So I Know I Can’t Dance

The arts are not my particular strong suit. I appreciate just as much as anyone the a’ capella pieces performed during Wren 10 and the art displayed in the Muscarelle (W&M’s renowned campus museum), but asking me to participate in anything artistic from sculpture to singing would be a mistake. Yet GER 6 (general education requirement) Fine Arts credit remains. Out of all the choices, I chose the lesser of the evils – dance. I figured the class would be full of students just like me who didn’t know their pliats from their prances.

I ended up loving it.

My Modern 1 Dance class is the best way to start off the week. I roll out of bed at 8:47 a.m. to get to class at 9:00 a.m. where we stretch, warm up our bodies, and learn new techniques. Last week was filled with laughter as we learned a new combination of twists and rolls and made fun of each other’s equally inept dance skills. The class holds a wide range of talent; some students even took dance for most of their childhood. There are also a decent amount of males in the class – athletes to artists. But mostly, it is students like me – who usually admire dance from afar. Now I’m actually participating and even choreographing for our mid-term. My group chose the theme of a “Hannah Montana concert” to be the concept of our piece. Other concepts included the seasons, a frat party, and household chores.

Out of all my classes I have this semester, Modern 1 is one of my favorites – and not just because it has limited homework (although that is a wonderful benefit.) It is just one of many examples of how students on this campus, with even the most limited artistic abilities, can broaden their skills and knowledge about any topic they’d like to explore.

I’d always wanted to be a ballerina. And for a semester, I can be.

– Anna Mahalak ’12