Reflecting on Reflections
In high school, I was definitely guilty of a typical dancers’ mistake—misusing the mirror. At barre and in the center, I looked over my shoulder too often, distorting my lines. Last week, I was excited to take class at my home studio after being away at college for a year, and I wondered if I would recognize any differences in my dancing. I was even more excited when, during that class, I felt like I was finally using the mirror properly. The change of surroundings and the new perspectives that college brought seemed to have been beneficial. My ballet teachers at Princeton stressed an understanding of our bodies, and I work a lot on my core and upper body. In class last week, I was able to direct the focus that I had usually reserved for unhelpful glances in the mirror into this type of concentration. I felt like I was finally able to sense my alignment without having to see it. I still looked in the mirror, but mostly for confirmation that my sense of alignment was correct. And when certain lines required my head to be turned away from the mirror, I forced myself to make sure that I didn’t steal a glance.
Additionally, I’ve found that it’s easier to focus more on the movements and less on the mirror when I’m thinking about lucky I am to be at class and how much I love to dance. Since I was dependent on myself to sign up for and get to class this year, I realized how important dancing is to me. Ultimately, going to college and continuing my ballet training there has made me appreciate ballet class more.
I think that too often many of us rob ourselves of the joys of dancing because we’re obsessing about our reflections. I’m sure that this is not the end to my mirror-misusing days, but now that I have felt what it is like to have the mirror as a friend, I don’t want to go back.
