Rebecca_Walton

The Magic of Movement

written, photographed, and designed

by Rebecca Walton

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Dedicated to...

All my fellow dancers, choreographers, family,

Freestyle teachers and students who have helped me create this book.

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Acknowledgements I want to give a big thank you to Justin Li, Kenya Dream founder. He gave my partner and me special privileges at the Ken-ya dance so I had the opportunity to interact with some professional dancers. He has been incredibly helpful and thoughtful.

Justin Li -

I can’t thank my teachers enough for all that they’ve taught me. They have given me opportunities students can’t usually get anywhere else. From the equipment to the lessons, I feel very privileged. Their readiness and availability to assist me in this journey has been absolutely amazing.

Freestyle Teachers -

Goldstar has allowed me to explore my own dance side. I’ve been able to immerse myself in the dance world and find the beauty in it in my own personal way.

Goldstar has helped me discover this by giving me the privilege to be on their competitive hip hop teams. They’ve challenged me and pushed me hard to work.

Goldstar Gymnastics -

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Two dancers from the Academy of Villains

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T A B

Foreword...

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Chapter 1...

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Introduction...

L E O F

Chapter 2...

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Chapter 3...

O N T

Conclusion...

E N T S 6

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A girl joins a breakdancing circle outside the Ken-ya Dance event

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Foreword

I, myself, am not a professional dancer. To find passion in a subject, a person simply needs to find the core of it. I began dancing and I enjoyed it. As I matured as a dancer, I matured as a person. As I started to dance with more intensity, my brain gained complexity. I began to find new layers and levels to things. I analyzed behaviors and my surroundings. This had led to my fascination with how dance impacts the human being. As a child of a psychologist, I’ve grown up with psychoanalyzing. My mother would be the first person to point out a specific behavior of mine. It’s her instinct to nitpick life and study it. After years of developing, I began to do the same.

However, I’m not here to talk about psychology. This is dance. What I was trying to say was: psychology is truly everywhere. Since I’m a dancer, I happened to begin studying dance itself. It turned out to be an incredibly interesting topic. Its nature is so complicated and amazing. We always hear people saying dance is ‘beautiful’ or ‘graceful’ or ‘fun’. Little do they know, there’s much more to it.

Once I began analyzing the psychological effects behind dancing, I realized there were even more layers within this fascinating activity, dance.

I’ve found that there are physical side-effects as well. This was when I

learned about the life skills people obtain from dancing.

I could go on forever about the benefits of dancing. However, as a dancer, I could also just simply talk about how cool of a sport it is. The variety dance entails is so convenient for all those who want to begin dancing. Its lack of boundaries and plethora of options makes it a truly unique activity.

After my years of growing up and dancing, my frustration has also increased. I would love to share the beauty of dance with the world. I would love to have people realize what it can offer and what it can do for a person. It’s difficult to do, though, because I can’t force people to support an activity. All I can do is share my knowledge on a topic and hope for the best.

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*A dance sculpture

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Introduction

“Take a risk and reveal your hidden talents”.

These wise words were said by Cheryl Burke in her book, Dancing Lessons. Throughout the book, she reinforces the fact that anyone can dance. Once one finds his or her passion and motivation, they will learn to love it.

In case the name Cheryl Burke sounds unfamiliar, I’ll clarify that she is on the show Dancing with the Stars, a hit reality show on television. She is paired up with a celebrity who wants to explore the nature of dance and takes them under her wing by teaching a multitude of styles of dance. However, it wasn’t rare for her to be paired with someone who was unwilling to conform to some dance etiquette that experienced dancers consider commonplace.

One of her greatest struggles was working with Tom DeLay, the former majority leader of the House of Representatives. The theme that week for the two was the “cha-cha”. Unfortunately, Tom DeLay was extremely resistant to acting outrageous and sensual in the choreography. Luckily, Cheryl was able to convince DeLay that the crowd would not judge him and that dancing unconventionally was not a crime.

She also later inferred that “Tom started to infuse the routine with his personality. He got comfortable with the basic moves of the cha-cha, then added his own flavor to the mix: a few hip moves, a few booty shakes, and a little bit of pointing with his finger did the trick”. Cheryl had seen this transformation before.

