Ballet Cleans the Brain
Thursday, February 4th, 2010The ballet warmup “barre” stuns me especially when I watch professionals begin their work day. The internal focus is worthy of any meditation and the personal silence is as rich as any prayer. Within their silence and careful attention to the slowest movement is a flood of internal conversation and information download. Each dancer is measuring their day’s unique energy level, body tone, and reaching within for the incentive to reach new heights in the day’s performance.
The complete body enters every movement, creating a new palette for the day. Yesterdays injuries and disappointments must be washed clean in these silent moments of concentration. The arms and legs gather energy from deep within the torso and pass across and around the body in ancient rituals that free the brain to heal the body and focus the mind.
I imagine the origins of these movements were codified in the earliest temple dances.
