Tiny (Strong, Musical, Passionate, Dedicated, Persevering, Versatile) Dancer

8 May 2012Sarah M

Dance has been given a bad rap. Due to the grace and ease with which professional dancers perform onstage, it is a popular belief that dance is “easy,” “simple,” and most insultingly, “not a real sport.” I hate to break it to you, but dance is without a doubt, one of the most demanding sports. Dedication, flexibility, strength, and above all, discipline, are at the core of becoming a great dancer, something one should consider after sitting down to watch this year’s Evening of Dance.

To keep things simple, we’ll take a look at what was going on in Brentwood’s dance studio in preparation for this very special event. For most of the dancers in the Advanced Class, training this year began during the summer, when they were all back home, enjoying their summer “vacation.” Vacations which were spent, for the most part, in their home studios, during summer intensives that crush four months worth of ballet repertoire into ten days. Others may have taken to the road to participate in dance conventions and summer camps, which often take place over five nine-hour days, immersing themselves in jazz, modern, contemporary, hip hop, tap, and musical theatre, pushing themselves to branch out to more disciplines. An experienced dancer is often dancing fifteen to twenty hours a week, strengthening their body for exams and the competition season.

Of course, there just isn’t time in the Brentwood schedule to invest fifteen hours a week, but the dance program overseen by Misses Blake and Chantelle certainly accommodates anyone who is dedicated to the art, and willing to learn. This year the dance program welcomed those of all levels, and all disciplines. Three times a week, the classes gather at their respective times to get caught up in the ebb and flow of one of the most creative arts. Dancers who wish to continue their exam work or participate in more classes are welcome to join extracurricular classes held on campus 6 days a week in Ms. Blake’s studio.

It is with Ms. Blake and Miss Chantelle where training kicks off for everyone. It is under their trained eyes where we learn, enhance our skill, and begin to create our individual ways of movement. Through strengthening the body and the mind, the true mindset of a dancer kicks in, as we strive for higher jumps and quicker turns, all the while fighting to maintain flexibility. When a dancer reaches the level where they are able to focus on the movement of the body rather than the muscles that allow it to happen, one begins to get the feeling that rather than our own limbs moving the air around us, it is the air that is supporting and bending us as we soar across the floor.

Dance is far more than a bunch of girly girls prancing around in tutus. For those who watch, it is an art that truly displays the capabilities of the human body in a way that words cannot. But for those side stage awaiting their turn to perform, it is a marathon, for which training requires the use of our brains, our bodies, and most importantly, our passionate hearts.

Sarah M

Where Students Choose To Be