Very few of us become professional artists, but everyone still benefits from having a creative outlet. It’s human nature to create new things and express ourselves, regardless of skill level. Some people craft, write, cook, or paint in their spare time. Much to my daughter’s continued embarrassment, I love to dance. 

The form first fascinated me at age 3, when a local dance teacher in Cheyenne, Wyoming, organized a bus trip to Denver to watch “The Nutcracker.” My mom expected me to sleep through it, but I was riveted and perched on the edge of my seat for the entire performance. I declared, “I want to do that!” Unfortunately, the teacher had a reasonable rule of not beginning ballet until age 5, so I had to wait. 

Once I was finally old enough, I began studying under Tove Dunbar. Tove was a dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet but married an air force member stationed in Wyoming. It was excellent luck for us to have a well-known professional in little old Cheyenne, and I took ballet, modern dance, and tap lessons from her over the years.

Tove was lovely to her smallest students but was very exacting as we got older. Those lessons were a formative experience and taught me how to locate and move my body in space. To be clear, the Rockettes aren’t banging on my front door, but I can learn most types of dance quickly with some practice. 

One of my favorite parts of the classes was the annual productions inspired by fairy tales. Tove made room for everyone, and I have early memories of being a little mouse in a “Cinderella” play when I was very young. They weren’t exactly professional productions — one kid was always picking their nose, a second one was crying for their mother, and a third was intently watching all the other dancers. But I appreciated that Tove found a way to include all of us in the story. 

I was always incredibly excited to be on an actual stage with sets and marks we had to hit. It made me feel like a professional, even though I wasn’t. Those productions also taught me a lot about working cooperatively with others and how much work you must put in to get the result you want. 

Some people struggle to understand how a precise form like ballet can be creative, but you can express many things through dance. For example, how you walk across a stage can convey a lot. Through dance, you learn to communicate with every part of your body simultaneously. Many dance classes I’ve taken as an adult, like Latin or salsa, are also collaborative. You must learn to convey your next steps to your partner without speaking to them out loud. Ballet prepared me by helping me understand and control my movements. 

While my efforts are far less formal these days, I still love to dance. The pandemic has been a big bummer for those who enjoy going out and dancing in groups, but I’m not opposed to dancing alone. I’m known to throw on some Prince tunes and bust out every move I can in my living room. And at every wedding, you can count on me to be the first one on and the last one off the dance floor.

-Geneva Perry