She also felt the hint of satisfaction from causing someone to conform to the dance lifestyle. She even wrote in her book, “I knew he’d catch the Dancing bug!” (29). She describes it as if it’s infectious!

Why should we care about Cheryl Burke’s experience? In fact, why should we care about dance in general? I mean, according to the dictionary, all dance really is is “moving rhythmically to music”. How does Cheryl Burke dancing have anything to do with us? Well, let me tell you about my experience with dance.

Just like most little kids, I was put into a class against my own will when I was younger. I complained to

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my mom about lessons, soreness and time. After a few years, I became apart of a competitive team with Goldstar Gymnastics. After a year or so of being on this team, I realized how much I was enjoying myself when there and how I’ve developed as a dancer.

After reading Cheryl Burke’s book, Dancing Lessons, my knowledge on the topic of dance was enriched.

I saw a new aspect to it thanks to her passion that she expressed to us readers. I then realized how important dance is to me and lots of others. The part that frustrates me is the lack of knowledge and appreciation of dance in Western society. What most people don’t realize is how dance can teach people life skills. Being on a team or in a class or being consistent with any activity has a real impact on a person’s behavior and society as a whole. Even I, myself, didn’t realize the significance of dancing while dancing, when really there are a plethora of layers to the activity.

But really, why does dance matter? What does it have to offer us? Actually, dance has a tremendous impact on an individual. It even affects people who watch it. What most people don’t know is the science behind dance. There is a complex system of brain activity while dancing; it’s also active when watching it. Most people know that exercise alone is an important factor to happiness and relaxation. While dance does offer that benefit, there are more effects of it as well. I know this to be true because there is an actual profession, a Dance Psychologist, such as Dr. Peter Lovatt.

Lastly, no one can deny the fact that dance is one of the most versatile activities out there. Culturally, socially, stylistically. There are a ton of spectrums within dance. I personally chose to do hip hop, a style choice, and be on a competitive team. However, I have a friend, Freja, who is a ballet-dancer. We chose these different types for reasons. There’s the beauty of dance. It’s suited for everyone. One could argue that there isn’t a style for them. Well, guess what? They can make their own; dance has no boundaries.

“Always embrace new adventures” (17).

Even professional dancer Cheryl Burke agrees with me.

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Chapter 1: Life Skills

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“Students will gain respect of oneself and respect of others while learning to cooperate and work as a group.�

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What do Sheri Green, Cheryl Burke, and I have in common? We all know what it’s like to go through dance lessons as a child, even though we all had different experiences. We all had similar reasons for joining, though. Our parents wanted us to join because it could teach us many life skills. People are put into dance classes for a variety of reasons: enjoyment, exercise, practice for a career, etc. Along with being a very enjoyable activity, it has a lot of long-lasting benefits. According to Sheri Green, dancers “will learn self-discipline, commitment and integrity through the practice of physical dance training.” These benefits can help the students in creating healthier relationships. It can lead to success in life. For example, in business it helps to be prestigious, hardworking and organized. These are all benefits one could obtain from dancing. I could never list all of the perks of dance because the list is infinite. It strongly depends on what people will take away from the activity. Being in a class, everyone is subconsciously obtaining skills that they may not have had before.

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Personally, I learned about sportsmanship from my experience on Goldstar hip-hop. Every competition, we were beat by another team, Starstruck. They were an incredibly strong, sharp team that always performed with such amazing energy and coordination, and we felt so discouraged every time.

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During one competition, I was in the bathroom putting on my dance makeup when I saw a girl in Starstruck’s senior hip-hop uniform. I introduced myself and complimented their dance. She told me her name was Tiara. After getting to know each other, I learned she was incredibly friendly and modest. Now, whenever I see her on stage I make it a necessity to cheer her on. I’ve learned to not judge a team just because they’re beating us. They’re in the same situation and deserve my support. I’m really glad I learned this because it can definitely help me in other sects of life. AJ has acquired the ethic of sportsmanship as well. He told me, “It’s a common ground that you guys share. You learn from other people. And people learn from you. The competitive factor is there but regardless of the competition I’m supportive of the other teams. I’m not one to judge other teams for being good. I’m one to appreciate of what they have to bring.”

