When my cousin got married, her mother gave her a gift of living room furniture. My cousin was told she could pick out anything she wanted, and her mother would cover the cost and delivery fees. Sounds wonderful, right? Not. My cousin picked out a sofa in the color and fabric she loved, but her mother didn’t like her choice. She refused to pay for it unless her daughter agreed to her mother’s choice. Not only did my cousin hate her mother’s choice, but the particular fabric made her flesh crawl. Niiiiice.
This actually is relevant to dance and all art. Passing down special choreography to a dancer is like giving a gift, but it can be difficult, because it’s tough to not insist that the new artist have your heart, your interpretation, and your style.
Years ago, my husband choreographed a very special solo for me. I recently felt it was time to pass it down to a very deserving dancer with a special talent for drama as well as dancing. She does a beautiful job with it, but she interprets it and phrases it slightly differently than I did. At first, I kept correcting her and trying to get her to do it as if she was another “me.” She’s not me. I finally came to terms with the fact that, once you give a piece of art away, it’s a gift to the dancer to be used the way she sees fit. Apart from coaching and technical points that need to be addressed, we can’t “correct” or choke someone else’s heart and expression. That part has to be hands-off, and it’s really, really hard for the teacher to keep her mouth shut and not say, “Do it like I did.” Watching your old costume dancing across the stage with someone else in it is not an easy process, but that’s when we can finally see art as a universal gift; it’s when we finally understand the privilege of being a part of it. Art was never meant to be exclusive. It is meant for everyone to experience, whether as the artist or the audience member. Passing it down is the way to keep it going.
Everyone has their own way of speaking their heart, and using different accents and phrasing makes sure that everyone, from many different perspectives, can get the message when we are “speaking dance.” When the dancers can genuinely and sincerely share their heart, they are sharing their personal art. The legacy lives on, because the personality of each artist has room to breathe.
Dance on.
Grace Notes 