loving art, science and creative kids

The Studio 

Freedom Through

During these dark days of January, many Americans are asking what it means to be free. Does freedom involve breaking into The People's House and threatening to put a noose around the neck of Vice President Pence? Does it mean bowing to Christian nationalists and conservative militiamen who profess it is only for those who believe as they do. Can it exist in a pluralistic society where one person's freedom doesn't impinge on anther another person's rights? Many of my thoughts around this issue evolved from experiences I had with dance.

My mothered used to say that I was a clumsy child who tripped and fell most every time I walked across the room. As an antidote, she enrolled me in Miss Dorothea's dance academy to learn balance and grace. Mom also took me to performances where ballerinas moved on stage as though they were feathers caught in the wind. The light and playful way they comported themselves as they twirled without getting dizzy and lifted a pointed toe higher than their heads, made what they did look easy. When running across the stage to sail into a waiting partner's arms, I could imagine what it is like to fly free. 

It took me years to understand that being free to move as they did came after years of blending mind and body in a symbiotic relationship. Without having stretched and toned muscles and a trained brain able to direct how the body moves, the dancer is restrained. Dancers also have to know how each limb functions and how various body parts interact with each other. They become practitioners of mind, body, spirit connections through meditation and focus. 

Historians who study international dance gain insight into the way different societies use movement to celebrate the cycles of life. Each culture's approach becomes intrinsically beautiful with no singular way of expression more correct than another. Life becomes more vivid, complex, and fulfilling to students willing to imbibe the ways various people dance in celebration. 

Freedom for a dancer is a nuanced concept responding to music. It means focusing on rhythms and cadence in a score that is usually composed by a stranger. It requires getting into the musician's head, feeling the emotions the composer wants to impart, and expressing them through movement. This is why young people who dance at rock concerts often seem to be in a trance. In truth many are--for as they listen to the melodies and feel the beat, they are freed to display unexpressed feelings bottled up inside.

Dancing is an activity that is rarely done alone. Producing high-quality works of art is a cooperative effort by performers, choreographers, lighting experts, costume designers, etc. Line-dancers in a Texas bar and ballerinas on stage in the corps de ballet, develop a sixth sense about the person dancing next to them. They learn to move without invading their space, making them uncomfortable, or causing an accident. Becoming aware of others, working in a team, and creating a strong supple body, are skills acquired through discipline, commitment, and a work-ethic. The process develops a self-confidence that helps dancers overcome challenges when mastering new goals.

Tolerance, connectedness, and disciple grow from having passion about what you are doing and wanting to share your joy with humanity. For this blog, I could have written about basketball players, Latin, hip hop or classical dancers. I might have chosen musicians, writers, painters, gardeners, or computer programers, those who become expert enough in their field to create unencumbered.

But it was dance that showed me the way to freedom. I saw it as a gift that brings people together in a creative, joyous way. Dancing produces feelings of unity and connectedness, and once your body is trained to react automatically, it brings freedom. And, with freedom comes a power that when shared with others is a positive expression of love. 

But power must be used cautiously. To reside in a country where individuals can express themselves creatively, there has to be respect and honor of personal boundaries. Embracing your neighbors' uniqueness, learning to hear and understand their music, and feeling their presence are not things to be feared. Learning how no not step on toes and to search for beauty in someone else's dance are life affirming actions that make individual freedoms possible. With more tolerance and less "my way or the highway" thinking, we might be able to live up to the tenants of the constitution and avoid another civil war.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Art works are always for sale. For additional information contact me at [email protected]

The Studio / Acrylic painting on canvas, wood frame, $ 399.