This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Feb. 12, 2011 - I recently had the chance to attend a youth dance performance at COCA choreographed by Chris Page, a young professional dancer with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble based in Denver, Colo. I met Chris four or five years ago when he was dancing in a show at the Black Rep where I was previously director of development.
Chris is a great young man; and I always enjoy seeing him. But more important, I support him and his work because I appreciate that young artists need to know that what they are doing is valued. I don't want him to give up because I believe the world is a better place when he is creating art that helps us understand ourselves and the world around us.
I find the arts to be undervalued in general. I get the feeling that many people see it as icing on the cake and not the cake itself. I couldn't disagree more. The arts in all their many forms touch our lives.
The one example you hear a lot is "imagine what the world would be like without music." That is a big one. From what I understand, people have made music since the beginning. The question I ask is why? What was the point of finding melodies and linking them together and eventually adding words? All across the globe you will find musical traditions in every human group. What does that mean?
The visual arts have been around for a long time, too. It seems that even before we created word symbols, we created story symbols. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. Since then the visual arts from painting to sculpting and the rest have evolved and crept into all aspects of our lives.
Over the past few years, dance has become one of my favorite art forms. I started dancing myself a few years ago and it has been a blessing. I appreciate what it takes to move the way real dancers do; and I have a new-found love and respect for choreography and technique. Of course dance, too, has been with us since the beginning.
And then there are theater and writing and photography and more.
I would argue that all of us have some artistic creativity waiting to be released. What we create may not rise to the level of great art, but the experience can be very personally gratifying.
Chris Page's show at COCA was an inspiring expression of movement and emotion by a group of youth who clearly love to dance. I was so happy to see them there with so many parents in the audience cheering them on.
Make room for the arts in your life. How, you ask? Try any of these:
- Encourage your child or any young person you know who expresses an artistic interest.
- Take a class yourself. Weren't you ever interested in something artistic that did not get supported? It's not too late.
- Attend an art event. St. Louis has so many arts organization. In addition to the great institutions, many smaller groups and happenings are all around us.
- Donate time or money to help an arts group.
- Connect with an emerging artist and tell her or him how much their art matters. Go to their performances or exhibits and say hello. They'll call you a patron of the arts.
- Purchase art for yourself. Emerging artists need the support and their work is often affordable.
The arts are irrepressible; they will survive. But we should do more than tolerate art; we should nurture it. The arts speak to the human condition and give us a chance to reflect. The world is only going to get more crowded and the arts might be our best chance at understanding one another in a peaceful and loving way.
Embrace the arts in your own life, as a tool for change in the lives of young people and as a vehicle for communicating the truth.