Expanding Your Horizons One Step at a Time
Across the gymnasium, bodies contorted into long, extended movements on an inhale before collapsing into small shapes on an exhale. Breathing together as a collective lung, our movements resembled a flower garden. We started as small seeds wriggling into reaching roots on the floor, gradually rising to a standing position while continuing fluid transitions between large and small shapes. Each dancer bloomed uniquely with their own style, letting the wind blow them where it may as they innovated and moved in ways that would best honor their bodies’ needs that day. Karla Parbon, a GU dance faculty member and the teacher of our contemporary class, stopped the music and approached us with the mussed hair and sparkling eyes of a true creative-- she told us that if we move and dance “right,” that is, in ways that feel good, we should never have to do static stretching. The realization that treating my body nicely would help me move forward instead of remaining static both literally and figuratively was simple yet profound.
Random side note: one of my volunteer duties involved me getting to drive the golf cart!
Another insight came to me as we completed another activity called “mover and witness.” This is an improvisation exercise that involves watching a partner dance, then trying to mimic their style as they observe. My partner was a strong, charismatic contemporary dancer who used a lot of loose bends, turned in knees, sensual rib and hip rolls, and face touching in his movements. The way he closed his eyes and totally immersed himself in the music and moment was inspiring, as was his comfort in the unconventional--ballet dancers like me are rarely asked to touch their faces, and it is important to keep the hips and ribs still and straight for proper alignment. His abandon reminded me to enjoy these last few days in dance as it was uncertain as to when the next time I would be able to take a class due to the COVID 19 outbreak. I had been told not to take dance for granted by various teachers through the years, but it had not truly hit home until this week--you never know when the last time you will get to take a simple class or even perform due to injury, sickness, and other worldly disasters. ACDA was truly a blessing as it provided the opportunity to experience the peace-bringing nature of totally losing oneself in movement and craft. It also allowed me to really experience true community in action, and the healing power togetherness brings. Not only did mover and witness draw me out of my comfort zone and expand my movement vocabulary, it showed me a different way of relating to fellow dancers. Instead of being jealous of my partner’s movements and dismissing my own ability to dance with such cool quality, I could try his dancing on for size without fear of judgement. This exercise was a pure demonstration of the phrase, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Rather than merely copying my partner, though, I was able to see which aspects of his style “fit” mine and add my own touch. After I finished dancing, my partner told me he noticed that I brought length and beautiful balletic lines to his sensual, undulating style. Touched, I realized how much speaking life into people can really make a difference in their actions. At the end of class, I told Karla how much I loved the exercise as I did not have a huge contemporary vocabulary and felt as though doing mover and witness on my own time could remedy the situation. She responded with surprise and said, “Oh yes you do! I watched you do hip hop, your body likes it!” I felt a warm flame in my belly--this was the confirmation I needed to begin fully pursuing my interest in hip hop, which I felt I had been improving at recently but could not tell for sure. I experienced the same zingy feeling in Intuitive Ballet when Cindy Jones told me I still have that special something. I could feel years of feeling inadequate for being unable to chase my former ballet dreams being healed in that moment.
The entire GU ACDA crew at the final gala
Cindy’s approach to ballet was so special in that it promoted viewing oneself and working toward improvement in healthy ways, which can be so hard to do in a form of dance that demands unattainable perfection. After particularly brain teasing combinations, she would tell us, “all I care about is whether you are practicing the step the combination is primarily made up of. If you need to, slow the tempo or do whatever else you need to do to be successful. Make ballet work for you.” She would also say, “it doesn’t matter how high your leg is, but how straight it is.” These concepts exemplify that one’s endeavors to build a strong technical foundation is more important than overly focusing on how one looks on the outside. It always strikes me how dance lessons turn into life lessons. Rather than worrying about how good or successful I appear to others in challenging situations such as self quarantine, it is more important that I am trying to do “the next right thing” (peep the Frozen II wisdom from Anna--one plus about COVID 19 isolation is that I now have time to watch all the Disney + I want).
ACDA ended on a sweetly heart wrenching high as we were able to hold a small banquet to celebrate all we were able to accomplish despite the many curve balls the week held. While this banquet was not the end of the year we expected, it was awesome to be able to say one last goodbye to the people I’ve had the privilege to grow alongside in the GU Dance Program. I am so grateful to be able to I will continue to hold the insights I’ve gained through my ACDA experience close to my heart during this time, making sure to speak life into people, never taking life’s simple pleasures for granted, attempting to see things from others’ perspective, and being kind to myself and my body no matter the circumstances.
My good friend and fellow GU dancer Clara Buck and I at the end-of-ACDA gala
