While painting and sculpture certainly have produced items of immense beauty and longevity,I believe that art is something that should be constantly evolving while still basically staying the same. I therfore give you,dance.

I'm not talking about two-left feet,step on your partners toes,third-grade dancing. I am referring to the art that takes a young child by the imagination and runs wild for a lifetime of studying,practicing and ultimately showing the world the talent that has been nurtured and strengthened over the years.

When you go to an art gallery or exhibition,you notice that,naturally the pieces are frozen in time. They may have taken on the life and breathe of their creator but no longer do they seem to mean as much to the viewer as time goes on .

Whereas with the dance,although you may have seen it many time before,it seems different every time. Subtle changes by the performer may just be in the attitude,or the rhythm, or even the gestures of hand or head. But it makes the performance come alive,differently,again and again.

This is why I think people respond by seeing a dance individual or company perform again and again. While these same people would only visit a Monet exhibition only once. Or see the "The Thinker" and say okay,whats next?

I have watched my children taking their dance lessons,much to their discomfort,and thought,I hope they realize one day that this was meant to help them express themselves and feel good about it. And maybe learn to appreciate the simplier things in life that make life worth living.

Mike
koehle@a-znet.com

I think that in the hands of a master any form of art can take on great beauty and that beauty can be appreciated by others. On the flip side, in the hands of the inept any form of art can be disgraced.

It has often been said that here is no accounting for taste, or in other words, likes and dislikes are a fairly subjective thing. So I guess that I just have to tell you what it is that I like and we’ll let it go at that.

For me the thing that has always held the most sway (pun intended) is music. It has always been a part of my life and I think that even if I went deaf I would continue to hear music in my head.

There are places that I associate with certain songs and certain bits of music suggest colors to me. Music can quicken my pulse and affect my mood. What started with the rhythmic heartbeat in the mother’s womb will carry me through to the last beat of my own heart. Hmmmm…. A drum solo interrupted by a life…

And with heartfelt apologies I am going to leave it at that, it has been a busy month and I’m running late on a number of things.

And what’s up for next month? I thought I would try something a bit more controversial and we’ll see what happens.