Although, he is still passionate about competing, he’s learned from being so immersed in the hip-hop community that they deserve our support as well.

Sheri Green believes that from dance classes, “Students will gain respect of oneself and respect of others while learning to cooperate and work as a group (Green)”. *A man practicing his dance outside the event 17

On the broader scope, dance affects societal systems. We’re all apart of some sort of a community.

We know what it’s like in our society and norms that are present. Everyone feels obligated to give into these norms and blend in. What I’ve inferred from my community and its populace is the increase in teen angst and stress. I have several Facebook friends posting angry statuses or depressing song lyrics. I see Tumblr links leading me to their sites with posts complaining about life’s troubles. Clearly, a stable society is not a happy society if everyone is dissatisfied, nervous and anxious. This idea of stress in society is nicely articulated by Emma Tyler. She analogously describes stress as not just a cold or runny nose that one could ignore having on a day-to-day basis. Instead, it’s like pneumonia. It keeps people from enjoying themselves and functioning properly. People are undergoing pressure 24/7 and don’t know how to deal with it.

We’ve all become dramatic.

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A man in a dance-off outside the Ken-ya Dance event

People have forgotten about other forms of channeling their stress, other than cyberspace. Cyberspace is never a wise place to publish one’s problems. First, because everyone will know about one’s private life before the publisher thinks twice about posting it. Second, people can judge one based on his or her personal thoughts. And third, it’s truly an inappropriate place to publish it because one can get addicted to revealing their secrets and make a mistake. I come bearing good news. There is a completely healthy activity to release that stress that doesn’t result in regret, mistakes and vulnerability.

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In “What Is Modern Dance?” Treva Bedinghaus, writes that dance is the perfect place to channel that sort of anxiety. Some people have already come to that realization and now are hooked on dancing because of its amazing ability to release stress in a healthy way.

However, others don’t realize that dance can be used to decrease the angst they undergo.

Modern dance is defined as “a dance style that centers on a dancer’s own interpretations instead of structured steps, as in traditional ballet dancing (Bedinghaus)”.

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Teens feel the intense urge to reject social norms.

While we’re expected to conform, there’s always a spot in everyone’s heart that is eager to break free. Modern dance is the perfect symbol for that need. It’s the same as going against classical dance forms. Modern dancers choose to reject the conventional style of dancing with upright, erect figures.

Instead, they move their body freely and express their emotions, such as rage and ecstasy.

It’s assumed that only action-filled dancing, such as modern dance, teaches lessons. However, classical dancing can teach life skills as well. Freja Mickos, a ballet dancer, learned about hard work, perseverance and patience. She’s now able to apply what she’s learned in the dancing world to the real world. As well as being a dancer, she is a responsible and studious student. She has incorporated ethics she’s learned from dancing into her daily life.

She perfects what she does and doesn’t take anything less than average. These skills can take her a long way in life.

Obviously, some are hesitant to dancing. Dr. Peter Lovatt, a dance psychologist, has talked to many people who refuse to start dancing. The top two reasons for this abstinence are self-consciousness and relationships. Lovatt finds this to be a complete paradox because dance should be a way to see past these situations. He wrote, “When people tell me that they want to dance but cannot because they feel too clumsy, awkward, unskilled or un-partnered it convinces me of the need to re-frame social dance as a fun and natural activity where there are no hidden agendas and no opportunities to get it ‘wrong’ (Lovatt, Dance?

I’d Rather Have my Fingernails Pulled out!).” It’s difficult but if one can push themselves to take a risk and try something new, they’ll officially be submerged into the world of dancing. They will now be eligible for all it can offer him or her.

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Chapter 2: Movement=Happiness

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Dr. Peter Lovatt is aware that his profession is out of the ordinary...

As a dance psychologist, he investigates the neuroscience and psychology behind dancing. He also studies how dance relates to certain diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. How this affects us can seem unclear; but if we think objectively, the answer is right in front of our eyes.

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Recently, I went to an event Ken-Ya Dance, hosted by a non-profit organization, Kenya Dream.

