Just For Starters

My name is Kelsey and I go to college for dance performance and education. I am starting this blog because the world can be somewhat narrow-minded when it comes to views about dance, and my goal is to share my passion for the art form. If I can not make everyone love dance as much as I do, I would at least like to raise awareness so more people could respect and appreciate dance as both an art and a form of entertainment.

This blog is for anyone, from the die-hard dancer to the person who has never seen a performance in their life. I want to go behind the curtain and expose what it takes to be a successful dancer for those who are unaware, and I also want to provide insight and advice for how to improve your performance if you have already begun dancing. Whether dance is just a hobby for you or it is your life's passion and possibly a career, you could benefit from what I have learned in my fourteen years of practice that I am willing to share.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion of what they think of dance, but little do you know, dance can be so much more than just moving across a stage. Dance is an artistic expression of the body, entertainment, a form of exercise, a fun hobby, a way of communicating, a stress reliever, a connection of the mind, body, and spirit, and a cultural experience.

Most non-dancers think of dance solely as a form of entertainment. It is difficult to appreciate the beauty and the art aspect of dance unless you understand the vast variety of ways that the body can move and what it takes to make that movement happen successfully. For example, if you learn how to sculpt and realize how much hard work and patience goes into it, you will surely appreciate it more when you go and see professional work. This is the same with dance because just like any other art form, it takes years of practice to develop technique. Dancers must continually take class along with additional conditioning exercises in order to keep the body in great physical shape. It takes an immense amount of strength, stamina, and flexibility to perform many of the advanced dance pieces we see today. If you go to a dance performance with the knowledge of what a dancer does to prepare for that performance, you will have a newfound respect for dance as an art. Just like sculpture, painting, sketching, and photography, dance is an art form that creates beautiful lines and shapes with endless possibilities. The only difference between dance and other art forms, is the artists use the human body as the instrument.

This is just the tip of the iceburg. There are so many more aspects of dance along with the ways that it benefits society and individual peoples' lives. Stay tuned to as I go more in depth about dance in relation to life and the world.