As a student of classical ballet, my intial exposure to French was immersive by default. Every movement learned was given a label in French. As my interest in the art form increased I realized that I would need to know what the words meant to complete the movements more effectively. What was the actual difference in a jeté and a temps levé?
When given the choice between French and Spanish in 8th grade, the choice was obvious to me. Finally, a chance to crack the code and intellectually understand the movements presented to me in dance class. Classical ballet opened the door to French and French helped me access classical ballet more fully. Dance and French formed a symbiotic relationship that encouraged me to experience different ways of considering the world and opened up new possibilities.
As I continued my French studies and later lived in France and Belgium, I also continued dancing. In Belgium, I took a salsa course which was taught in French but was open to the general public, drawing in cosmopolitans and locals alike who spoke French, Flemish, German, English and Spanish. The common link of dance drew students there but the necessity of communicating in French formed a bridge between dancers of diverse backgrounds confronted with the intricacies of partner work.
When I later moved to Mulhouse, France to work as an Assistante de langue for French lycéens learning English, I immediately sought out a local dance studio. I was greeted warmly by former Opéra dancers Serge and Anton who invited me to be a part of their dance community. I attended Anton’s modern class with a German collegue who had a background in rhythmic gymnastics. Again, dance class served as common ground where we were able to assimilate into the local community and some of my best memories were made within the studio walls.
When I moved to DC, during my first class at Joy of Motion I was singled out to explain a point of dance technique known as a développé. I was in my element. This was my new dance community and French was already center stage.
