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Julie Nybo Ed Austin Dance 261 April 1, 2014 Dance Philosophy Paper Contemporary dance is fresh motion and movement. It is pure. It is less structured in vocabulary but expressive in body. It is a blend of forms because it is innovative and new. This definition explains a rough definition of contemporary dance. It is hard to pin down the exact definition of contemporary dance because most individuals have a difference in opinion of what it is. I identify more with the contemporary dance genre not that I am claiming to be the best at it but I feel that dance is subject to the performer and contemporary caters towards my artistic mind. I have come up with a metaphor to explain my philosophy of dance: Dance can be compared to a relationship between a two people. When people meet for the first time most instantly decide on a personality type for that newly acquired acquaintance. First impressions are everything. In a sense the first time eyes meet, a perceived definition of that individual is born. As the relationship begins to grow things are learned about each person. Likes and dislikes are displayed as well as values and passions. As the acquaintance rises to the friend status the connections between the people also increases as they both enjoy doing similar activities together. This quote by C.S. Lewis demonstrates this perfectly, Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one(Lewis). At this point it is easier to get along because their interests have aligned to a level of enjoyment. In dance I compare this to when a dancer starts their journey to find their passion.

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A love for movement grows as a dancer takes more classes and learns from teachers. As a young dancer I wanted to go to dance class because we got to skip through hoops and slide around the room with scarves. It was a fun thing to do. There wasnt a lot of structure because we were learning about our bodies. My father took me to the Nutcracker a few times in Salt Lake and I began to fantasize the day that I would be a sugar plum fairy. My passion started with a sense of energy and fun. It then progressed to a desire and love to be in class. This an exploratory time and also is a key to the later feelings toward dance. If someone can engage a young dancer to love movement they will continue to pursue the route of becoming a dancer. Connecting this back to my metaphor my interests started to align with dance as I enjoyed my time spent in the classroom. Continuing with my metaphor. As two people become closer they will find a plethora of strengths as well as weaknesses. The idea that not everyone is perfect creeps into the soul. Sometimes in dance we make mistakes. We begin to see that the perfect ideal is a step by step process. Also, teachers dont always know everything. It is a time for definition revising and continual progression. One of my own favorite thoughts is the beauty of art is in the flaws. If art were perfect it would not be interesting to look at. It would be ordinary or already seen in everyday life. It would not be viewed as something new or innovating. There was a time in my life when I wanted to quit dancing. I told my mom I was done but she told me to push through and finish what I had started. I explained to her that dance was too hard that I was not feeling advancement. I expressed feeling of resentment and not wanting to go to class every week. She explained to me that without work there is no true joy or progression. Collin Powell was right when he stated A dream doesnt become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work(Powell). Success is not just handed it is worked for. Pushing through the hard

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times and moments of weakness make a person stronger. There are steps to accomplishing a goal. Just like no one can just stand up and run a marathon without training, one cannot obtain a dream without working from step to step to do so. This same principle is reiterated by Juma Ikangaa, "The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare"(Ikangaa). In my journey as a teenaged dancer I at first was not willing to work through my weaknesses but with a little persuasion from my mom I stuck with it. It didnt get a whole lot easier but I found more things that I loved about it instead of more things I hated about it. Back to my metaphor relationships are made stronger by finding more of the good and less of the bad. Overlooking or working through hard times make the bond between two people more resilient. In dance accepting our mistakes as a way to grow will only progress our love for the art and make our connection with dance more solid than before. At this point in a relationship a few different routes can be taken. Friends will only stay if the connection is nourished and growing if not it will die. A risk has to be taken. Will the two people continue forward? Or will they retreat? If the decision is to withdraw the likely outcome will be a fresh start at a new relationship with someone new. If the choice is to dive deeper the bond will come increase and trust will reign supreme. Dance has a funny way of pushing you to your limits. Sometimes we have to take risks and hope that it will turn out ok in the end. If we do not take those risks we will not progress and therefore have to start over. Art and creativity is challenging but is also satisfying because of that challenge. "Creativity is an act of defiance. You're asking three universal questions that mock conventional wisdom: Why do I have to obey the rules? Why can't I be different? Why can't I do it my way?"(Tharp). This explanation of creativity by Twyla Tharp stimulates the reasons behind risk. It starts from questions of the heart. I have worked hard for several things in my life. I make goals and make plans of how to reach

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them. Sometimes it consists of practicing every day other times it pertains to reading all I can find about a topic. At the end of the plan or trail I have traveled I find that I discovered a lot by experience and that I would never do it again but I also would never trade what I had learned. Dance is sometimes difficult and we get bruises but it is through those bruises that we find how to do something right or easier. Without that initial risk we would never get to that conclusion. After a successful risk a more profound relationship of love deepens in the heart and soul. Love is a desire and devotion of ones self for the sake of another. Love comes from overcoming experiences and trials. In relation to dance question such as: Why do you come back? What is your motivation? And what are your performance qualities? Come to mind as stimulators for the far reaching inquiries of the why individuals dance. There are different outer reasons but the inner feelings are the drive for all choices. Dance is an art and with art comes questions of the soul. People always want to know what something means. Art doesnt always have to have an explanation but it has to have motivation from something. Trust is one of the major characteristics of having a close relationship. Jess C. Scott communicated this connection by revealing that, When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth(Scott). When a dancer begins to trust the movement coming from their body they can delve into the unknown and the creation of art. Intimate and long lasting even eternal relationships are a continued effort and forever pursuit. The process does not stop when two people fall in love. Everything after that initial bond continues, accentuates, and reoccurs making each step higher, closer together, and stronger. Passion for dance does not stop when the dancer has excitement and love for the first time. Dance is an ongoing learning and educational process. We learn more about ourselves as artists every time we initiate movement from our body. This is the incredible power of art. It is always

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innovating, changing and becoming fresh to the beholder as well as the dancer. It will endure on to the next life and eternally because it is an expression of the feelings of the soul.

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Works Cited Lewis, C.s. The four loves (1960) by C.S. Lewis; Chapter: IV (Friendship) http://www.quoteyard.com/ Powell, Colin. http://www.goodreads.com/quotes313423-a-dream-doesn-t-become-realitythrough-magic-it-takes-sweat Tharp, Twyla A Creative Habit: Use It For Life by Twyla Tharp Scott, Jesse. The Inter. Http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2980674/Jess_C_Scott Ikangaa, Juma. http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/73917-the-will-to-win-is-nothing-without-thewill-to