Dance in a Time of War

My daughter phoned me the other day, asking the question that is troubling most of us these days, “What can we do of consequence to quell the rising tide of madness around us?” At this moment, her chosen craft of musical theatre is seemingly rendered irrelevant, almost irreverent by the brutality of war.

The wisdom of the sages? There is no time when investing ourselves in the arts, whether music or drama or dancing or painting, is more important. Such creative pursuits sustain what is most integral to the human spirit. They nurture the love of beauty and camaraderie in this fragile time so that when the barbarism of war is over, we can find our way back home to the heartland. These same pursuits if practiced and valued more universally, would prevent war from happening in the first place.  Our leaders of all stripes should be given equal instruction in the arts and in oratory. As the common wisdom runs, if Hitler had taught his soldiers dance steps instead of the goose-step, there never would have been WW II. The same insight could be applied to our current situation.

There is something intrinsic in the practice of dance and artistic expression in general, that binds us to each other, that draws from within creative and life-sustaining energies. When one listens to one’s inner self, befriends the body’s wisdom and particularly, as we know so well from the Tango, becomes attuned to and supportive of another’s movements and creative expression, one loses the desire to dominate. In its stead, we learn to inhabit our personal power to create beauty and generate life and love. 

Leonard Bernstein, America’s beloved conductor and composer was asked how he would respond if Nazism rose to power in Europe. He stated, “I would invest myself in my music with even more fervour and passion. Life without music is unthinkable, unsustainable.” In Kyiv, today musicians are playing in the streets, absenting the clubs which are targets for bombing. “We need music to survive, to buoy our spirits,” they say, justifying their persistence. “Music is more important now than ever.” 

In the book, Magdelena, Wade Davis describes the beauty and power of the Rio Magdalena which flows over 1500 kilometres from the headwaters in the Andes through the heart of Columbia into the Pacific Ocean. For several decades it flowed red with the blood from the drug wars. Then one day the bloodshed stopped and the pristine beauty of the river was restored. The soul of the land was renewed and the memories of the people washed clean from the horror.  We are custodians of the sacred headwaters of the human spirit, in company with artists and lovers of all ilk. We must practice our craft with all the conviction and beauty we can access until the human spirit is washed clean of all that seeks to hate and destroy.

This is our hope. 

Yes, I am back to posting again, because we are dancing again, albeit cautiously and with COVID protocols. Please subscribe, as it makes it easier for me to ensure that you get these posts. Thank you for retaining interest during this hiatus.