Summer TV usually is stale and dry, full of re-runs or silly reality TV shows, with one exception: So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD). Why? Because of the gifted, talented dancers they find on this show. This show is unlike other competitions, I think, because they really do scout out and find the top dancers, not just those who will be entertainment or drama for reality TV. These young people have trained for years and are skilled, athletic performers.
The way these dancers can add unspoken lyrics to the music by moving their bodies in precise, measured, fluid movements is most often breathtaking, moving, and deeply emotional for me. Not with every dance and not with every dancer and certainly some choreography is better than others.
This season, the top two dancers (in my opinion) were Brandon and Jeanine. Look at this dance they did on the finale show. For me, this just about sums it up. Passion, fire, intensity, sensuality, anger, love, lust, primal emotions, even a tinge of playfulness in there if you look closely enough. I just love it.
So how does it inspire me? These dancers push themselves and their bodies harder and harder each week. The leaps, the pirouettes, the flips, the lifts – it all looks so effortless to me. But what we don’t see are the hours and hours of dedication they put into this. They pour their hearts and souls into their dance.They listen to and heed the advice of experts who have gone the route before them. They adapt and change and bend to learn new techniques and to grow as dancers, and by doing this, they grow as people. They don’t give up even after a bad critique. They come back stronger, and even in the face of adversity, they persist and over time they become confident and successful.
There are lessons for me in watching these young people dance:
- Persist even in the face of criticism; that is, don’t give up.
- Listen to those who know more, who have been at it longer, and for whom whatever-it-is has become second nature.
- Follow directions.
- Be grateful, courteous, and gracious – always.
- Thank people for opportunities given, even if they don’t work out as hoped.
- Know your weaknesses as well as your strengths
- Live life full of passion, all the way to your toes.
These are lessons I need to keep remembering because I don’t do them all the time. I forget. I get fearful. I get arrogant and think I know everything. I’m human. But when I see dancers such as these, I’m inspired to be a better person, to be more humble, and to be grateful for all the gifts I do have and to use them to the best of my ability.
Now, I’m off to find a Zumba class and get my dance on.
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