Savannah Thompson

Personal Treatise
1 April 2016
Personal Treatise: Dance and the Arts
Today, many of our dance forms have been shaped and changed by the skewed
morals in our now sex and self-driven society. As our morals have changed, dance has
not been immune to becoming one of the vices used by the devil to drag people away
from all light and truth. When once used to express extreme joy and to inspire purity,
now it is used for personal fame and fortune. I have seen many of my closest friends trade
their values for this very cause. I believe that God gave us dance as a gift for a means to
uplift and inspire. I believe that with our knowledge of the most meaningful purpose of
dance, that we have a responsibility to create our art only in this way. Through personal
expression coupled with the connection of the spirit, God can work through artists who
are willing to dedicate their art to all that is good. As the spirit guides artists, they will be
able to encourage those all over the world to come to themselves (Luke 15:17), and to
seek for that which is virtuous and true.
I believe that dance is one of the most powerful means for expression and
connection. I believe that the connections made through dance are that of a connection to
the audience, to ones self and to God. Expression through dance comes from a deeply
spiritual and person place, but can also come through technical and simple physicality. I
believe that dance is powerful within both of these means. Dance when used for
celebration and entertainment is as valuable as when it is used to portray a deep personal

belief or conviction. Dance was used in the ancient Hebrew culture, mainly to celebrate. I
believe that this use for dance has begun to loose its value in todays society. Sometimes
it is easy to look down upon those who use dance only as a form to express joy, but dance
was originally used as a means of celebration. I am ashamed to admit that I was once one
of the many who felt this way about dancing for purely entertainment. I have found this
attitude also among many of my peers, who have grown up being technically trained.
Whether trained in classical ballet, contemporary or any other form of dance this
mentality can be hard to shake. It is easy to feel that dance is not as valuable when there
is no curriculum or when each movement doesnt have a deeper meaning which is
being portrayed. I have had a change in attitude about the value of dance as purely an
expression to rejoice. Just like in the Old Testament, dance truly can fulfill its purpose
when it is used mainly for the expression of the joy in ones heart.
Because dance is truly a gift from God, we have a responsibility to use it in the
way he would have us use it. M. Russell Ballard said at the Tuacahn Mormon Arts
Festival, April 8th, 1995, Gods Purpose for the artist is to inspire. To give us visions of
ourselves that we might not otherwise see The greatest artists have been humbled in
acknowledgement of the source of their inspiration and the power behind their creation.
This quote embodies the fact that Gods hand is in the arts. If we acknowledge his spirit
as the power behind all of the inspiring creations we produce, then we are fulfilling his
purpose for dance. As we do this, God will continue to inspire us, so that we may produce
works of art that can touch the hearts of the viewers and eventually evolve the world
around us into a more Zion like society.

Catherine de Medici as a patronage of the arts and especially dance was one of the
first to bring dance back into view. Through her presentation of Ballet Comique de la
Reine, which she displayed at her sisters wedding, she showed what is said to have been
the first ballet. I believe that the Renaissance was inspired by God, and that dance has
come forth only by his hand into these last days. I am grateful for the artists who listened
and acted on the inspiration they received so that we could have dance today in the way it
is today.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf stated simply, The more you trust and rely upon the
spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your
destiny in the life to come. The capacity to create in this life is only a precursor for the
expansion of that ability in the life to come, therefore, if we seek to cultivate that gift,
using the gift of the Holy Ghost as our guide, we will more closely approach our true
potential in the creative process. As any dancer knows, the creative process has
everything to do with dance and dance can be used as a vessel for one to exercise their
ability to create. As we draw upon the powers of heaven in cultivating and applying the
creative gift, we learn to more fully follow in the path that Christ has laid out for us.
As we come across different works of art and dance, we may feel disconnected to
them because of a lack of education or understanding. I believe that it is our
responsibility as children of God to seek for greater understanding of different art forms
and cultures so that we can better relate and connect to them. Gordon B. Hinckley stated
in his talk given in October of 1985, Ten Gifts from the Lord, It is also important to
enhance ones appreciation of the arts and culture which are of the very substance of our
civilization. This quote emphasizes the responsibility we each have to familiarize

ourselves with many cultures. As we do this, the things that once seemed extremely
foreign to us, will become familiar and we will better understand our civilization as a
whole. Gordon B. Hinckley continues, Can anyone doubt that good music is godly or
that there can be something of the essence of heaven in great art? Education will increase
your appreciation and refine your talent. I love the emphasis that he put on the arts being
the essence of heaven. I believe that dancing is heavenly and that the arts will continue
in the next life. Because of this, I believe that dance brings us closer to heaven and to our
Father in Heaven.

In conclusion, I believe that dance and the creative process can be one that
patterns itself after correct principles that follow Christ, or it can be one that distracts us
from the correct path that we must follow. A good indicator of where our hearts are in
the creative process lies in whether we create in order to get gain in the eyes of the world,
or whether we create in order to please God. Elder K. Newell Dayley said, Do we
believe in Christ but fail to follow him because we love the praise of men more than the
praise of God? Those who seek to follow Christ are free to receive the enlightenment and
pure joy that flows through art centered in him art centered in Christ immerses us in
joy! Great joy will come to the follower of Christ who seeks to emulate his example in
the creative process, seeking not his own praise, but praises from his God who is the true
source of all creation.