What inspires you most as a dancer? What keeps you going on the days when the motivation just isn't there, and makes you feel like all the hard work, rejection and sacrifice is worth it for the pursuit of your dream? What makes you want to run into an empty studio and create something new?
Cindy Clough, executive director of Just For Kix and a studio owner with over four decades of experience, often hangs posters with dance-related quotes on the walls of her studio, on everything from creativity to the hustle to the importance of teamwork. Sometimes the right words from dancers who have been there are just the push you need to spark your imagination and remind yourself why you love what you do.
In that spirit, here are 10 inspiring quotes from dancers on what their art form means to them, and why it's worth fighting through the hard parts:
Martha Graham
"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique."
Fred Astaire
"Do it big, do it right and do it with style."
Mia Michaels
"If you dance with your heart, your body will follow."
Agnes de Mille
"To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking."
Alvin Ailey
"The creative process is not controlled by a switch you can simply turn on or off; it's with you all the time."
Stacey Tookey
"Don't let fear hold you back. Being scared is an essential part of life. If you believe in your talent, you'll discover that you're the only person standing in your way."
Twyla Tharp
"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home."
Mikhail Baryshnikov
"I really reject that kind of comparison that says, Oh, he is the best. This is the second best. There is no such thing."
Martha Nichols
"Patience isn't a synonym for waiting. It requires work, faith and endurance. Work toward what you want. If you don't have it yet, there's more work to be done."
Judith Jamison
"If you look at a dancer in silence, his or her body will be the music. If you turn the music on, that body will become an extension of what you're hearing."