Hard Work

I feel like whenever I think of "working" hard physically, I have an image of being drenched in sweat, grimacing with pain, and every muscle in my body clenching. (Anyone who watches me can probably recognize the grimace.) However, I think work in ballet entails much more than physical pain and discomfort. Ideally, there probably should not be any physical pain, and the discomfort level should be minimal. On a physical level, I think work is simply the muscular effort that goes along with practicing the steps and the positions and making them a part of one's body. For example, working hard physically might mean an engaged center with an upward pelvis, rotators constantly turning out as much as they possibly can, the inner thighs engaged, and the spine lengthened. Working hard physically would also mean keeping these body parts and ideas active in actual motion, when the class becomes more about dancing than static positions. However, I think work has a mental quality attached to it that is immensely important. Mental work includes the simple concentration of class: being present in the mind so that a person can execute the steps correctly. Even more importantly, however, to work mentally would include taking the effort and time to think through how the important concepts concentrated on in class work in one's body; doing the steps is one thing, but knowing how they will benefit us is another. Mental work includes the capacity to execute a step and identify the successes and shortcomings of it, in order to make the next execution higher in quality. So, it is important to be present in ballet class, as well as in dance in general, both in the mind and body. I think the physical work we do with our bodies requires the (possibly even harder) work of the mind to make the experience more successful.