Beautiful Pain: What Really Happens Behind the Dance Performance
The crowd starts to quiet down and warm up for a fantastic night. My cue is seconds away, feet aching and stomach tied in knots. But there’s no time to think about pain. As I run into the blinding lights, you see grace and beauty. I feel fire.
Of course, you don’t see any of it. You buy your tickets, come in your new fancy dress, and enjoy the show.
Dear audience,
I stepped on stage for the first time at the age of 4, excited to finally wear my bedazzled costume with pink gemstones and endless sparkles. Everyone told me I looked beautiful then. But as time passed, people began to lose their appreciation for us dancers. My love and desire for the artform grew, I worked day and night perfecting my steps, but no one knew. No one saw me in the studio at night repeating the same step over and over again. From those days on, I realized, hiding your pain is part of being a dancer.
You're always pleased by the captivating performance, but are far from understanding the whole picture. When we step onstage, the beautiful ballerina you see is also a girl who fights against her own limits. Yet, the only thing you see is the spotlight. The endless struggles that dancers and students face, no one truly understands, except for the ones who've been through it.
Of course, you don’t see any of it. You buy your tickets, come in your new fancy dress, and enjoy the show. The lights, costumes, and artists create a magical atmosphere for everyone in the theater. Dancers strike the stage with stunning movements. But sometimes, we wish you would see the reality behind the curtains. The physical obstacles, and mental ones. Many say it’s part of the artform, that’s just how it is. It seems like all the effort we put in is still an unnoticed work of art.
I know it’s hard to believe something that looks so easy could possibly be that difficult. So, I asked Samantha Bell, a professional ballerina in the Bay Area to share her thoughts on the overlooked reality of dance.
“It takes so much effort to look effortless,” says Bell. She feels that the only way you can understand, is by putting yourself in our own shoes. Take a dance class in a studio, feel your own muscles shaking. You’ll understand why dancers spend the majority of their time in the studio, not onstage.
To some readers who have never been to the theater to watch a dance performance and wonder why you should, think of it this way. Dance brings something completely different to you than a baseball game. Bell says that, “If we can make you feel something. If you leave the theater as a slightly changed person or maybe you look at somebody else's situation in a kinder way. That’s what really sets the artform aside.” It may not be the same feeling as watching your favorite player score a goal. But the dancers onstage share a story. “It’s sad. I see the value in this artform and how it can make us better humans”, adds Bell. Each performance is filled with effort and emotions, but the audience never seems to fully understand.
At some point in the future, consider putting yourself in the theater and experiencing dance as an art. Whether it be a ballet gala, or even a broadway show. It’ll make you discover the unique beauty hidden behind it all. And to think that those captivating dancers still have to fight for the respect and recognition in their profession, you’ll feel exactly what I’m feeling.
So the next time you end up watching The Nutcracker in the theater, or Moulin Rouge in your living room, think about all the blood, sweat, and tears dancers put into their artform. Their endless rehearsals, extensive strength, and love are not invisible, just needed to be carefully noticed. As Gaynor Minden points out, “It’s amazing what goes into making something so effortless.”
Can’t wait to see you in the theater,
Kayla
