This new article published by TechCrunch really shows how accessible dance can be. It follows Karen X. Cheng, a woman with a strong determination to achieve her goals. Her latest goal was to learn dance in just a year, a feat that seems impossible from the traditional view of dance pedagogy. When I think of ballet, for example, I think of years of training that need to begin almost at infancy for the ballerina to have a successful career. I started ballet at thirteen, which I myself thought was too late to actually be any good. I hadn't heard of Misty Copeland then, who currently dances with American Ballet Theatre and started ballet herself at age thirteen. In so much of dance culture, starting early is to start successfully.
I love that Cheng turns this traditional school of thought completely on its head. She proves that it's not necessary to start dance young to be good (or even great) at it. Cheng hints at something that Copeland mentions, the idea of having a "special something" that sets the dancer apart from the rest. Cheng indicates that this "something" doesn't have to be an innate gift for performance, just the will to work hard, consistently. "Practice makes perfect" can be applied to dance just as to other sports. I admire her dedication. She is so determined and a fabulous dancer as well!
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