A Journey of Self Discovery through Dance
Like most students of the dance, I began with a series of basic classes. This left me able to string movements together, but I was left with a lingering idea that there was much more to this art form. I struck out on a quest to find a deeper understanding of dance. This quest leads me to Albuquerque, New Mexico and to a well known dancer, Amaya.
Amaya became my teacher and mentor. The first lesson I had with her she said “You need a style.” I replied, “A style? What style? I thought I had style!”
I was at a loss. She asked me what dancers I liked and who I wanted to dance like. As I begun listing names, she immediately noticed that I was fighting my nature and my background. That day I learned that I should not try to emulate others, but instead I needed to find my personal strengths and use those to my advantage. I was trying to be grounded and earthy. This is something that I am not built for; it is something that is against my nature. I had an extensive ballet background and I was used to being lifted, on the balls of my feet, and more light and airy. I went back to Texas and went back to the drawing board. Amaya taught me many things but she also started me in a journey of self discovery.
Over the next few years I learned a lot but I also learned to put everything in relation to how I could use it, and not to replicate what others do. I quit writing down other dancer’s combinations at workshops and started focusing on concepts and ideas. Then I had to figure out how those concepts and ideas related to me and my “style”.
The more I danced professionally the more I discovered that even the costumes I chose affected the way I looked, felt, and danced. It was amazing how much changing the style of costume I was wearing changed the whole feeling of the dance and the way that the audience perceived me. I found a music style that fit me better, one that I felt comfortable with and that I could relate to. It had the classical feel that I was familiar with. I learned that along with costuming, my choice of music could affect the way I danced and the way that I felt.
I opened a studio and began teaching, and as my students got progressively more advanced I began to lead them down the path that I had followed. However, to my surprise, I began learning from them. It one was one thing to figure out how these things related to myself, but now I was helping each dancer find herself in the dance. I learned that each person not only learns differently, but also hears music differently. They all come from different backgrounds that affect their style and concepts of dance and movement. Each one has different strengths and weaknesses. All of these things are a part of each woman; they make them who they are and create their own personal style. It is now my job to help my students discover how all of these things can be great instruments in their dance.
Now that I have come full circle, there are a few important things that stand out in my mind. Dance is art; it is subjective and a matter of personal taste and style. The most accomplished dancers have a personal style that represents who they are more than the country that they are from or the “style” they choose to represent through their dance. Style is more than copying a dancer you like; it is expressing who you are through movement. It is important to never stop learning and to never close your mind. Sometimes even your students have something to offer. As Amaya says, “Dance is dance.” It is not right or wrong; it is an ever evolving expression of who you are.