“ Teaching someone to do a dance does not make that person a dancer in the same way teaching someone to play a piece on the piano does not make that person a pianist .”
Take The Path That is Scariest to
You .
Greene ’ s parting advice to his Georgia students was : “ Take the path that is scariest to you .” The greatest fear is the unknown , and what we fear most must be conquered . Leading by example , he has left the stability of his position at Brenau and returned home to Spokane . Coming back to “ phenomenal natural surroundings ” near family , Greene brings his Danse Matters with him .
Why the ‘ s ’? Because Dance Matters has always been his saying , and it ’ s a new chapter in Spokane . As founding director of Vytal Movement Dance Company , Greene ’ s goal for the Inland Northwest is “ to enrich lives through work as a dance artist by choreographing , teaching , directing , and performing .”
The popularity of dance through classes such as Zumba ®, or as part of physical education in primary and secondary schools , has added to the confusion about what dance is and what it isn ’ t . Each is legitimate in practice , but there are distinct differences in the educational background and ultimate outcome . Dancers pursue their passion in a school of fine arts with the intention of producing art . PE teachers and workout instructors receive their education from a school of health and apply dance as a means of exercise .
As the lines between art and activity blur , dance has had a difficult time breaking into both the arts and the health communities . Yet , our brains and bodies are not separate . Dancers are both artists and athletes . “ It takes muscles to move your body , understanding to know what you want to achieve and desire to push yourself to excellence — dance must matter to you .” Hard work and practice still provide the reward of achievement .
Greene likens dance to literary expression . “ A story to be spoken or danced is what [ dancers ] have to offer — to contribute to those with us now and those who will hear us later . Dance is the most ephemeral of the arts ; it is our stories that we leave behind when we leave the stage .”
He challenges his students to create stories that matter and have experiences that help them live stories of excitement , challenge , trepidation , pain , redemption , and love - stories that are powerful . He shares his stories with his students to motivate , warn , and even entertain . These stories will be passed on to illustrate that dance matters .
As he pens this new chapter , Greene is developing a dance community , and Spokane is more than ready for this expansion . “ Spokane artists are replants .” In our community , dance opportunities drop off at the age of eighteen . Twenty-something artists leave Eastern Washington and North Idaho but often return to the area in their thirties and forties . “ We need to create a community that encourages young artists to stay .”
When dancers return to Eastern Washington to raise their families , they imagine that they have left dance behind . “ There are amazing dancers in Spokane , but nobody is aware they are here .”
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