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Self Expression in Dance

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Jorgensen 1

Heidi Jorgensen

Ed Austin

Dance 459

25 March 2014

Self Expression in Dance

“Dance isn’t something you do. It’s 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

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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 body’s

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

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Heidi Jorgensen Ed Austin Dance 459 25 March 2014 Self Expression in Dance “Dance isn’t something you do. It’s 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 ...
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