Why the name "Pointe of Balance"?
Sometimes, things may not be quite as they seem!
I came across the word
paradox a number of years ago and it has taken me quite a long time to develop an understanding of the word. First, it did not sit well with my sense of logic, then it just caused confusion until with time, some how it changed to... ok, lets wait see...
So, when it came to a name for the dance project I had to wait as images and feelings settled down and for the words to come. Words can imply different things for people and so I will try to explain why the name "Pointe of Balance"
For the ballet dancer, Pointe is immediately associated with being
en Pointe, from the French language, for dancing in pointe shoes or on the toes.
If this same word is spelt as it is spoken in the English language, the Oxford Dictionary definition of point is: "a particular spot, place, or position in an area or on a map, object or surface".
Balance for some ballet students is the "tricky part" at the end of an exercise where a position for example, Retire Devant en demi-pointe, is to be found and held without support of the Barre.
The Oxford Dictionary defines it as: "
an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady". This sounds very two dimensional, a flat explanation.
My experience during my own training (which I still thoroughly enjoy!) is that balance is a physical paradox, it really is!
As I maintain a fixed position or point/e, I am constantly renewing the internal lift, the support and upward, outward rotational opening of the position with my whole body.
It has such a feeling that it becomes movement. The internal sensation brings with it the image of a water fountain, a strong upward drive which at a certain point opens higher and outward before the inevitable downward fall due to that unseen often forgotten force of gravity.
What I described is my experience of that particular balance and yet it may look to the observer's initial glance as fixed or still. BUT should the observer wait and look and "sees" the dancer/position, they may also see something beneath the obvious, they may also see the movement and even get a sense of the movement.
When this happens, like during a performance, the audience/observer experiences a connection with the dancer and the movement. This changes the performance from entertainment to a shared experience between the dancer and the audience.
The paradox is.. there is no pointe of balance! The dancer is always in motion, maintaining an integral sense of self in the working space, responding to the change of direction, the transfer of weight, tempo of the music....
And so, the dance project is coming from this kind of understanding. The focus is offering the young person the environment and support to develop and unfold through ballet, their own sense of self, their talent and their love of dance.
"....how shall we know the dancer from the dance..." WB Yates.
