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Gaining Perspective

By Joel Torgeson

I'm not going to grad school.

I can't remember discussing my future plans in detail in this column, but, if you'll allow, I'd like to expound on them this month as a vehicle for talking about how ballroom matters.

Along with everyone else, I had assumed I'd be headed for the land of graduate studies in anthropology not long after my U of MN diploma had finished printing. I'd designed my undergraduate studies to position myself perfectly to get access to some of the top schools in the discipline. I'd shaken most of the right hands, presented research at a conference, and did field work in Kenya. I loved it! I still do, as a matter of fact. So what made me decide not to pursue it? Many things.

I have been in school now for nearly 75% of my life. I'm ready for a change of pace. I will continue learning of my own accord, pursuing the subjects and material that I find most fascinating and that can apply most to my life. I am excited to earn instead of borrow and spend, and to follow lines of interest that I have had little time to pursue in a world dominated by papers and midterm exams. This may be a romanticized view of life outside college, but be that as it may, I look forward to whatever it brings.

First and foremost, however, when I imagine my life ten years down the line, I do so with dance in the forefront. I have danced as a hobby for the past three and a half years now, enjoying every moment of it, and it is not an area of my life I would choose to give up for anything. If I envision parallel tracks, one in which I pursue anthropology, and one in which I pursue dance, I see myself happier in the latter. Obviously this doesn't have to be a dichotomy—I could theoretically pursue both—but given the time and effort involved in excelling in either one, it seems unlikely that a dual track will be fruitful. The other wonderful thing about anthropology is that I don't need to pursue it immediately. I have positioned myself well to pick up where I have left off, should the desire arise. But for this article I'd like to dig into what makes me see myself happier in dance. Why would I choose to pursue ballroom?

It seems that everyone wants to put their stamp on the world in some meaningful way, be it through their work, their hobby, their children, or some other pursuit. For me, I sense that dance has the power to do good in people's lives, and that is compelling. On the surface, dance can seem an intensely selfish pursuit, what with individual competition, practice, and the lack of a tangible product or outcome. However, in my limited time in the dance world I have seen bodies change, relationships blossom, and minds spark. It is compelling to see somebody find something to be passionate about after what might have been years of drifting through life without such a motivator. People gain confidence in their bodies, their social skills, and their place in the world, and that is valuable. Frankly, I struggle to find the same value in anthropology. Understanding our species' past is incredibly compelling, but its applications in the real world seem tenuous.

Ballroom is a leisure activity, but it is also a sport, a passion, and a means by which many people begin realizing goals and building positive habits. There are reams of studies explaining the physical and mental benefits of dance, so I won't go into them just now, but suffice to say that dance has a positive effect on nearly all arenas of life. I'm excited by that, and I can't wait to begin helping others to find what I love.

So what does the future hold? I'm talking with studios and others in the dance community to find myself a home for the next few years. When I make a decision, I'll let you know, but prospects are bright!

I'd like to end this month's column with a request. If you've been a regular reader of my column or even Sheer Dance in general, I'd love for you to reach out and let me know. Is there a topic you've always wondered about? Let me know and I may write about it! Have you enjoyed my writing? I'd love to hear about it. I've written twenty-four columns now, and I'm still looking forward to my third year as a part of Sheer Dance.

As always, I'll see you on the dance floor!

info@sheerdance.com