There, I met a number of professional dancers.

Their passion was absolutely astounding.

I met one truly amazing man. He was a member of the dance crew, Academy of Villains. He told me how upset he was that he wasn’t able to dance in the show that night because of ripping his chest muscle in a performance. This man told me about how he fought depression through dance. He said to me, “Anything it can be, can be expressed from dance. And there are all types of music that you can dance to. It brought me a long way. If I didn’t dance, I don’t think I’d be alive right now”. These words really struck me. To know that dancing brought him out of a depressed state is truly amazing. Who knew that moving your arms and legs around to a beat could potentially result in saving your life?

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Justin Li’s introduction before the dance event

A Kenyan student a dance crew was sponsoring

Apparently, this effect is common. Dancing is known to be an ultimate form of selfexpression and is known to make people happier. Dancers are able to express something that truly hurts them or haunts them by dancing it out. Many modern dancers choose a subject near and dear to their hearts, such as a lost love or a personal failure. This expression can help fight diseases such as depression. A coach I met at Ken-ya Dance agreed.

He said to me, “dance is very important. It gives everyone a chance to express themselves individually - you know, creatively”.

I believe that dance offers more mental benefits than other sports. Avid sport-watchers would argue that baseball and soccer and basketball are a good way to stay focused. Freja Mickos disagrees.

She believes there’s much less pressure in dance as opposed to other sports. Dance has a unique effect.

It allows artistic expression. Any art form can reduce stress, but dance is unique; it’s a physical activity as well. It’s doing a sport and art simultaneously! It’s said to be able to make us grow spiritually and we can speak out using a language, unlike in music. It has the energy to make us relaxed. Dancers decide to convey an emotion to the audience, and they do this with passion.

Rather than express our feelings and troubles through speaking, we can show this with bodily movements.

Our body becomes a symbol of our struggles. Our body is our canvas.

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movement = happiness

It’s easy to feel whether or not dance makes us happy. What’s not obvious is what’s going on internally when we dance. Our brain is undergoing lots of different sensations when we perceive or take part in movement.

It’s a known fact that we get a thrill from watching action movies or riding on a roller-coaster. Our minds just love movement. Not only do we love action, but we love music. Many studies show that synchronization is pleasurable to our ears, as well as our brain.

Music is famous for stimulating pleasure and reward areas such as the orbifrontal cortex and the ventral striatum. The amount of activation in these areas affects how much we enjoy tunes. Music activates the cerebellum as well, a part of the brain that is involved in coordination and the timing of movement. Recent studies have found that motor areas of our brain (areas that have to do with dexterity and movement) are connected to reward-areas. This is one hypothesis of why dance is pleasurable.

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Fountains outside the San Jose Performing Arts Center

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This evidence has led many people to speculate on whether we are sensitive to the movement of others’ bodies. This is because those pleasure-related brain regions are activated when movement is both done and observed. This study has to do with mirror neurons - cells in the cortex that have to do with activity and watching someone else do it. Unconsciously, when watching a dance, we predict what the dancer will do based on our own interpretation of dancing. This keeps our mind active and interested; therefore, we’re focused and happier.

Since all evidence points to the conclusion that our own and others’ movement makes us happy, it’s definitely true that dance causes pleasure. When we add music to the mix, another factor to happiness, dance truly is one of the most satisfying activities. While all of this is going on, we’re expressing ourselves. Dancing is making us happy in three ways, and they’re all occurring simultaneously.

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*A man dancing outside the Ken-ya Dance event

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Chapter 3: Versatility

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Why is AJ a hip hop dancer? Why is Freja a ballet dancer? What made them choose their style of dance?

People decide on a type of dance that appeals to them because each type offers something different. There are styles that date back to - well, forever. It’s something any human being is capable of doing. We can’t set a date to when it started. But, there is a history of dance with its multitude of styles. The spectrum is now extremely wide, ranging from conservative to modern.

Each form has its own unique identity and is beautiful in its own way.

Freja showing her ballet talent

What do you think of when you hear the words “ballroom dancing”? I visualize Cinderella spinning with Prince Charming in a ball gown. In reality, it’s much more than that. Cheryl Burke explained ballroom dancing as a wide range of dancing, which I found surprising. It originated in Germany and was initially meant for people in the high social class.

