What are some of the essential elements of dance? What makes dance so unique? What makes dance an art form? Incognizant of what dance truly meant, I was given the opportunity to peek inside the world of Dante Adela for three hours. His discussions, life story, and demonstration of dance have all greatly impacted my current understanding of the topic.
His first exercise involved everyone forming a circle and then pretending we were in a shower, with the water suddenly turning cold. As most of the students tried to show this with their bodies, they ended up laughing. Adela explained that when dancing, you can’t be afraid of looking foolish; he helped show dance’s aspect of vulnerability. With the same exercise, he was able to demonstrate how the body can communicate emotions and thoughts without verbalization. Based on Adela’s body language, by viewing the transition of the water being warm in the shower to the water suddenly turning cold, everyone in the classroom was able view the body’s distress.
Hearing about Adela’s life story was also quite fascinating. Throughout his life, he studied and learned different dance styles, from break dancing to ballet. When he talked about dancing a specific form (ballet, for example), he stated that he tries to incorporate every dance form that he has individually learned into his movements. His dancing is the net result of all of the experiences of his life. Even his martial arts background has affected his dancing.
The video of his dance performance involving the woman was also very significant. Beautifully done, the video involved a drunken man being followed by a woman in white. What was most fascinating was that although everyone in the class had seen the same video, the interpretations were all slightly different. This showed that dance is able to communicate emotions and thoughts, but the exact interpretation is completely open to the viewer. Just one visit with Dante Adela has helped truly expose me to dance. An exceptional artist, he has now made me more open to further exploring and enjoying this intricate art form.
