The Dance Student

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As from A Dancer's World by Margot Fonteyn

A student of dance is a person working seriously to make a career in the art. As a profession, dance has its hazards like any other art. Nevertheless, I believe it to be the best and most agreeable life, because people on the stage enjoy some sort of special magic not really found anywhere else. No one should go into the theatre [as a profession] who is not suited to the way of life. Regular hours and free weekinds are unknown. None of the arts can be regaurded as having regular hours.

I am always surprised by the number of people who ask what dancers do to keep fit for the strenuous life they lead. The answer is, of course, just the reverse. It is the strenuous life that keeps them fit. Ideally, a dancer should be determined, receptive, patient, and possess a strong sense of self-awareness. He or she must be able to

accept criticism readily, for this is a common element in a dancer's life. Above all, and it may seem obvious to state this, a dancer should love to dance. Finally, the most important quality a dancer can possess is also the one that is the hardest to define. Talent for dancing is something that one is born with. Once it is discovered, it can be developed, it can be nurtured -but it can never ever be manufactured.

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It takes an athlete to dance, but an artist to be a Dancer!