Dance Philosophy My definition or philosophy of dance is not a very complex one even though it is well thought out in my mind. Dance is an art performed by either individuals or groups of humans. The body is used to express a purpose, inner feeling, emotion, idea, or experience. It can be used for therapy too. Dance can also be used to perform social, ritual, entertainment, or other performances. The movement is normally performed to either live or recorded music, but can also be to only human breath or rhythm. It is an outward expression of things felt on the inside of the body. Peoples definitions of dance are usually very similar with just slight differences. Most feel similarly about it and what it is. Why isnt there just one definition? Why do people still have slightly different philosophies? The answer is easy. Everyone feels slightly different about what dance is and have their individual philosophies from their own personal experiences that influence what dance means to them. Somebody who uses dance as a ritual may feel very differently about it then someone who does it for therapy. My definition and philosophy of dance is unique. Explanation is needed in order to understand why this is my philosophy. I dance as a way to express my emotions, overcome posttraumatic stress disorder, challenge myself to be better, bring joy to others, and most importantly because its my passion. Dancers have the unique ability to dance what we feel. Our emotions do not need to bottled up like ordinary people or hidden. The more we show our emotion, the better our dance and performances are. There are so many quotes that help and support this. One of my favorites comes from Martha Graham. She said that, Dance is the hidden language of the soul. By expressing what we feel inside it gives others an insight to our
Kristin Geiger
April, 15, 2015
inner thoughts and emotions. (Graham 1) The Hopi Indians have a saying similar to Martha Grahams. Theirs says, To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak. (Russell 3) I think this is beautiful and truly states that our dancing shows what we feel. Sadly, many dancers struggle with showing their true emotions in their dance and only show technique. During my time at BYU, the dance department brought in a guest lecturer. She talked to the dancers about being honest in their dancing by allowing yourself to become emotionally vulnerable. Emotional vulnerability is what separates performers from artists. In order to be a good artist we have to be willing to open up ourselves to the audience. Whatever our pains and emotions are is what we have to offer as dancers. If we apply emotion to the art it will become honest. It was interesting to learn that the deeper we dig in artistic expression; we in turn receive emotional healing from any experiences and emotions that may have caused us pain in the past. My second reason for my philosophy is very personal. During my sophomore year of high school I had an awful experience that left me physically and emotionally hurt. Physical pain and suffering lasted only for a short while, but still to this day as I approach my college graduation, I have to deal with emotional pain. It is not easy to overcome and is nearly impossible to get rid of. I felt very shameful and of little or no value. I was already in dance at the time but found myself pouring all of my time and energy in dance. My therapist told my mother and I that she thought I was improving so quickly and how it was amazing the amount of progress I was making. I thought about it later and realized that my progress was due greatly to my dance. I did research on it later and found that this was something actually recommended by doctors. Dance is proven to help as a form of therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. I am living proof of that.
Kristin Geiger
April, 15, 2015
In my first modern class here there was also an individual that confided in me about his very personal situation. He suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts. He isnt a dance major. The person is actually a biology major. I asked why he danced. His answer was not what I expected at all. He told me how he grew up in a broken home and how he suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts. The only thing that kept him from being depressed was dance. He made it clear that dance was always going to be a part of his life because nothing else had worked. Dance was his form of successful therapy. Dance is an art form that is always changing and that the dancer can always improve with. Because of the continual training and progression one must always keep dancing and learning to stay up with the changes and technique. Ballet is a very obvious dance form in which the dancer can constantly improve even if the dance moves themselves stay the same. The dancer can always do more. Improving technique, artistry, and turn out are only a few of the many things drilled into dancers to constantly be thinking about to improve upon. Sharing emotions with the audience is also one of the things I love most about this art form. The lecturer mentioned previously was also a physiologist. She researched a lot about how dance and therapy relate. Within her research was how humans relate and share emotion with one another. She started off by asking us why people went to our performances. I thought it was to see a good show. Apparently I was wrong. It has been proven that people attend concerts to feel a connection with other humans. She told us a few things that support this. One was called The Attachment Theory. (Bowlby 2) This theory discusses how a baby without an emotional connection to another human will die. This made us very sad but began to open our eyes. She then went on to tell us about the
Kristin Geiger
April, 15, 2015
universal form of torture. This is isolation. She wanted us to really understand that this just goes to show that is how much we need each other! My friends back home always said that when they saw me dance it filled them with emotions. At times I would ask them, with what emotions? Majority of the time it would be similar to the emotion I was feeling or thinking about as I danced. It is amazing that we are able to share emotions with our audience members. The most rewarding part of any performance for me is when someone tells me that watching me dance made them happy or just smile. Making others happy just gives me so much joy inside. The last major reason why I dance is because it is my passion. One of my favorite quotes explains how I feel very well. Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another, This is an anonymous quote that has motivated me a lot. Anyone can move his or her feet and dance, but it takes real heart to dance with passion and for it to mean something. I dont dance because I want to; I dance because I have to. I have also been blessed with the ability to choreograph. This has allowed me to meet so many fabulous people and become more creative. I am able to use my creativity and imagination to make something bigger. A performance that I have created also means so much more to me when I see all my hard work being performed on stage. It is very rewarding to others enjoying dancing my choreography as well as those that are enjoying the performance. It also connects to dance being a challenge, because choreographing takes hard work, patience, and is challenging at first. My teachers have taught me how much fun choreographing can really be. I am just about to graduate college and have accomplished so much already. I have attended conventions in Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas. I have danced in China.
Kristin Geiger
April, 15, 2015
I have met so many successful dancers and choreographers. Many dance legends have been inspirations to me to continue on. My students that I have taught have also motivated me to continue on in this field. My teachers have seen me progress and given me opportunities to perform for my community. Weather it was being a simple Mazurka girl in Coppelia, or the lead of the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, I have loved and embraced every second of being a dancer. All of the tiring and sometimes frustrating rehearsals have paid off. I want others to experience the joy I feel. My passion for people and dance will hopefully combine in the future to form something beautiful. My lifes aspiration is to go to a third world country or low-income community and create a dance program. I hate the stigma that dance is only for the privileged or those that can afford it. I want to give everybody the opportunity to dance. Dance teaches and helps in so many more ways than just teaching steps. It teaches life lessons and great characteristics. Through dance, we can learn to reach goals, persevere, increase memorization skills, and discipline. I know that by sharing my talent of dance with others, I can help them develop great qualities and feel joy along the way. I have chosen this path for myself. I want to give others the opportunity to share my emotion as I perform until I can no longer perform. After that I want to choreograph so dancers may perform what I still feel I need to share with audiences. I desire to share dance with the world. The joy that dance brings me is irreplaceable and I wish nothing more for people than to share my philosophy of dance. Humans need to see that it is an art form that is a blessing to everyone that participates and views it.
Kristin Geiger
April, 15, 2015
Work Cited
Kristin Geiger
April, 15, 2015
Bowlby, J. (1977) The making and breaking of affectional bonds. I. Aetiology and psychopathology in the light of attachment theory. British Journal of Psychology, Vol. 130, Issue 3. Retrieved from http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/130/3/201.short
Graham, M. (2002, Spring). 20 year retrospective: I am a dancer. Attitude - the
Dancers' Magazine, 16, 17. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/2181304?accountid=4488
Russell, L. (2011). Borrowed dances: Appropriation, authenticity and performing
'identity' in prescott, arizona, 1921-1990. Australasian Drama Studies, , 39-52. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1326395062?accountid=4488