Why Dance?
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Learning to walk sets you free. Learning to dance gives you the greatest
freedom of all: to express with your whole self the person you are.
~ Melissa Hayden
At the Dance Workshop, we believe there's a reason that dance is so often used
as a metaphor for living. Regardless of one's personal goals, there is always
some aspect of dance that reflects that aspect of life. The experience of dance
has an effect, no matter one's age, on body, mind, and creative spirit.
Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music.
~William Stafford
For the very young, it provides an introduction to both the art form and their
bodies, providing opportunities to learn language, "hear" music, rhythms, and
tempos, to better understand themselves in space, to build muscular symmetry
and the brain patterning that also compliments academic learning. It provides
opportunities to explore their world through movement and celebrate those
explorations.
I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.
~ Vincent van Gogh
There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated
through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time,
this expression is unique. ~ Martha Graham
For the dancer who is considering a professional career in dance, there is the
rigorous athleticism that focuses on safely building strength, balance, flexibility,
endurance, coordination, and agility. There is also the development of focus,
personal responsibility, and discipline, married to the joy of movement. It is the
integration of physical being with creative spirit, and the development, if you will,
of a voice that speaks louder than words.
Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery. ~Martha Graham
Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.
~ Doug Firebaugh
For the avocational dancer, it provides the balance that many seek in a high-tech
culture, a process for becoming who you always wanted to be, a part of the
continual journey of self-discovery. As a "quality of life" component, dance allows
a person to more deeply understand their body's capabilities, what it means to be
present and in the moment, how to invite creativity into their lives, and share this
with a community that values this physical expression of life.
You don't stop dancing because you grow old, you grow old because you
stop dancing. ~Author Unknown
It's never too late to start, and it's always too soon to stop. ~ Walter Bortz
For the older dancer, it provides an opportunity either learn or return to the art
form, and their bodies, providing opportunities to learn new languages, pro-
actively fight off loss of muscle and bone density, while maintaining neural-
plasticity, enhancing memory and creative thinking skills, in addition to building
flexibility, balance, strength and coordination. It provides opportunities to explore
the power of coupling a lifetime of experience with movement and music, and
celebrating those explorations with others.
Life may not be the party that we hoped for…But while we’re here, we
should dance. ~ Author Unknown
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to be over, it’s about learning how to
dance in the rain. ~ Author Unknown
For the injured or physically-challenged dancer, it provides an opportunity to take
action on one's own behalf, in a safe and supportive community, to maintain or
improve one's physical skills, while celebrating the joy of movement and the joy of
now.
"I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better
than myself." - Mikhail Baryshnikov
The Dance Workshop is not a competition studio. While that aspect of dance has
an understandable appeal for some, too often the process of building solid core
technique falls by the wayside as the focus of competition centers on product and
learning "tricks" for that product. Our focus is on building strong, sustainable,
technical skills, in a positive environment, while providing multiple opportunities for
performance, for those dancers who want more experience in moving from studio
to stage.
The journey between who you once were, and who you are now
becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place.
~ Barbara De Angelis
I believe that there are many possible paths for this journey, and that dance in
one of them. To this end, our faculty possesses a wide range of professional
training and experiences in the art form, including teaching, performance, and
creating choreography. Also, to this end, we offer training in a diverse selection of
movement techniques, providing a "multi-lingual" dance experience with both
depth and breadth for dancers. Van Gogh's quote, cited earlier "I am always
doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it." brings us to our motto:
Shaping the future, one dance class at a time!
Come and dance with us!
Pamela
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