Dance

Poise. Posture. Power. Point. Process. Pain... I'm out of "p" words. This morning I observed the advanced class at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. History time: Martha Graham was an innovative dancer, specifically during the 1950's but the woman's career spans decades. Basically developed an entirely new technique all her own that shaped American modern dance. For further info, look it up or ask any dancer.

Back to my story, I snuck into a chair at the back of the dance studio, the accompanist was playing drum and piano as the class had begun their floor warm-up. The straight back of each dancer was contagious and made me sit up in my own chair. The focus each dancer maintained drew me into their movements as well. I found myself swaying with their movements. As they contract, my own core tightened; my head tilts back with them; my toes point and flex with the class; it was all I could do to spring from my chair when they did their jumps across the room! Right.

Knowing so little about dance, terminology, combinations, etc. I found it all the more impressive when the instructor quickly spouted out each exercise, doing half motions herself and then the music started and the class was in sync with each other. My eye continued to follow the same few dancers in the room; the stronger dancers who moved with more control, more full expression and grace. I would watch others but always came back to the same few. Its mesmerizing to watch such grace knowing that there is so much effort behind each beautiful movement. Come to find later that one I had continually spied was in the Martha Graham Company! Nice!

A memorable moment came when the dancers were warming up their jumps across the floor. They would do three little jumps then little kick, springy things moving forward (like my dance vocab?). They did two passes then the instructor stopped and turned to us and asked us if we had a comment. I probably had the most dumbfounded look on my face. I thought I was invisible and now I am being directly addressed with a question about their feet as they move across the floor. WHAT?! I just kinda laughed and said I had nothing to say. I didn't know what I would be looking for. I'm pretty sure anything I would have said would have been WRONG. Nothing like a good dose of humility.

Truly an inspiring and incredible experience! I'm wonder what else in NYC I can observe...