Last night, Carboy and I were able to attend a live concert by Camerata Pacifica. We were treated to an amazing, mind-blowing, face melting performance of Haydn, Brahms, Carter, and Harbison. If you think that Brahms cannot be face melting, it can only be because you have not seen it played by truly talented artists live in your face, that’s all I can say about that. I know, you are thinking, what has this got to do with ballet? I’m going to assert that seeing art, hearing art, really and truly experiencing art of every kind feeds your dancer mind and soul.  If it’s only about being able to kick yourself in the head or being able to spin around at the speed of light or being able to jump over your own self then, sorry but just go to the gym. Not that the gym is a bad place but sometimes a bunhead needs to get out of the studio and out of the weight room and experience with all your senses, all the way through your brain right down into your soul something really, really beautiful and dare I say it, eek here I go, besides dance.  Be inspired by other forms of art, not just dance. I mean, when it comes down to it, it’s all going to come back to dance for the bunhead, we are sort of single-minded that way. So that inspiration, that beauty, that joy, that aching, that amazement, those tears and that laughter comes back to us in our dancing… maybe that note will linger on our fingertips, maybe those oil colors will wrap themselves down our legs, maybe that perfectly chiseled marble will find itself in our strong torsos. It could happen, my lovelies!

If you find yourself as blessed as I am to be able to find a concert or a museum, a library or a garden, then, please, please, please, find some nook of beauty and inspiration and luxuriate in it, bask in it. And if you happen to be out in some boondocks, you are still fortunate because this is the age of the internet and I know you have that because… uh, you are here, in it!  Some of the world’s greatest museums have wonderful virtual displays and there is great music and live performances on recordings to be experienced. Throw up a flare if you need help finding some, bunbaby, I will get some art out to you asap!

Then get yourself to class and try it out! I, myself, have a brand new Contemporary Ballet Class to try out tomorrow afternoon and I’m looking forward to feeling music in my body again.

~Let’s dance.

**All photos belong to Camerata Pacifica. http://cameratapacifica.org/