Every new generation of dancers has something thrilling to offer their audiences, the current generation especially.  Their hyper-extension, their multiple turns, their seemingly impossible balances; all thrill and delight those who watch them, myself included.

The aesthetic I ascribed to when I was a ballet student was that of Margot Fonteyn’s, a quintessential ballerina whose emotional intensity, perfect proportions, and beautiful, kind face gave her dancing an artistry that was unparalleled in her time.  We look back on some of her performances and marvel at “how far we have come” where technique is concerned, but I have to ask, what happened to the artistry?  Is it even being taught anymore in the smaller schools across the country?  It seems the focus today is on who can jump the highest and do the most tricks in the air … or who can balance the longest … or who is the most flexible … or who can do the most turns.  Artistry has taken a back seat to tricks.

I have many friends who send me videos of young dancers, which I appreciate greatly, however the vast majority of them I can only watch for a few seconds before I stop the videos.  They are all the same … young dancers with hyper extension, emoting to songs whose lyrics are far removed from their own life experiences … their acting only as deep as their furrowed brows, the choreography derivative.  To put it simply, today’s newest generation of dancers bore me.

Dance was my life.  I was one of those who knew in my gut if I ever lost the use of my legs, I would have to kill myself.  Youthful angst played out in my passion for movement, and a profession that was chosen for me when I was very young.  I rebelled along the way, wanting boyfriends and school dances over going to class, but eventually, I came to understand my responsibility to the gift I was given.  Honoring our gifts as dancers is a tenet that gets passed down to every new generation of dancers.  The perfection required of putting our bodies into these exact positions and shapes is what drives our passion for dance.  I remember when I was probably around 8; going into the studio my dad had built in our garage.  We had just finished dinner and I asked to be excused so that I could work on perfecting a single pirouette from second position … something I had struggled with in class that day.  I just couldn’t get my weight placement over my supporting leg quick enough to complete the turn.  I sweated bullets to figure this dang thing out and kept turning, over and over again, until I finally got it.  Weird that I remember this so vividly, but muscle memory is an astonishing thing.  Right now, I could stand up from behind my computer, and execute a single pirouette from second position, probably a bit wobbly, but my body would remember how to do it none the less.

I have been playing with the idea of going back to teaching.  The only thing that keeps me from doing so is the thought that, if today’s young dancers truly care only about tricks, then what will I teach?  I have no interest in who can jump the highest, but I do have interest in showing a dancer how to connect his or her movement in a way that will transport them to an other worldly place.  Sadly, the transcendence that Margot Fonteyn offered her audiences seems passe to today’s aesthetic.

I am not one who thinks yesterday was better.  I live in the present, and create for today, so I am not saying the dancer’s of yesterday were better, because they weren’t.  Dancers today are phenomenal.  My mother used to say someday we will fly, and I’m beginning to believe her.  I just think artistry has taken a back seat to tricks, but then, if the audience wants tricks, then tricks it is.  I seldom watch any of the competition shows on television, although I do enjoy The Voice once in a while.  While there is wonderful talent featured on these shows, the production values are on steroids, the editing of the applause and the audience’s enthusiasm in-authentic.  The judges are there mostly for their own egos, with a few exceptions of course.  These shows are built for today’s audiences, audiences who need to have a vested interest in the emotional and personal life of the performer.  The producers create gut-wrenching stories about the performers in which to pull the audience in, and they have done this brilliantly.  These shows are incredibly popular.  They are the perfect panacea for our day.

Arts and Entertainment must change with the times and stay relevant to trend.  I have always believed that.  I love new voices, new thoughts, forward thinking, innovative ideas.  These things have driven my career for 50+ years.  I do think, however, there comes a time when we realize that it’s okay to not be a part of emerging trends and that relaxing into things we once knew are comforting and beautiful in their own way.  I want to become the audience now, and let someone else’s performance wash over me without knowing the minutae of how it came to be.  Let the curtain rise, and then transport me.