Kayla Walker

Karen Jensen

Seminar in Dance

My Philosophy of Dance

As a pre-professional, my philosophy of dance and ideas behind the art form are mainly a

reflection all my experiences and the person that I am today. There is something so rare and

special about being able to communicate with those around you through movement and

dynamics instead of words. Dancing has given me the ability to do just that and so much more. It

is a way in which the body moves and reacts to sounds or ideas that is abstract, powerful and

inspirational. Through movement I am able to express my emotions, relieve stress, heal wounds,

stay in shape, mourn a loss, overcome challenges and share my passion. In addition to that, dance

makes me feel alive and provides me with an overwhelming sense of happiness, joy and love.

Another reason why I am so grateful for the art of dance is because of the opportunity I am given

to emanate the light of Christ while doing what I love. What a blessing it is to be able to share

Christ’s love and light with others as we communicate with them through our emotions,

expression and movement. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the gospel is charity and

pure love. How blessed am I to be an instrument in God’s hands while serving and inspiring

others to become better and feel of His love through my passion and ability to dance. As I shift

my body through space and sense my connection with the world around me, I am afforded with a

human experience unlike any other. Dance is something that I am incredibly passionate about

and cannot imagine my life without.

The arts embody a unique learning process that awakens the very core of one’s being to

life’s meaning and beauty. Through the arts we can learn to see, hear, move, and feel with

greater sensitivity and understanding (Dayley). Art that is centered in Christ invites “the

visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love” (Moroni 8:26).

Those who seek to follow Christ are free to receive the enlightenment and pure joy that flows

through art centered in Him. As we participate together in Christ-centered artistic experiences,

we will be increasingly bound together in singleness of purpose and a love for that which is

good. We will become “of one heart and one mind”. The arts enable us to communicate

important realties that can be shared in no other way. Elder Boyd K. Packer has affirmed,

“because of what artists do, we are able to feel and learn very quickly…some spiritual things that

we would otherwise learn very slowly” (Packer 61). God’s purpose for the artist is to inspire.

The world is better for the arts and artists in it.

We live in a culture that bases fame, wealth, and happiness off of how someone looks.

Those who have the great body, beautiful eyes, and perfect smile get further in their career than

those who don’t. I have learned that I can be the exception to this unwritten rule. My smile is

perfect because of what it represents, not what you see. At the age of ten, I learned that I was

missing 14 permanent teeth. In the following socially critical years of late elementary and early

junior high, life was very hard. Many of my peers made fun of me because of my missing teeth.

They called me names to my face and behind my back. My confidence was low and I had poor

self-esteem. During those difficult times I turned to dancing. Dance gave me the opportunity to

express how I was feeling; it allowed me to forget about my imperfections. When I danced,

nothing else mattered and I could lose myself in the movement, in the technique, and in the

desire to work hard for something. Dance has been a life-changing blessing--it was always fun,

but it became my lifeline. I have learned that if I ever feel that I am alone in my trial, dancing a

few steps, leaping across the floor, or letting the tears flow as I feel myself truly let go to the

melody of a song will turn my day and attitude around. Dance has taught me that life is not about

what is on the outside, that it is truly the inner beauty that counts. Two sets of braces, metal

posts, retainers with fake teeth, and multiple baby teeth later, my smile continues to be a work in

progress. It is not perfect and quite frankly will never be, but dance has taught me to believe in

myself and be okay with imperfection. I have experienced first hand and seen the effect dance

can have on others - to those watching and to those who participate. In the future, I will share my

passion with others by continuing to dance and teach an art form that is beautiful, challenging

and inspiring. Aubrey Lynch, a member of the Alvin Ailey dance company, has said, “To touch,

to move, to inspire- this is the true gift of dance.”

Up to this point in my life, my connection to dance has grown in so many ways. As I take

on new identities, these connections vary and influence my thoughts, ideas and actions in

different aspects of my life. As I attended elementary, junior high and high school, not only was I

student but I was also a dancer. I danced at a studio outside of school, but continued to be

involved in the art as I joined high school dance teams and participated in the dance classes. I

started to incorporate the things I had learned in my many years of dance to help me develop as a

student within my academic classes. As a performer, dance has taught me that it is okay to go out

of my comfort zone and do things that give me an adrenaline rush. I have become a daredevil

because of dance. I love to perform on stage in front of thousands of people. I enjoy being the

center of attention and sharing my talent with the world. Performing brings me joy and

happiness. 

When it comes to work and production, dance has given me the invaluable life

experience that has shaped my personality, emotional state, and physical body today. I love that

no matter how hard I work and how much I improve, there is always something more than can be

done. This may seem frustrating and daunting at times, but the constant drive to improve allows

me to continue to push myself and only compete with my best self. The technician and

perfectionist in me can be rapacious when it comes to reaching new levels of growth, but I have

learned to love that about myself and use it to constantly shape and change my dance experience.