Now, it’s offered to everyone and encompasses lots of different techniques. If that’s not your style, have no fear.

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The name “Foxtrot” sounds familiar. But, what really is it? It’s definitely more energetic and upbeat than ballroom dancing. It gives the dancer flexibility to combine fast paced movements with slow paced movements. Along with energy, it needs synchronization.

This style requires a lot of technique and practice. It’s a certain style of dance that only attracts some people. That’s the beauty of dance. The styles range widely and one can choose which best fits them.

For example, let’s say a person feels very awkward in high school. They aren’t very outgoing and feels uncomfortable in their own school. They want to dance but they think that dancing requires sensual movement, which she’s incapable of doing. Contra dance would be a good place for her to start. It doesn’t require much technique and is done socially. It’s not meant to be elegant or pretty. It’s a fun, energetic dance that one would do with their friends. The type of dance people take part in usually symbolizes their personality and what they’re comfortable with. A dancer at Ken-ya Dance said to me, “I dance because it’s a way for me to be myself. It’s a way to express myself other than writing or anything but through movement”.

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This is the case with Freja Mickos She is a very calm, confident, determined person. She expresses these prominent traits of hers through her ballet dance. This type of dance certainly symbolizes what she’s like as a person. Dance is the perfect way to show what type of person you are artistically without speaking it.

This contrasts with AJ He believes hip hop was something natural for him. It seemed to compliment who he was as a person. He also enjoyed the versatility within hip hop dancing. There are so many different kinds of hip hop dancing and so many different things people can incorporate into their dancing. This appealed to AJ more because of his personality.

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Another way one can personally approach dance is by choosing whether they want to dance through systemizing or empathizing. Two dancers, Felicity and Ann, were observed. When the spectators watched Ann, they noticed she seemed very focused on the steps and the counts rather than the dance as a whole. Felicity approached the dance by focusing on her appearance and dancing intimately with her partner. Both methods are effective, it just depends on what type of person you are.

People can also personalize their dance career by deciding what degree they want to go to; they can be an amateur, expert, competitor, and so on. I talked to a guy at Ken-ya Dance who explained why he decided not to be a professional dancer and why he was satisfied with his status. He explained to me that he started too late and had made plans. He also said that he was perfectly happy with just doing dance for the enjoyment. It’s a pleasurable pastime for him. This idea is perfectly acceptable. A person’s amount of passion for dance will vary from person to person and there’s no problem with that. explained why she didn’t want to become a professional. She said, “I think there’s a point when you’re in your dance career when you decide you want to do it forever, and I never had that realization. My teachers usually figured that out when they were like 14 and I never thought about it that way”. People can make that choice and shouldn’t believe that if they start dancing, they have to be a professional right away. There are sectors for every type of dancer. If one wanted to start dancing, they should start in a studio if they feel unconfident. The coach of Funk Beyond Control said to me “If nowhere else, start in a studio. That’s the purpose of a studio - to learn to dance, to build that self confidence. So that you have that confidence to step up on stage”.

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Crew Performing in Ken-ya Dance Event

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I’ve received disapproving looks from members of the elder generation...

I understand that modern dance seems foreign to them. The provocative movements and fast paced beats seems overwhelming. I feel just as alienated from classical dance.

The slow-paced movements and perfect posture seems completely unappealing. No matter what generation one is from, there is a style of dance for them. When Elvis and Michael Jackson’s popularity started to grow, their styles of dancing seemed extremely radical and unacceptable. Elvis was looked down upon for his pelvis movement and Michael Jackson’s dexterous movements seemed crazy and rebellious. In retrospect, we see these styles of dancing as iconic. “Modern dance pioneers often danced in bare feet and revealing costumes” (Bedinghaus).. The progression of dance is parallel to history itself. We develop and grow and new styles will always come about. It will always appeal to some age group and no new type of dance will ever go out of style. I still see my grandparents swing dancing when I visit them. They support me at my hip hop competitions. All types of dancing should be appreciated even if they seem ridiculous at the time. It’s normal for things to seem outrageous because who knows? In the future, hip hop could be seen as conservative. The range of styles of dance will always grow, whether we realize it or not.

