The Difference: Performing and Visual Arts
If there is one thing in this life that cannot be escaped, it is art. Art takes over our visual, audio senses as well as sensation of touch at times. Not only does art take over our senses but it does something very wonderful to our mental status. It raises awareness and stimulates our brains. Some art can touch us on a very deep emotional level. The very definition of art may vary from one person’s opinion to another.
It has been said that for centuries the many have debated without resolution of defining the word “art” (Sporre, 2011). The definition of performing and visual art can be described as a creative form of communication through several different outlets. These may include plays, music, paintings, sculptures, dance and so much more. My personal experience with art has been such a positive influence in my life. Art has always been my escape. When I was a teenager I was going through some hard family times.
On my lunch break at school Iwould go into the music room and teach myself how to play the piano. Typically I get frustrated very easily when I do not know how to do something and I do not pick up on it right away. My fingers were not limber enough for piano, I knew how to read music but had no idea where these notes were located on the piano, I was clueless. For some reason sitting at that piano calmed me, I never once got frustrated. To this day music is still an outlet for me. More often then that it includes dancing to go with it.
I love to dance for fun, dance away my stress. I adore watching true dancers perform more than anything. I often watch the Television show So You Think You Can Dance on Fox. There has been so many times that the performance has made me cry. There are several things that go into this amazing performance making me cry. The choreographer turn their story into a vision of dance in their head and pair it with the perfect song. A choreographer can have a great dance but without the perfect dancers then it will never come across right.
The dancer has to have the raw emotion come through their performance as well. The wardrobe also helps create this character the dancer is trying to portrait. When all of these elements are paired together just right it creates a truly magical experience for me. I think humans cannot help ourselves in creating art. We are a very creative, intelligent and emotional species. I think that art is our way of expressing ourselves, telling our stories and reaching out to others. Art creates a common ground for people that they may not otherwise have.
One of the first things infants do is coo at themselves almost in song. When an infant gets to a point where they can stand or walk first instinct is to bounce when they hear music. To be without art would to be without emotion and passion. It seems that it is almost encoded into our DNA to have creativity and artistic abilities, even if it is in just the mildest form.
References
- D. J. Spoore, Perceiving the Arts: An Introduction to the Humanities. (pp. 1-235). Upper Saddle River : Prentice Hall.