One of the best of feelings in the world is hard work paying off, and as a dancer I have made it a

goal to not only practice until I get it right, but practice until I can’t get it wrong. This quote has

been hanging up in the dance room I’ve been practicing in every single day for the past four

years. I read it every time I walk in the door and apply it to whatever I am doing that day. It is

simply not enough to do things once, movement needs to applied to both the mind and body in

order for it be so engrained within ourselves that it becomes second nature. In order to achieve

this level of commitment and perfection, it is going to require a lot of time, energy and effort on

our part. Anything worthwhile is worth fighting for, and something like this is only reached

through hard work, consistency, patience and dedication. Friedrich Nietzche once wrote, “We

should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.” Although dancing

might require a lot of me, I hope to take this quote to heart and dance every day for the rest of

my life.

My connection to dance as both a choreographer and teacher is very complex. I am

constantly trying to rack my brain for new tricks, new ideas, new patterns, new themes, creative

movement, different transitions, etc. My thought process as a choreographer is often very deep

and detailed. All of this has allowed me to become more of a unique and individualized dancer.

Of equal importance, I encourage students to be dynamic in their approach to movement. I

promote the use of breath, energy and awareness to inform their movement quality. Through the

practice of moving dynamically in technique exercises and combinations, I try to imbue a sense

of presence in dancers’ movement, which manifests itself in both practice and performance. I

encourage creativity and improvisational skills in order to help dancers find their own voice

within their movement and to communicate that through dancing. These are all critical skills to

have in order to continue developing as a performer, choreographer and teacher. It is with these

building blocks that I facilitate for dancers an approach to movement involving a sense of

ownership and confidence, which in turn produces a powerful and unique mover.

            According to Martha Graham, an American modern dance pioneer, “The body says what

words cannot.”  Competing in the Miss Drill International Pageant in Irvine, CA was one of the

most meaningful and eye-opening experiences I have ever had. I got the opportunity to interact

with girls from not only the states, but also those from other countries. We did not all speak the

same language, but as dancers we were able to communicate. Taking class, one would have

thought it would be difficult for everyone to understand the concept of the movement, what the

steps were, or the counts of each combination. On the contrary, dance truly is a universal

language. Sure there were moments of confusion, but the language of dance crossed all barriers

giving us the opportunity to work on common ground. Through movement, we were able to

break the boundaries of race, language and culture. I became friends with strangers from another

country, who opened my eyes to parts of the world that I have never seen. Despite our

differences and our backgrounds - we are all equal. This experience opened my eyes to the

amazing legacy that dance leaves in every corner of the world. Dance has been a crucial part of

many events in history. It aids in self-expression, ceremonial and religious events, and health.

For example, “medicine men and women of many Native American tribes used dance as part of

their healing rituals” (Dance Therapy). People danced to express gratitude to the universe, as

well as to seek forgiveness from hunger and poverty. Dance was also used to assemble soldiers

for war, to praise Kings and glorify marriages. “Since times immemorial, dance has been the

expression of our lives” (Arora).

As I continue to dance throughout my life, I hope to accomplish many things within the

dance world. I believe that I can both help and serve people through this art form. I know that

dance has the ability to change a person’s life, whether it is through actually dancing themselves

or by watching other people dance on stage. I want to use my artistic talent for good and touch

people’s lives. I want to move in a way that inspires others and encourages them to be better. I

want to share my passion and love for this art form in every way possible to anyone who

watches. I hope to one-day dance professionally and perform on a big, important stage in front of

millions of people. As my dancing years wind down and my body begins to weaken, I want to

give back to all of the dancers in the world and teach them the importance and significance of

dance. I aspire to own my own dance studio and teach my dancers the things I have learned over

many years and the happiness and joy that dance is capable of providing. For me, dance is a way

to connect the mind, body, and spirit into one perfectly coordinated and harmonious unit. In the

ideal dance experience, the spirit’s emotions inform the mind which in turn informs the body to

create movement. That movement then gives emotion back to the mind and spirit and the cycle

begins again until the dancer has explored every option of feeling and movement. When this type

of unity is established, a dancer feels utterly invincible and totally vulnerable at the same time. It

is both empowering and frightening. The possibilities of creation are seemingly endless with the

human body as an instrument, paintbrush, or creative outlet. In the end, however, my philosophy

of dance up to this point is really only the beginning of understanding what dance is to me, and I

intend to spend the rest of my life figuring it all out.

Works Cited

Arora, Ameya. “Importance of Dance in Education” PapyrusClubs (2012) n.pag. Web. 3 Nov.

2012.

“Dance Therapy.” American Cancer Society. (2008) n.pag. Web. 6 Nov. 2012.

Dayley, K. Newell. “Centering the Arts in Christ”. BYU Speeches (2001). n.pag. Web. 25 Mar.

2016.

Moncur, Laura. “The Quotations Page” n.pag. Web. 3 Dec. 2012.

Packer, Boyd K. “The Arts and the Spirit of the Lord,” (1976) Ensign, 61. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.