Jorgensen 1 Heidi Jorgensen Ed Austin Dance 459 25 March 2014 Self Expression in Dance Dance isnt something you

do. Its a way of life. Dianna Chadwick Andrews-Gather, one of my modern teachers from my home studio, said this to us as a class one day. It really hit me. I was still quite young when she said this, but it helped me realize that dance definitely was for me. As Martha Graham said in I am a Dancer, you do not choose dance, it chooses you. For a large part of my life, dance was just something I participated in as an activity. It was fun, and I loved it. I have learned and continue to learn more and more every day that it is not just something I do as an extracurricular activity. Dance is in the top of the list of truly most important factors in my life. It is what I chose to study in depth, and it will hopefully play a key role in my future career. I am still trying to get used to the fact that dancing is not just something I do on the side, but it is my main focus with the college-level education I am obtaining. As most people understand, those involved in the arts are extremely expressive with what they do. Art is something very deep and personal that can be communicated through many different means. For some it might be music. Others may express themselves through painting or acting, and the list goes on. For me, I express myself through dance. Dance is communicating what is in your soul through the movement of your body. I feel as though dance fully aids in the connection of body, spirit, and mind. Our creator has blessed us with these wonderful things called bodies. Every single body is unique in its own ways. There are so many different things going on inside of us that all work

Jorgensen 2 together to help our bodies function. It is incredibly hard to fathom. I have come to fully understand how necessary it is for dancers to have knowledge of the human body. Before I came to college, and I saw that a Dance Major would have to take an anatomy course, I did not really understand why that was necessary. Well, that has changed quite a bit. I fell in love with the class, and I will have been teaching in the lab for eight semesters by the time I graduate. Learning human anatomy has fascinated me. It has made me realize that we should all have knowledge of our body. After all, we use it all day every day. I feel like learning where the muscles, organs, and bones are, as well as learning how to use them can fully aid in how we facilitate our bodies to dance. Not only can it help us move properly, but having this knowledge can help prevent or treat injury. It is an inevitable fact that dancers will get injured. Having that basic anatomy knowledge can help with the different things our bodies go through so that we can dance to the best of our ability for the longest time we can. Another reason for obtaining knowledge about the body is for health and diet reasons. Because dancers are so active, they need to make sure that they are getting the right amount of everything vital for the bodys performance quality. Dancers should be conscious about eating a nutrient-dense diet with adequate caloric and calcium intake (Clippinger 7). Many people do not realize how important it is to obtain as much knowledge of the body as they can, especially dancers since they use their bodies in a variety of ways that seem unnatural. Dancers cannot dance without using their bodies. As a dancer, I understand how vital my body is in my life and how much I need to take care of it so that I can use it for what I love most. Our bodies truly are a gift to us from our Heavenly Father. I feel that a great way in thanking Him for that gift is by using it in a variety of ways, such as dancing. Dancing is a great way of showing joy and thanks for what we have been given. Because we are directly connected

Jorgensen 3 with our bodies in dancing, our spirit is connected as well. Dancing is a wonderful way of tuning in with our spirit because we become fully aware of our self. Many different dance or exercise techniques can help us tune in to our spirit such as yoga, pilates, or somatics. These types of techniques help one tune into their breath and the full use of what the body can do. Doing this can help someone become fully aware of their body. Throughout my years here at Brigham Young University, I have realized more than ever how our spirits and the Holy Ghost can be evoked through our dancing. Because members of the church have such a light about them, dancing is an instrument to share that light with other people. Being able to dance and perform has helped me feel the more bonded to my Heavenly Father, and that relationship helps me connect the physicality of dancing to the spirituality. Dance uses muscles and bones, but the motivation comes from within. Some people might think that dance is just something physical, but it plays an enormous role in your mind as well. Jim Taylor stated, Unlike physical and technical skills, psychological skills are not tangible (5). Finding the balance between being right brained and left brained can help us become better-rounded. Many think that dancers are all over the place, and they have no skill of organization because of their liberal, artistic nature. Dance does not just have a creative side. There is plenty of logic involved when figuring out partner work, coming up with choreography, finding efficiency in movement, learning the science behind the movement, or even sequencing a combination. Therefore, dance involves an intuitive aspect and an analytical aspect. Because the dance world is such a competitive one, people are always trying to become better and better. We practice all the time so that we can improve. I know that at least in my mind, I feel as though sometimes I will never be good enough. You can never reach full perfection. There is constantly something you can be working on to improve. From personal

Jorgensen 4 experience, I know that being a dancer has definitely impacted me psychologically. I have become a perfectionist, and I always want to be the best. I know that is not going to happen, but in my mind that is what I want. It is so emotionally draining when you feel like you are not good enough. It is extremely discouraging when you are constantly next to amazing people who can do four pirouettes perfectly or those who have incredible extension. Everybody handles these situations differently. I change on a daily basis. Sometimes, I feel like giving up because I will never be good enough. I get so frustrated with myself. Most of the time, I try not to let it get to me, but I use these situations as a motivator to help me become more determined to improve. It is a whole different world when you leave your home studio and dance in college. Furthermore, I realize it will be an even newer world leaving college and entering into the reality of adulthood with my chosen profession. I have come to realize that everybody is their own person. Nobody in the world will dance just like me. We all move differently and beautifully. Besides the mental aspect in striving for perfection, dance acts as an outlet for things that build up inside. I know that whenever I feel strong senses of emotion, I feel like dancing them out. There is no greater escape than to express what I feel inside through my body on the outside. It makes me feel so alive. Dancing acts as an outlet for what is in our mind. Through the body, spirit, and mind, dance is such a creative and useful way for people to express themselves as individuals. Everybody is different and can do different things. My philosophy of dance has changed and developed so much throughout the past few years, and I bet it will continue to expand. In the past, I thought of dancing as having solid technique and performance skills and being the top dancer. Of course, I still had fun, but I was looking at dance for the wrong reasons. Before I came out to Brigham Young University, I knew that I would not be the best. Not only was I entering a much larger area with a much larger population, but I was

Jorgensen 5 going to B.Y.U., which has so many talented people. As I finished my first semester many years ago, I definitely saw improvement in my dancing. I may have been very good at home, but I was definitely not as good as I may have thought when I came to college. I realized that it is not just about being the best. The dance professors here have helped me realize that dancing is about expressing yourself and most of all, having fun and doing what you love. One of my ballet teachers, Suzi Wood, said something in class one day that really affected me, Youre not dancing in college because your mom is making you. Youre doing it because you love it. I have come to understand that even though this profession is extremely grueling, mentally and physically, it is what I love. Dancing is about happiness, beauty, elegance, strength, drama, and celebration, and we can show all of that joy through this beautiful form of art. Dance has helped shape me as a person by not only helping me become familiar with my body, but with how I think and how I look at life. I live to dance, and I dance to live.

Jorgensen 6 Works Cited Clippinger, Karen S. Dance Anatomy and Kinesiology. 2007. Web. 8 April 2011. Graham, Martha. I am a Dancer Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance. 2000-2010. Web. 8 April 2011. Taylor, Jim. Psychology of Dance. 1995. Web. 8 April 2011.