Friday 7 May 2010

Last night I had the rare opportunity to go to see the Royal Ballet perform Carmen at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.


I love the ballet: there is something sublime about how bodies can move with such grace and beauty, how they can melt themselves into the music, so that each one is an expression of the other...  There are moments when it is almost impossible to imagine that these are people, their shapes and movements are so other-worldly that they almost look like will-o-the-wisps. 

But behind the beauty and grace is a punishing routine.  I once shared a house with a dance student and I remember the day his parents went to see him rehearse in class; he came home with a big smile, "They said they'll never think I have it easy again!" he said!

Looking at these dancers I was struck by the fact that their have consciously honed and created their bodies over years.  We too - humble non-dancers - have bodies that are the creation of years... but in most cases, I think, our bodies could be more accurately be described as a 'by-products'!  We simply neglect them.  What a shame, when I see what is possible (although not the ideal for most of us, I hasten to add!).  But it is a reminder that we can always become more than who we currently are...

Paradoxically, while I was thinking about this,I did a quick audit.  Which parts of me have I trained and honed?  To be fair (and some may think this is a wimpy answer!) I feel it's my heart and my intuition.  If there is one element of my being through which I live, that defines my existence, it is my heart and my intuition (the heart's mind?!), just as dancers live through their bodies.  We all have our own strengths and seeing the talents and strengths of others is always uplifting and inspiring.

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