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In conclusion...

Humans have been dancing for as long as we know. Our history runs parallel to dance’s history. We develop, grow, change and make an impact. While we don’t notice the impact all the time, it is certainly present. From waltzing to pop-lock-and-dropping we certainly enjoy it.

For those who have decided to start dancing, they certainly enjoy it. It’s just difficult to make that first step. Once we begin dancing, we’re hooked. There’s a multitude of forms of pleasure within dance. Not only are we happy, but we learn such important things.

We dance to escape the world and go into a new universe. We can escape into a bigger space with no judge or analyst. The amount of depth within dance is fascinating. We’re able to seek complete truth. There are no limits to dancing. Our bodies are free to move however we please. In the real, less mythical world, this variety in dance is present as well. We’re able to personally choose how we decide to approach the activity.

I understand it can seem silly. Those who aren’t interested claim it’s not their thing. If they’re not an extrovert, they’ll develop a sort of anxiety when dancing with groups. It feels awkward and uncomfortable. They feel out of place.

This happiness from the activity only comes from being an active dancer right? To achieve these pleasures, a dancer must not be afraid, yes? This is true. It is challenging to be bold and try something new. I feel awkward when trying more risqué moves or performing for my peers. I’m afraid that they’ll judge me. I hate to say it, but some things people can’t shake. If one can’t break that barrier of nervousness, they should not push it. While I strongly believe that one should try their hardest so they can be apart of the amazing world of dancing, if it’s going to cause so much discomfort, it may not be worth it. Freja agreed with this when she said to me, “It’s not for everyone. If you don’t want to do it, don’t push it. It is such a dedicated sport so if you don’t want to do it, don’t worry about it.”

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However, those who are hesitant may be reluctant because of misconceptions. For example, there are plenty of prejudices against ballet. Freja reassured me when she answered my question about the stereotypes for ballerinas: “[Most people believe] That we’re anorexic and really uptight. Everyone always asks me if I watched Black Swan, like “oh my god have you seen Black Swan? Do you actually ever break your toe nails?” Like, ‘uhhh yes I do. Yes I do break my toe nails’.” There are also judgments that ballroom dancing is boring and unexciting. Cheryl Burke described the vibrant costumes and action-filled competitions, though. That doesn’t sound boring at all. People also believe thata hip hop is just inappropriate dancing that has no meaning at all. Just like modern dancing, it has an incredible amount of depth and importance. If we can see past these stereotypes, we could be more open-minded and discover and activity that could seriously enrich our lives.

It’s hard, but if people could make an extra effort and place themselves in the world of dancing, I guarantee they will not be disappointed. As AJ once said, “Just be you. Do what you feel. If you feel awkward, then that’s when other people find you awkward. If you’re out there enjoying yourself, then you’re having fun with it.”

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Works Cited Bedinghaus, Treva. “What is Modern Dance?”. About.com. New York Times Co.. Web. February 17, 2012.

Burke, Cheryl. Dancing Lessons. New York City: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print.

Green, Sheri. “What dance training has to offer children?”. Stages School of Dance. Network Solutions Co.. Web. February 14, 2012.

Hari. “Why is Dance Important?” KnowsWhy.com. Why & Co. Web. February 14, 2012.

Lad, Kashmira. “Types of Dances and Different Dancing Styles”. Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com Co., December 30, 2011.

Web. February 14, 2012. .

Lovatt, Peter. “Dance? I’d rather have my fingernails pulled out!” Psychology Today. Sussex Directories, Inc. March 5, 2010. Web. February 15, 2012.

---. “23 Feelings in Dance”. Psychology today. Sussex Directories, Inc. July 24, 2010. Web. February 14, 2012.

---. “Strictly Come Dancing”. Psychology Today. Sussex Directories, Inc. November 20, 2010. Web. February 20, 2012.

---. “A Moment in the Life of a Dance Psychologist. Psychology Today. Sussex Directories, Inc. February 19, 2011. Web. February 14, 2012.

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The end