As dancers, we are continuously aware that we have to learn so many exciting things. We make the mirror in the dance studio our best friend and work hard at perfecting our dance technique every single day. Striving for success is good, and the perception of being like our ideal does put a lot of pressure on dancers. As dancers, we want flexibility, expression, character, partner-work, jumps and suspension, grace… the list is endless.
When do we feel satisfied? Is that enough when our teacher pats our back and we get a standing ovation for our performance?
It all looks very easy and glittery as an audience. Who sees the sweat, the tears, physical and emotional? What is satisfaction? What if there are some questions that still leave our souls dissatisfied? Or is it an underachievers’ voice that leads us away from seeking perfection and thinking of inner satisfaction first?
I consider “perfection” a mirage. After all, it’s the journey that matters most, rather than the destination. If “perfection” is subjective, then why do we strive for it?
I don’t understand perfection. The only thing that I have understood being a dance student is discipline – mental and physical; and practice. I believe that there are things that are better left unsaid and then there are things that can be understood even in silence. I am philosophical however the only thing that I need to point out is that if one set a goal and achieves it then it’s not difficult to get noticed – by teachers, by the audience, by critics. A personal goal, a personal win automatically leads to fulfilling all our dance dreams.
Where does it leave the audience, whose appreciation is also important? Tap dancers of the past had a magic wand that made them technically perfect as well as fun to watch. Fred Astaire, Bill Robinson, Ginger Rogers, and Gene Kelly were strict disciplinarians, but they were also smart whenever they approached their choreography for Hollywood. They always knew the importance of the audience, never neglecting the technical part either. It’s very difficult to find such a balance.
Dance is an art form. Art can be abstract, but art should not be made out of reach of the audience. Here I may seem to digress from the main point, but after all, being satisfied with your own work is also determined by appreciation from all kinds of audiences.
My ballet teacher, Mr. Patrick Hinson, once told me a short story about how he was once invited to a very famous painter’s house for dinner. Surprisingly, he didn’t find any of his paintings in his home. So he expressed his surprise to the painter. The painter said that if he hung any of his paintings in his home, then he’d be tempted to improve them again and again. This definitely tells a lot about the relationship between the artist and his art, about a creator and his creation. So then, even “satisfaction” becomes a mirage.
Artists live in a different zone altogether. If saints go to the mountains to find peace, solace, and spirituality for their souls, then artists go to their studio to find the same. Does this mean we close our eyes, risk everything, and walk on an unknown path? I hope it won’t be called “escaping from things” but rather “walking towards an energy that dispels all negative beliefs.”
Creating art is a beautiful and imaginative passion. It arises out of lots of questions that we ask ourselves. These questions are not asked to arrive at a perfect, logical answer. These questions are asked to arrive at a conflicting idea. Like the famous Bollywood director, Shekhar Kapur, recently tweeted – Creativity is born of conflict.
Online search will reveal a flood of information about dance training. Dancing is a vast subject. In India, dancers are right now exploring lots of street dances and reality dance shows.
There are few dancers who think ahead and want quality dance education and dance training which is unfortunately not available. There is no scholarship available for western dance neither is there much interest in theoretical and history of western dance.
We read books and try to gain knowledge but no fixed curriculum made by any dance school that can guide/mentor us properly. Different dancers, different perspectives, and different dance goals. Dance training is definitely something that goes a long way in securing a long time dance career. Without a solid foundation and strong roots, a plant cannot grow steadily.
Creation, change, growth happens when we keep the circle moving. Human beings were a gypsy in the past. Movement is natural – for the water, air, land, fire – and the most natural of God’s creation – MAN. Dance is not always for others or for happiness. Dance is an expression of who we are.
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