Welcome to another blog post, dancers! Today we are talking a little bit about artistry and why it is so important in our profession. Dance is inarguably one of the toughest, most physically demanding professions out there. In short, it’s a sport and we as dancers are athletes! However, even though dance is a sport and even though we are athletes, we can’t forget that we are also artists. As a matter of fact, we are artists before we are athletes and that is something that we must always keep in mind.
Art is a very powerful tool in the world that we live in. Whether it be dance, music or film – it’s something that can have such an enormous impact on the way people think, their perception and even change their outlook on certain issues. The art of dance has always had a revolutionary impact that has the power to really get people’s attention. A perfect example of this can be seen in Will “Willdabeast” Adam’s choreography to “Formation” by Beyoncé. Will is a choreographer that is known for his strong choreography that tells a story and his “Formation” choreo was no different. When he uploaded the class video of this dance to YouTube, it spread like wild fire, not only in the dance industry but everywhere! Dancer after dancer, singer after singer, rapper after rapper were retweeting and reposting this dance on their social media accounts, all while giving Will the accolades he highly deserved.
This dance gained popularity not just because of its brilliant choreography but for its artistry. The dance told the story of the song and added a new level of impact to the Beyoncé’s lyrics. As dancers, we have the gift of being able to make music into something that you can see. We have the ability to tell stories with our bodies and since we possess such a gift, it is so important that we put that gift into action. Sure, technique, strength and ability are important. However, in addition to all those things, the most important thing is to use our gift in a way that makes a difference in this crazy world that we live in.
At times, it may seem that we are just a small piece in this huge puzzle, but we are honestly so much more than that! We as artists can have such a huge influence and it is so important that we keep contributing our gift to the world. Now sure, it will take a lot more than just us to “cure the world”, sort to speak, but since we have the platform that we do, let’s use it in a positive way and send a positive message to others! Art and dancing is expression and a way to escape. The feeling that it brings is like no other and we can’t let all the pressures of technicality and physicality dampen our passion for what drew us to dance in the first place: The love for the art. So, always remember that we are artist and if we use our gift wisely, we have the ability to really bring something to the table in this pursuit to better humanity.
Keep dancing!
-Lexi
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