This ice dance between Meryl Davis and Charlie White is sublime. The artistry, the skill, the music, the relationship between them, the choreography…all of it perfection.
On the surface it seems the culmination of years of working toward a common goal, yet that journey is also one of discovery…each dancer growing and learning about the other, each breaking down personal barriers, pushing themselves, maturing individually and together, and creating, in the end, something of extraordinary beauty.
Yes, Meryl David and Charlie White won the Gold medal in Sochi for ice dancing. But…what they have really given us extends way beyond the Olympics and competing for a medal. If we were all given the opportunity to aspire to the creation of something this beautiful in our lives (whether we have the ability to become Olympic champions or not…it is the intent that matters), how would it change the world?
Would it be more peaceful? Would human relationships be better? Would we be more protective and preservative? More appreciative?
I have always believed that every child should learn to dance with a partner. It teaches you things about yourself…and about another person that applies to every day life…and makes it better, more soulful, Yes, dancing makes life more beautiful.
For me personally it is impossible to watch this video and not contemplate the impact what we create in our lives – no matter how subtle or small or seemingly insignificant – can have on the world.
Watch.
February 17, 2014 at 7:54 pm
Giselle Minoli Brilliant, thanks. Have a great week.
February 17, 2014 at 7:56 pm
Canada is in an uproar claiming the results were fixed. SIGH
February 17, 2014 at 7:56 pm
To be fair, point fixing is a huge problem in figure skating.
February 17, 2014 at 7:57 pm
The Canadians are brilliant too James Barraford and I could just as easily have posted that. It is soooooooo not about the medal. Although I understand that for the competitors and their countries it is. Indeed. Sigh….
February 17, 2014 at 7:59 pm
It is sooooooo not about the medal R.J. Blain.
February 17, 2014 at 8:04 pm
I never said it was, Giselle Minoli — I was just commenting to another person.
It was a pretty dance, I’m not a huge fan of the music, but it was pretty… but I’m not into figure skating all that much, especially after having known a few girls who did ‘compete’ — and every last one of them said they went in knowing which position they’d end up in after many ‘competitions’ — and unless someone really screwed up on their piece, it was usually set from the start.
February 17, 2014 at 8:11 pm
Oh, wow. That is amazing. The fluidity with which they work together is so beautiful.
February 17, 2014 at 8:13 pm
But R.J. Blain if you don’t mind…that argument is making it about the medal. I know none of those things. I am looking at it from the POV of what has been created…the dance, the relationship, and so many things that are subtext and impossible to describe.
The various “truths” about price fixing, about competition between dancers and athletes, they take nothing away from the thing that is created – for me. I know that in the world of ballroom dancing there is a lot of “stuff” that goes on. But with my own ballroom dancing instructors it doesn’t, and when I watch them dance together they are creating something that goes beyond the aspect of competition, which is what the point of my post is…
There are always going to be people who think some other couple should have won…but, again, that is not what I am writing about…for what it’s worth. I wrote about what our world could be like if we woke up every day with the intent to create something of beauty and magic for others to see and appreciate.
February 17, 2014 at 8:17 pm
Giselle Minoli, I completely agree with every word!
February 17, 2014 at 8:20 pm
It is, isn’t it Christina Talbott-Clark? The comment about it taking them three years to perfect the entry into the first lift, which was truly extraordinary – her going almost through his legs into the air and his own body skating to catch up with her so that she just floated down onto him like a feather.
I’m reminded of this famous Picasso “legend:”
Legend has it that Pablo Picasso was sketching in the park when a bold woman approached him.
“It’s you — Picasso, the great artist! Oh, you must sketch my portrait! I insist.”
So Picasso agreed to sketch her. After studying her for a moment, he used a single pencil stroke to create her portrait. He handed the women his work of art.
“It’s perfect!” she gushed. “You managed to capture my essence with one stroke, in one moment. Thank you! How much do I owe you?”
“Five thousand dollars,” the artist replied.
“B-b-but, what?” the woman sputtered. “How could you want so much money for this picture? It only took you a second to draw it!”
To which Picasso responded, “Madame, it took me my entire life.”
February 17, 2014 at 8:31 pm
Both were born in the Detroit suburbs and go to University of Michigan. I’m glad the folks around Detroit have something to cheer about.
February 17, 2014 at 8:42 pm
Hey Chad Haney what a great thought. Something of beauty for Detroit to cheer about. I love that. Wouldn’t it be interesting if we could trace the energy ripple of that
February 17, 2014 at 8:52 pm
As someone who has ice skated, badly, both at the Central Park rink and the Rockefeller rink, I am slightly envious of anyone who can skate well. To watch this duo makes me think of Astaire and Rogers but on ice. Totally sublime. Enthralled. Pure magic. This is what creativity is all about. Bravo. Brava.
February 17, 2014 at 8:55 pm
That would be fun Giselle Minoli.
February 17, 2014 at 9:06 pm
Beautiful.
February 17, 2014 at 9:25 pm
stuart richman ahhhhh….or, as they would say in Italy….Bravi! I agree. Obviously…
February 17, 2014 at 9:31 pm
Had to watch it twice running. So beautiful, so coordinated, even the spins. Wow.
