Learn to Love Something By Doing It

I Joined Le Grand Continental and Discovered the World of Dance

When I auditioned to be a member of the Le Grand Continental-Boston (LGC), Celebrity Series choreographed street dance of local citizens, I expected to meet people beyond my usual sphere, learn cool dance steps, and have fun. In the three months between auditions and our upcoming Copley Square performances May 16, 17, and 18, LGC has exceeded all of those expectations. But my first foray into choreography has also brought an unexpected benefit: a deeper appreciation for dance.

From the first rehearsal I realized that the dancing I enjoy at clubs and weddings is different from dance as an art form. I can apply pressure to my partner’s shoulder to guide him through a jitterbug swing or waltz turn, but coordinating multiple bodies through space to music is logarithmically more complex. Simple gestures aggregate into complex moves, which become challenging sequences. I began by memorizing step A + step B + step C, a sound, though tedious, method of learning. Practice videos with music proved difficult to follow, but I valued the ones with counts. I understood dance as a math problem. Over time, patterns emerged, repetition, then order, and finally, the accents that interrupt order.