Why bother dancing?

Surprise! If you don't already know me, I used to make shapes for a living. This wonderful photo was taken by the stellar Paul McGrath of PMG Image. Thanks Paul!

In a world of ever-changing chaos and opinions, why was dancing so important to my development? Amazingly there is a simple answer. Tools.

In any field, in anything you find yourself doing, there are three simple steps that need to be followed: study, prepare, activate. In the dance world, this is clearly defined as Daily Class, Rehearsal, Performance. Over and over again. Take these three steps and expand out of the microcosm of one industry and apply it to your own - I promise you, there is an element of this in anything that you do.

In the medical field I am in today with Momentum Health and our networks, we are working diligently with our partners at the University of Calgary and Alberta Ballet (yes, that was my home for over 13 years) to expand the provision of care to dancers based on the latest research being conducted.

Class/study: What is the research? Who are the key players? How will we implement this?

Rehearse/prepare: What are the most effective tools we can use to deliver the current evidence? Who will best benefit? How can we expand this further to the community?

Perform/activate: How many dancers have we helped? What more can we improve upon?

I encourage you to think about what you have learned and where you want to go. In a field where perfection was unattainably pursued, we would often say "everything you have learned has prepared you for this moment" and then we would go on stage and share with an audience.

Share with your own audiences with the knowledge that you have done your classwork, you've prepared your pieces and you are ready to perform.