I Will Not Merely Move

Chloe Peel
Dance 261: Orientation to Dance
November 21, 2016

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Upon the music of my life, I will not merely move, I will dance!1 That is what I live for and
that is what I strive for as a dancer. It takes passion, and that passion comes with time and
sacrifice. The passion that I hold deep in my heart for dance did not appear overnight, and it will
never, for anyone. There must be hours spent in the studio creating and practicing, which
includes the failing moments and the successful ones. Hours spent learning grace, performance,
and drive. With these hours put in, the rewards are felt even deeper and greater. Like anything in
life, the more time we spend on something, the more connected we feel to it. That truth holds the
same value when it comes to the art of dance. Those who spend their lives shaping themselves
into the dancers they want to become, will find that passion within them, that motivates them like
nothing else can. Without passion, you are nothing. You can create nothing.
Dance is not for everybody. I remember growing up and spending multiple studio hours with
many different girls. In the end, the majority of those girls eventually quit dancing because they
decided they didnt have what it took or they werent enjoying the time they were putting in. To
me, this never made sense. I didnt understand why everyone didnt LOVE it! That love came
naturally for me. And I know that love is a blessing. One of my heroes, Martha Graham, is a
beloved pioneer of dance. She once said, People have asked me why I chose to be a dancer. I
did not choose. I was chosen to be a dancer, and with that, you live all your life.2 I agree with
her in this statement and can say that I also feel as if I was chosen to be a dancer. I think when
people tell me Youre a natural on stage! or You were born to dance! that those statements
mean more than what they sound. Dance was meant to become a part of me and has completely
shaped me into the person I now am. I see how my dancing affects those around me, not just
myself, and that confirms to me that dance is supposed to be a part of me. Not only am I deeply
1 Miller, Haley.
2 Graham, Martha. I Am a Dancer. 1952

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connected to it, but my close friends and family now have a deep appreciation for the art form as
well because they have seen through me, what it means. My parents tell me over and over that
there is not a dance performance they sit through watching me, without crying. Dance is a whole
new level of the human experience and carries so many emotions with it. Emotions that cannot
be accessed in any other way. Dance opens up an important window in the human body that
otherwise stays hidden. Ted Shawn stated: I believe that dance communicates mans deepest,
highest and most truly spiritual thoughts and emotions far better than words, spoken or written.3
Dance portrays emotion in a way that nothing else can.
I love dance because it always carries a challenge with it. Whether you accept that challenge is
your choice, but it is always there. Dance requires all of the energy within you, to improve and
make changes. Some of my most frustrating moments in life have been in the studio on days
when I feel like I am just not connecting to my body, and I am unable to advance. I have many
memories of me leaving the studio after many long hours and wondering why I am still trying.
Im not getting anywhere is what I would tell myself. These depressing moments are when I
end up progressing the most. I realize that I am human and I will never be perfect in dance. But
that gives me reason to work towards as close to perfection as I can get. This humbleness mixed
with dedication to hard work creates the perfect balance of desire and confidence, shaping me
into a more mature dancer, every day.
Dance is broad and ever-changing which is healthy because it keeps you refrained from
getting too complacent in places where things could be improved. When you are immersed
enough in dance, you naturally always want more. I am constantly wanting to watch more dance,
to learn more dance, and to hear about more dance. It changes perspectives. It changes the mind
into an art itself. Through dance, the mind becomes a creative sanctuary where ideas are
3 Shawn, Ted. AZquotes.com

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constantly being stirred and generated. Everything looks different. All art looks different. And I
believe I see it differently because of the dedicated dancer that I am. I have a deeper appreciation
in my heart for the arts and I see them as all being unique and special.
I live to perform. I realize that is why I keep dancing. Performing is one of my deepest
and most joyous passions. The feelings are indescribable of being on the big stage, bright, hot
lights shining on you, in costume feeling beautiful, knowing there is an audience that came to
enjoy your talents. There is something so different about practicing in a studio, and then moving
to a real stage with audience members observing. It carries a sense of freedom with it. You have
worked hard, perfecting choreography and musicality, and now it is your time to access all
emotion, to really feel it, and to help others feel it too. Performance is beautiful! Beckanne Sisk,
my favorite ballerina dancing for the professional ballet company in Utah, Ballet West, once was
asked the question, Why do you dance?. She replied with a simple and profound answer; I
dance to perform. I just love it. I always get on stage and do something I never did in the studio
or in rehearsals. It is something else.4 When it comes to performing, that is where I am
reminded of why I continue to work so hard. It is exhilarating! The audience applauding, the
words of encouragement and satisfaction from fellow dancers and choreographers, the feeling
after a good show, it all makes it more than worth it.
Youhavetolovedancingtosticktoit.Itgivesyounothingback,nomanuscriptsto
storeaway,nopaintingstoshowonwallsandmaybehanginmuseums,nopoemstobeprinted
andsold,nothingbutthatsinglefleetingmomentwhenyoufeelalive.5
I have learned that dance is hard. Every element that goes into dance is hard. But more than that,
it is rewarding. Dance has brought me some of my most loved and trusted friendships and some
of my utmost joys. I know that dance never has to end for me. It will always be a world of
4 Sisk, Beckanne. Ballet West 3D- 360, youtube.com
5 Cunningham, Merce. The Dancer and the Dance

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exploration and discovery and a world that I will cherish forever.

Bibliography
1. Haley Miller, Captures Photography.
2. Graham, Martha. "I Am a Dancer." 1952.

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3. Ted Shawn. AZQuotes.com, Wind and Fly LTD, 2016.
http://www.azquotes.com/quote/268683, accessed November 20, 2016.
4. Sisk, Beckanne. "Ballet West - 3D 360." www.youtube.com. January 22, 2015. Accessed
November 20, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4EZhjH-XmY.
5. Cunningham, Merce and Lesschaeve, J. (1992), The Dancer and the Dance. Marion Boyars
Publishers.