Written by Marisa K Smith
Although ballet is not integrated well into today’s American society, it is a valuable tradition, according to ballerina Sasha Dmochowski in her presentation at Harding Sept. 27.
The first speaker in the Honors College’s 2009-2010 L.C. Sears Collegiate Seminar series, Dmochowski gave her presentation titled “Muscle Memory: How to Tell a Story on Your Toes” to a full crowd in the American Studies room 200.
Dmochowski said that ballet has the same sort of relevance, form, technique and architecture as national holidays and the Parthenon. She referenced Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” as a popular Christmas tradition but lamented that other more exciting ballets are disregarded by the general public.
Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” is one such ballet. Dmochowski has performed this ballet countless times in her years with theAmerican Ballet Theaterand loves it. During the presentation, she invited two student volunteers to act out lines of the ballet through mime.
Jeffrey Hopper, dean of the Honors College, said that it was a revelation to him that a mime language can be used in dance and that it was beautiful to see Dmochowski dancing with her hands.
Kelsey Sherrod, director of the L.C. Sears Seminar Series, came up with the theme of narrative for this year’s series and proposed to Hopper that they invite a dancer to come speak. Through personal connections, Hopper called the American Ballet Theatre, who suggested that Dmochowski come.
Sherrod found Dmochowski’s presentation useful in learning about ballet’s struggle to find an American audience in the twenty-first century. She said Dmochowski’s words are important to college students, “who are taught to express themselves through the pen or the podium, but are uneducated about the art of narrative expression through our bodies.”
Dmochowski explained telling a story through bodily movement as something that everyone can and does do on a daily basis.
“What we do is more dance than we realize,” she said. “When you move your hips to get out of someone’s way, you’re dancing.”
She added that she watches the way people move, and lack of spatial self-awareness is one of her major pet peeves. Everyone thinks that ballet is just about tutus and point shoes, she saidbut the basics of dance are evident in our daily movements and need for narrative.
Although her initial expectations were not met, junior Amber Roe enjoyed the presentation.
“I was expecting more dance and fewer literary allusions; however, I was quite pleased with her words and subtle movement,” she said.
Hopper thought the most important part of Dmochowki’s presentation was just that “she was here and presented an art form that is beautiful and something we needed to see.” Hesaid that the presentation was crucial as a means to encourage interest in the arts and humanities, which he says are being left behind in modern day society.
Dmochowski has performed and taught ballet for almost 20 years. She attended the Boston Ballet School and performed with the Boston Ballet from 1994 to 2001. She joined the American Ballet Theater in 2001 and retired two years ago.
Speaking at Harding was her first time to give a formal presentation as well as her first time to visit Arkansas. Having no preconceptions before coming here, she said she likes Harding and Arkansas because the people are nice and friendly, and she feels very welcome.
