nevertheless, it moves

So said Galileo when being questioned on his thesis that the earth revolves around the sun.

In Italian, it is "Eppur Si Muove". 

In the language of modern Italian band Enigma, it means a beautiful song.

To me, it is my dance choreography.

I wish so much that I had never moved away from ballet. As a young girl I was a ballet dancer, but then I moved to jazz, and after that modern, and then colorguard (badly executed ballet moves paired with extensive prop work, particularly with flags) and finally back to ballet. Oh, if I had been taking ballet constantly! It is the joy of my existence. I am currently horridly sick, and didn't sleep at all last night, and am generally miserable, unable to breathe, and an achy mess. But, of course, I never miss a night when it comes to practicing dance, so I have just rehearsed. Not extensively, I don't rehearse for hours at a time, but I run through the music, get the choreography down, stretch, engage those muscles. It helps, loads.

Just now I have finished rehearsing. While I was running through the choreography to that music, I never once thought about the horrific pain I should've been feeling, dancing ballet when every muscle in my body aches. I noticed when my stomach muscles, weakened beyond belief, failed to hold me up in the first grande plié, but I was so intensely concentrated and immersed that I completely forgot that I couldn't breathe. That my head feels like someone has filled it with concrete and slime. I forgot everything, everything but the dance.

It is a beautiful thing, to dance. Although I will never be a professional dancer--at seventeen I am too old and not far enough along to do that--I will always know the joy of dancing. Besides, I think I'd have been a bit wasted on the world as a pro ballet girl. They are lovely and I have the highest respect for them, but it doesn't exactly require or cultivate intelligence, now, does it? It doesn't really change or affect the world. It doesn't really help people or change lives for the better. 

So perhaps I am simply ecstatic to be exactly where I am. Maybe I don't need a career in dance to love love love dance with all of my soul. It is my personal retreat, escape--a beautiful thing.  

Nevertheless, I move.

Lizzy