February 17, 2014 at 9:31 pm
I really have no personal interest in who won…as I wrote for me it’s about the commitment to work toward a goal of beauty and art. No one will ever agree on who should have won…and I don’t know what “should have” means to begin with…
February 17, 2014 at 9:39 pm
It doesn’t matter to me who won this particular event but it doesn’t matter to me who won any particular event as for me it is more important the celebrating of artistry at its most exquisite levels. In this particular case this duo has frozen (no ice puns intended) a moment of magic in time much the same as any great dance duo or any great painter. I only wish I could have seen their performance in person.
February 18, 2014 at 12:02 am
For what it is worth, I just want to say that Canada has given America (and the rest of the world) some extraordinary talent – Gordon Lightfoot, Bryan Adams, Diana Krall, Neil Young, Bare Naked Ladies, Hume Cronyn, Matt Kraven, Michael J. Fox, Ryan Gosling, Victor Garber, Mike Myers, Rick Moranis, Kate Nelligan, Catherine O’Hara, Ellen Page, Barry Pepper, Mary Pickford, Walter Pigeon, Amanda and Christopher Plummer, Donald Sutherland, Leonard Cohen…this is just the tip of the Canadian Ice Berg of Talent…and then there is Celine Dion…there is no one bigger…so I don’t think any Canadian would say Americans don’t appreciate Canadian talent. Americans bow at the feet of Canadian talent and are thankful for it in every genre of entertainment…so…again…this is _not about who won the medal…please…
February 18, 2014 at 1:38 am
There’s more tonight Sheri ONeill so tune in. I’ve actually been watching it on my computer on NBC (you just have to sign in with whatever cable account you have), because then it’s all right there. Very convenient.
February 18, 2014 at 8:14 am
“if we were all given the opportunity to aspire….”?? we all get opportunities with every passing second of life it is an immutable part of life. Circumstances happen choices are made. aspiring is a personal choice they had no more time the last 17 years than any of us they just made different opportunities and made different choices than the rest of us. We all have champions within us, we have to do the hard work of developing or be satisfied with not. Even couch potatoes can be peaceful ,happy, protective ,grateful,and compassionate. I agree physical activities like dancing and LaCross and walks in the woods can be a great source of learning.
February 18, 2014 at 11:51 am
Margery Ripley quibble with my “choice” of words if you “choose” yet I think my meaning was/is clear…
February 18, 2014 at 12:23 pm
Thank you, Giselle Minoli for sharing something beautiful
February 18, 2014 at 3:59 pm
Deborah L Gabriel you are welcome. I hope you’ve had a chance to watch some of it. Free style ice dancing is one of my favorite things to watch because the dancers have, well, so much freedom to create. So too with those wacky aerialist snowboarding and skiing athletes.
BTW…there is an interesting article/interview in the Times about Megan James, an American skiier who got herself to Sochi not as part of the American team. It’s an article about how tough it is to get there if you don’t have the financing and the reality that for most athletes you have to be a part of some “group” in order to swing it. James is talented, but for a variety of reasons didn’t qualify for the “funded” American team so she went rogue. My stepson recently texted me that he wished it wasn’t so much for financially well off athletes…and I tend to agree with that. Here’s the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/sports/olympics/independents-olympic-dreams-are-tied-to-a-shoestring.html
February 18, 2014 at 7:23 pm
Giselle Minoli It seems as though I am in one of those life cycles where time spent on beautiful things is too constrained, so am very thankful when people like yourself, with an eye for beauty, make it easier for me to see them. Coincidentally, I will be viewing the Royal Ballet’s version of Swan Lake this week on the big screen, not the same as in person, but…
The local School of the Arts will be having their spring recitals soon and they are always a delight, full of youthful spirit and creativity.
I have to admire the tenacity of the independent athletes cut from the official and funded teams because of diminished chance of winning. An interesting piece of this thread, beauty of the sport v. winning is an ongoing conversation in the world of creativity of which I consider “sports” to be a piece of. One could substitute “sales price or return on investment ” for winning and have the same conversation.
February 18, 2014 at 7:32 pm
I’m interested to read your words Deborah L Gabriel that “time spent on beautiful things is too constrained,” in your life cycle at the moment. I find I am in the opposite mode, where it matters to me more and more and more. It is always in psychological response to something, an exploration of something personal, a digging deeper…and possibly always about healing…
February 20, 2014 at 3:04 pm
Giselle Minoli thinking about cycles, I remember a book I read many years ago by social psychologist who had interviewed 100’s of women both inpatient and outpatient. The gist of the book or the message I needed to hear at the time, was that women’s lives are cyclical based on caretaking and women really come into their own later in life when they are able to concentrate on their craft, be it art, literary, politics; etc. This is contrasted to men’s lives which tend to be more linear and reach their peak earlier.
The emphasis and pressure put on women to retain their “youthfulness” exerts a negative pressure on women in general and retards many from reaching a hidden potential. Some of us take different paths, but the social support for that around women is greatly diminished. Interesting concepts, I think.
Sorry I could not find the reference for that book on a quick search, must be spelling her name incorrectly.
My own life has definitely been cyclical, depending on what need and fate combined had in store. Like everything in life, all with varying lengths and some more pleasant than others, but all a necessary part of the journey.