It is often said that people express themselves through art, but people don’t always realize just how much their life affects their art and vice-versa.
After losing two grandparents recently, I have lost motivation in the activities that I loved. Thus there has been little to no desire to go to ballet. However, I still yearn to dance, so I continue to do so at home and the experience is different.
Though I long to dance, the grief of the loss has made me feel as though I was made of lead. There is simply no energy in the dances I create. Instead, they’re slow and clumsy. My movements staying low to the ground. Even so, there will be times when I am hit with waves of anger and frustration, then the dance picks up with a dark, fiery, energy and movements become sharp, turns grow faster, and steps turn careless.
By the end, the piece is no longer just a dance, but instead, it’s a combination of various emotions that cannot be placed into words. A dance becomes a series of movements that tell a story describing the creator in some shape or form. These types of expressions give a release for those weighted emotions that are unhealthy to keep bottled up.
When it comes to the concept of dance, it’s not just about movements and steps. It’s not entirely about the story-line and characters either, though they are important and highly enjoyable. The part of dance that truly gives substance to a dance and provides meaning is the creator of said dance. Questions should start to formulate about the person who designs a performance piece. What was their reason for creating the dance? What was the purpose of creating a certain performance or a single dance? What is their message? Are they conveying who they are, or are they revealing just a mere fraction of who they are? Is the piece a reflection of an event that happened in the creator’s life? Who are they and what are they saying to me?
A work of art often provokes two main reflecting points:
1. The viewer’s take on the piece and their thoughts and feelings.
2. The artist’s take on their own work.
As a result, an artist’s life reflects in their work. However, the reverse is also true. An artist’s work also reflects in their life.
In the example of dance, dancers will sometimes stand in a ballet position when simply standing around. There have been times when I have personally been caught standing in first position by a friend. If you aren’t familiar with the term “first position,” it is when a person stands with their heels together and their toes facing out.
I’ve heard various stories of ballerinas pointing their toes without knowing what they were doing and being called out on it and asked it they were a dancer. Another time a friend of mine, who is also a ballerina, said that she’s a total klutz (I’m sure many of us can relate), her reasoning, however, was partly due to being a dancer. She noted how when she dances, she has to do one of two things. She is often either looking down and making sure she’s doing a step right, or looking up, “praising God.” My friend stated how neither one is particularly helpful when you’re just walking.
Dancing also reflects in a person's life by helping a person stay active and healthy, both physically and mentally. Thus, art and life mirror each other, at least to some degree.
