National Dance Day…
July 21, 2014
Well, on my site it’s more like National Dance Week. When I heard that NDD is this Saturday, I adopted the theme. Each day this week, I’ll find a way to incorporate dance. So regardless of where you live, come the weekend, I hope you’ll be ready to get your groove on! Today, for Meeting Men Monday, I’m sharing a story about a handsome male instructor I had when I trained with American Ballet Theatre. His advice was incredible for any relationship, romantic or not.
When he taught me, I was only 14 and he had just retired from performing. American Ballet Theatre is one of the most prestigious dance companies in the world and Mr. ABT was one of its most famous romantic leads. Despite the fact that off-stage he was in a committed relationship, on-stage he always connected with his partners. If they were dancing a romantic ballet, the stage steamed.
During one of Mr. ABT’s pas de deux classes, we were required to perform difficult – and frankly dangerous – lifts, yet show chemistry with our partners. Several of us had difficulty tapping into that emotion, so we asked Mr. ABT how he did it. Without hesitation he responded, “The moment I enter the stage, I fall in love with my dance partner. But when I step off of it, I go back to being me.”
“What is most important in any kind of partnership,” he said, “is that you care about that person.” I absolutely loved this advice and have pondered it over the years. No matter what kind of relationships we have – whether they are love affairs, friendships, or work collaborations – I think that genuinely caring is the key to building trust and having success.
