Dance Like No One is Watching

Adrienne Fisher | May 14, 2008 | 0

Dance like no one is watching.

This comes from a quote that goes: "Work like you don't need money, love like you've never been hurt and dance like no one is watching."

Sometimes it takes a special circumstance for a group of words to actually have a poignant meaning to you. My mom recently gave me this advice-to dance like nobody is watching-and, really, this is the best advice I have ever gotten in my life. It is so easy to get caught up in the "what other people think of you while you dance" factor-especially when you go to Broadway dance calls regularly. After a while, you realize that if you go back to your roots, and start dancing for the fun of it, you start to get booked on jobs because people can sense your honesty. People who do what they love want to surround themselves with people who do what they love.

It is funny how moms always know the perfect thing to say. Even though I have heard this phrase a thousand times, it has taken on a whole new meaning for me, and I think about this almost every day when I am auditioning and taking class.  If I dance like no one is watching, that means that I am dancing because I truly want to from the bottom of my heart. You only do things that are 100% honest when you are by yourself and no one is watching. "If I'm not me, then who am I?" This is a quote from a brilliant movie, "I Heart Huckabees",  that philosophizes on the meaning of life with an existential flair. In the end, they come to the conclusion that there is no conclusion. There really is no answer-just stop questioning so much and live in the moment, which is what "dance like no one is watching" means to me.

My mom watched me grow up dancing on stages around the country doing dance competitions and various shows, so, really, she has a very unique, significant perspective on my evolution as a dancer. Sometimes, I wish that I had that same experience of watching myself because this is invaluable. I don't see myself dance very often, and when I do, I see fifty different things that I want to work on-things that I don't see in a mirror when I am taking class. When in class, you see yourself enface, but when really dancing a combination, you aren't looking at yourself. You more or less rely on the teacher for critique, but because of the size of class, you are lucky if you get one or two comments directed toward you. Usually, the advice is general (even though you think it is directed toward you every time). Of course, I feel as if I am being hypocritical by saying "I wish I could analyze myself more" when I was just preaching about being totally free-spirited, but it is important to have a healthy balance so that when you do dance like no one is watching, you don't look like a prancing wet noodle. I do have a Mac Book that enables me to record myself via the iSight camera, which is such a wonderful tool for just plain seeing what you look like when you dance.

I am going to be performing at a friend's recital on Saturday at 12:00 PM at "School in the Gardens" 2 Russell place Forest Hills NY 11375. I am trying out a piece or two that I have choreographed on myself. One is going to be a short jazz piece to a Jolie Holland tune. I hope to see some of you there as I make my first stage attempt to truly dance like no one is watching.

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Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Modern, Broadway (all tags)