Kimball Rachel Marie Kimball Ed Austin Dance 261 October 5, 2013 Beckoning Us to RespondDance Artists from an LDS Perspective

It was not right. The way that we were using our bodies was giving the wrong impressionsending the wrong signals. I was 17 years old and dancing at a jazz studio on their senior company. The dance we were learning had gestures and movement that made reference to certain parts of the body with disrespect and sensuality. I was starting to learn just how powerful our bodies can really be, and the importance of treating them with respect. What is it that draws people to disrespect the body and use it as a tool to simply get attention? Dance is more than just moving the body to a beat. It can be referred to as an athletic form of art, and it can be the means of bringing joy into our lives. The 13th Article of Faith from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tells us that if there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things (Smith). There are many forms of art, dance being one of them, which are the means of expression, entertainment, and so much more. It is important that, as artists, we provide art that fits the description in the 13th Article of Faith. In a world full of wickedness we can find a plethora of goodness, and we must be willing to submit our share of virtuous art. The dance I learned when I was 17 years old taught me about virtue and what it means to seek after praiseworthy things. I eventually found the courage to tell my teacher how I felt about some of the moves in the dance. Although she had a hard time understanding what the problem was, she found a way to tweak the dance, permitting me to do different moves that showed more respect to my body. I was then able to enjoy the dance without worrying about the message my

Kimball 2 body was sending. I felt virtuous. This experience helped shape the way that I choose to choreograph and use my body to create art. The greater our sensitivity to the Spirit, the greater our response to beauty, grace, and truth in all their forms as these exist about us. Our righteousness opens us up like a blossoming flower to both detail and immensity (Maxwell). As dancers, we sometimes walk a fine line when learning what could be considered appropriate and what might be derogatory or disrespectful movement. God placed within each one of us the Light of Christ, to help us decipher between good and evil. It is pride and disobedience that pull people away from following the Light of Christ. In contrast, those who seek to follow Christ are free to receive the enlightenment and pure joy that flows through art centered in Him (Dayley). Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strive to keep in touch with the Light of Christ. When utilizing its powers with the arts, marvelous and miraculous things are brought forth. We are able to create things beyond our imagination things that are virtuous, lovely, of good report, and praiseworthy. In a world that is full of so much evil, it is important that we use our knowledge and talents to focus on the good. We need men and women of courage and honest convictions, who will stand always ready to be counted for their integrity and not compromise for expediency, lust for power, or greed; and we need a people who will appreciate and support representatives of this caliber (Tanner). Too much of art in society is lustful. It focuses on selfish desires. As we venture out to add our own pieces of creativity to the mountain of art, we must be sure that we are building in the right direction. Greed never builds up. It tears down others and scatters the building blocks due to pride and selfishness. When we contribute to society with our talents, our goal is to build up; to add those things that will be virtuous and strong, giving glory to God. As children of our Heavenly Father, we are endowed with blessings and talents to assist us in life and bring us joy. Artistic and creative expressions that occur in conformity with

Kimball 3 reality and with the sublime and eternal truths help to deliver on that marvelous promise that men are that they might have joy (2 Ne. 2:25) and help us to have [life] more abundantly (John 10:10) by showing us a more excellent way (1 Cor. 12:31) (Maxwell). When we use our talents for good, we receive true joy from them. As I experienced at the jazz studio, it is when we use our talents for inappropriate activities and purposes that we find short lived, imitation happiness and lose the eternal purpose for having those talents. We should not feel this way when sharing our talents. We should be feeling joy. God blessed us with talents as a way to help us become more like him. These talents help us to create. In many ways, we use these forms of creation to bring forth art. Creativity is not simply innovation but organization (Maxwell). We must use our talents to become more like our Creator. He created the earth and all things that are in it (Mosiah 4:9). Beauty and truth are all about us, beckoning us to respond. But perspiration usually precedes inspiration, and pondering, reverentially, almost always occurs before we make any breakthrough. Creative work is sweet, but it is work! When studying Gods many creations, we can see that there is a pattern in all things; everything is organized. We too must be organized when we create. Dance is work. It is not an easy thing to become a danceran athlete and artist in one. But in a world full of inspiration everywhere we look, in every sound we hear, being touched by our surroundings through all of our senses, it becomes desirable to create and do something that can match the majesty of this world. This can be done via dance. Everyone has a body. Not everyone has been trained in dance, but everyone can move. Everyone can create, and they can create something good. It is a highly personal experience in which we are grateful to the Lord for helping us to see beauty and truth and the order of things, for restructuring our understanding of things, if necessary, to accord with things as they really are (Jacob 4:13) (Maxwell).

Kimball 4 At Brigham Young University (BYU), a university owned and run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dance majors are taught to expand their artistic horizons and capitalize on using elements of their faith to drive their future careers and endeavors. Dance has a special role to play in the education of the whole man. Appreciation for the perfection of the gift of the physical body will enhance ones social, intellectual, and spiritual nature. Mans basic need to experience the creative process is fulfilled in direct and personal ways when the body is used as the means of expression (Winterton). BYU offers a large variety of classes for dance majors, as well as for students that would like to take a dance class for fun. These classes are uplifting and inspire students to use their bodies for goodto produce wholesome art. When I attended the jazz studio as a teenager, I had feelings of discomfort from time to time. At BYU, I never worry about teachers presenting me with choreography that would cause me to feel spiritually unclean. The faculty in the dance department assists students in having a wholesome experience while teaching them about the majesty and power of the human body when used as a tool for creating art. Prophets throughout history have counseled us on the proper use of our bodies and how to respect them. They have made it clear that God expects us to respect our bodies and keep them sacred. As our bodies are the primary tools used to create dance, it is imperative that we stay grounded with the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ when considering the appropriate use of them in dance. Each one of us has a body that has been entrusted to us by a loving Heavenly Father. We have been commanded to care for it. Can we deliberately abuse or injure our bodies without being held accountable? We cannot! The apostle Paul declared: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (Monson). It is our opportunity and hopefully our desire to produce divine and beautiful art. Beauty and truth are all about us, beckoning us to respond (Maxwell).

Kimball 5 Works Cited Smith, Joseph. The Articles of Faith. http://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1 Dayley, Newell. Centering The Arts in Christ. 6 March 2001. http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=264 Maxwell, Neal A. Creativity. New Era August 1982. http://www.lds.org/newera/1982/08/creativity?lang=eng Winterton, Dee. A Few Thoughts on Dance. 4 March 1981. Tanner, N. Eldon. Integrity. April 1977. http://www.lds.org/generalconference/1977/04/integrity?lang=eng Monson, Thomas Spencer. True to the Faith. April 2006. http://www.lds.org/generalconference/2006/04/true-to-the-faith?lang=eng