The Wonder of Beginners
Brand new dancers come to my open level ballet class embarrassed for not knowing what to do. How can you know, I ask, it is your first time. I reassure them not to worry, to copy the shapes we are making with our bodies. They watch the others who have been dancing for weeks or years and they watch me with eyes wide, hanging on my every word. You already have all the points for showing up and climbing the stairs, I tell them, everything else is extra credit. The goal, I say, is to have fun.
Beginners struggle. It is hard to muddle through in the back of the class, I know. The advantage beginners don’t realize they have is that their minds are open. With this open mindset, they approach ballet with the enthusiasm of a puppy, and their eyes shine to feel their body moving to music. In yoga they call this ‘Beginner’s Mind’; a way of looking at something without preconceptions, without judgement, without ego. It is something the more experienced dancers can learn from the beginners.
The root of improving at ballet lies in the fundamentals of technique. We all think we know, but if we can catch ourselves cheating, if we can break through an old bad habit, we can ultimately dance that much better, longer, and safer. If we can approach ballet with fresh eyes, without our old views, we can see it better. Without our preconceived ideas getting in the way, we can learn better.
The way to do that is to come to ballet (or life) with a mindfulness, a freshness, a Beginner’s Mind. Seek out the joy even in the ritual of routine. Allow yourself to soften and absorb. Invite yourself the freedom to try something a different way than you’re used to, and maybe it will be wrong or you’ll make a mistake, but that will be okay. It’s all for fun anyway, isn’t it? Get back to that moment of seeing dance for the first time, the thrill washing over you to see them moving out there on that stage, and feel the excitement and the wonder of it all.
~ Sarah
Please see the Classes page for my current teaching schedule. I’d love to see you at the barre!
