Musings on a Timeless Art

So it's 12:41 am and I should be sleeping (or at least getting ready for bed, since I spent all of last night in the office) but instead I've spent the past hour watching ballet videos on youtube. First I was just checking out some videos of Gillian Murphy, one of today's most technically amazing ballerinas (yes, her pirouettes are phenomenal!) , but then I started searching out older videos of some of my childhood idols. I stumbled across one of Natalia Makarova (in my mind, probably one of the world's greatest artists, and an extremely versatile ballerina) in class getting corrections from one of her teachers. There were also some other interesting clips of class at American Ballet Theatre in what looked to be the early 70's. Even though it was more than 30 years ago, the dancers did the same steps we do today, wore similar dance clothing (even rolling their tights up the way I frequently do), and talked about similar issues ("oh gosh, look at her, she's never going to get into a company." "you need to do a double tour after that arabesque." etc.) Watching all of this reminded me that the art I have chosen to pursue is extremely steeped in tradition, with steps, styles, and techniques being passed down through generations. The survival of this art is thus dependent on those who teach it, and teach it well! Classical technique in any discipline survives because there are those willing to pass it on. (just look at what's going on with Yoga these days!) I can't believe I am about to become a part of this tradition - I feel very lucky and honored that people are actually putting their faith in me to carry on the legacy of dance. I just hope that I can show my students how wonderful it is to be a part of history and how we are all connected to one another.