Art is a beautiful thing

Today I watched the contemporary dance choreographed by Travis Wall and danced by Robert and Allison to Coldplay's severely edited "Fix You" on So You Think You Can Dance. Being that this song is one of my all-time favorites, the cuts and jumps kind of distracted me throughout the dance, but those distractions could not detract from the powerful feelings and emotional energy evidently displayed on that stage. The dance was one of those rare events in life that are so beautiful, it touches something deeper than mere appreciation of athleticism and musicality. This moment was one of the very very rare times when I watched a dance on SYTYCD that made me feel something evocatively significant, deep in that dark, warm, quiet place where sorrow, grief, helplessness, and passion resides within someone who has experienced these emotions.

The story behind the choreography is that Travis' mom is sick, and the dance was a display of his desire to support her and take the pain away. Robert related to the dance, because he also has personal experience with a sick mom, and ultimately Mia Michaels, one of the judges, broke down in her critique by sharing her own experiences with her mom's death.

Allison's dancing was of course excellent, but I think what really sold her performance to me was her facial expressions: pain, suffering, and sadness contorted her gorgeous features, almost a dance itself that mirrored the tortured beauty that was the bodily dance. Robert's dancing was equally exceptional, though with his mundane khaki shorts and plaid top was often literally outshone by the luminescent pink nightshirt and spotlight Allison wore. In either case, Travis' choreography was one of vulnerable and tender moments, violent pain, desperate hope, and exhausted yet exhilarating love that helped drive the son forward to physically and emotionally support his mother.

I've read criticisms and comments by other viewers who've critiqued the overly dramatic praise of this dance, saying that the "moment" seemed forced and too emotional for what the dance actually warranted. After reading a few of these comments, I was disappointed that these reviewers couldn't experience what I did in watching that dance. Like Robert and Mia, I too have felt the helplessness, worry, and pain that one inexorably experiences when a parent is sick. Viewing the performance was like experiencing that pain again, but also the catharsis. I finally came to the conclusion that one could not understand the depth and fullness of this story, without already having experienced the suffering itself. In that way, I feel sorry for those critics who believe that the responses to the dance were overly dramatized, because they will never be able to view this performance in it's physical and emotional entirety, until they have experienced tragedy like the dancer, choreographer, and myself have.

Suffice it to say that my words cannot do this dance justice; therefore, please go watch a video of this dance! And though I wish tragedy on no one, I have to confess that experience will enhance the appreciation of this dance art to the fullest.