is through this recognition that the many parts can work in flawless concert to produce a whole greater than the individuals of their collection.? But for this achievement to be realized, every part must first be complete within itself.
To be a dancer is to work hard.?There are no shortcuts, and there is no easy route.? To dance requires physical and mental athleticism, which can only be achieved through training and will, and while there is no easy path to achieve this, neither is there a singular path.?To appreciate the beauty of the valley, the traveler must view it from the depths of the interior to the peaks of mountains surrounding it, and the route she chooses to take is equally important as the mountains she chooses to climb. There is no correct interpretation; there is only effort and the realization that it does not matter whether a mountain has been climbed before or if it would even be considered a mountain by others, but that the personal journey towards growth is all that exists.
There is no simple way to define a dancer, just as there is no simple way to define a person.?A dancer is at peace while in motion, under control while in full release, and confident in her ability to balance. She is not concerned. She is not proud.
To be a dancer is to be in love.
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