The Greatest of These… #2

From Admiration to Inspiration

Dear Reader,

My daughter suggested we watch the collegiate dance competition to which I agreed. It’s the first time I’ve seen this annual nationwide competition that showcases these perfectly synchronized, precise, pointed-toe artists of movement, demonstrating that they take their sport-art seriously.

As we enjoyed one jazz dance team after another, my daughter and I commented on the routines we liked the best, the costumes, and why. I thought out loud, “They all have good technique, so is the main difference pretty much in the choreography and music choice?”

In response to my question/observation, my daughter flipped over to a YouTube video to show me the winning routine – the one that took the #1 spot in the jazz dance category the year prior. Ohio State University. It was so good; it made me cry.

A movie, a theater performance, a good book, words to a song, the voice of a singer have moved me to the point of tears, but I have never seen a dance routine that made me cry.

I had admired and enjoyed all the routines up to this point, yet this performance pushed me from admiration to something beyond.

It inspired me. And I wondered why.

For from the greatness and the beauty of created things, their original author, by analogy, is seen. (Wis. 13:5).

All beauty is a reflection of God. God inspires us with beauty.

Beauty and Responsibility

English professor and author, George Saunders, said, “An artist takes responsibility.” (A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, George Saunders). He was referring to writing yet I saw the similarity between dancing and writing in the need to work on both technique and art.

I imagined how these dancers must have honed their craft by training their bodies and minds, practicing over and over, with their coaches pacing, pushing to perfection, time and again for years.

The dancers’ parents had driven, flown, sewn, fixed makeup/hair, sacrificed time and money for their children’s craft and excellence.

The dancers themselves surely had to forgo time with friends, going out, even avoiding certain foods, to train their bodies to peak performance. There’s a sacrifice to excellence, team and individual.

If we take responsibility, and sometimes even if we only take partial responsibility, God, the ultimate conductor, harmonizes us as individual instruments. He makes of us inspiration for others.

In the Ohio State jazz routine, the convergence of the artists (the choreographer, the musicians, the dancers) who took responsibility and combined their individual efforts into a beautifully synchronized team reached new heights in my eyes.

This 3-minute routine made me glad I had signed up for two intensive, back-to-back writing craft/ prayer sessions. One of them includes travel in planes, trains, and automobiles. Given I get motion sick even on elevators and escalators, this is my form of commitment to the craft. If the TSA inspector opens up my carry-on bag ~

dramamine, ginger, and granola bars stuffed to its edges will throw up from the sides of my laptop and worn notebooks like jack-in-the-box surprises. Nausea management for the sake of taking responsibility.

Everyone is God’s gift to someone

God made us all different so if someone doesn’t love this dance routine or dance as much as I do, there is something for everyone. I find that God works in all areas, not just art-adjacent endeavors. My daughter went to a preschool where the director was so excellent, the teachers so loving, all thought the place was God’s gift to preschool children in our corner of the world. After many piano teachers, my children ended up with one who I couldn’t help but call, God’s gift to piano students.

I'll never hear the voice of Frank Sinatra singing My Way without thinking about the dancers, the choreography, the precision, and the convergence of all of the above that inspired me.

My prayer, Dear Reader, is that something beautiful will inspire you and give you a break from your burdens, even if for a moment.

Ohio State University - UDA Jazz Nationals 2024 - Finals

The Greatest of These... where story, prayer, and Catholic heart meet.