I’m not a dancer.
But for 15 years through SK I’ve had a window into the world. The ballet
world—I’ve seen the movies like The Black Swan; the movies that portray the ballet
world as competitive—cut throat, neurotic, bordering on and sometimes crossing
into the insane. There is some truth,
some reality, more than I want to admit, frightening as that is, to that
portrayal.
For the past 6 ½ years SK has danced 20-30 hours a week,
sometimes more, on top of a full academic
load. This is not uncommon with these
driven young men and women. For 6 ½ years
she has danced with girls from different schools, who are different ages but share
one passion—to dance. During these 6 ½ years,
there have been deaths in families, divorce, eating disorders, physical pain,
emotional pain, some girls leaving—and still they dance. During these 6 ½ years they have seen one
another through breakups, academic pressure, exhaustion, and even some
shattered dreams. They have also seen
each other through first loves, academic success, and dreams fulfilled. There have been tears, fierce fights, and
harsh words. There has been laughter and
joy.
It is a
complicated world—a world of individuality and a world of synchronicity. It is a world where every “flaw” in your body and you believe in your soul, is exposed. It is a world of
vulnerability and of power, of friend and foe, of success and failure. It is a world that both intrigues and
frightens me.
The other night some of these girls had their last night
together before many leave for college. I
saw a picture from that night, and I froze and tears streamed down my face
because in that picture I saw pureness and vulnerability and interconnectedness
and love. In that picture I saw a
glimpse of the Kingdom of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment