The Rebel Ballerina

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What does it mean to dance? Perhaps, it is a prayer in motion, an expression of power and desire to sustain life. Perhaps an esoteric force that connects everything to it yet penetrates the spirit of the participant and the observer. Dance passionately narrates the lived experience. The body in motion is culturally universal as it expresses the social constructions of gender, class, politics, wealth, and religion.

As well, dance is a pluralistic display of conformation to and rebellion against. In particular, ballet embodies the dichotomy of artistic and economic freedom yet bodily manipulation and oppression. Relative to all art forms, there are many valid theories concerning interpretive expressions.

Historian Selma Jeanne Cohen contends the advance sophistication in classic ballet and contemporary dance invokes the intrinsic personality of the performer. However, conservatives challenge this argument by suggesting the dancer’s self remains disconnected from the choreography. And the representation of superior skills is simply a utilitarian response. In contrast, philosopher Nelson Goodman proposes representation and imitation are distinct entities which, are separate from expression.

Similar to Durkheim’s hypothesis of religious totems, Goodman suggest any object can become a sacred representation. And this identification of sacred representation is culturally relative rather than a universal belief. Another interesting philosophical perspective is shared by Michael Levin. He proposes Western religious values as the Puritan, Calvinist, and Protestant points of view influences how we interpret and observe bodily expression.

While all are valid arguments, in the end let's just dance.