The mirror is not you. The mirror is you looking at yourself.
George BalanchineRead
One is born to be a dancer. No teacher can work miracles, nor will years of training make a good dancer of an untalented pupil. One may be able to acquire a certain technical facility, but no one can ever 'acquire an exceptional talent.' I have never prided myself on having an unusually gifted pupil. A Pavlova is no one's pupil but God's.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Natural talent is essential in the pursuit of excellence in dance, beyond mere training.
George Balanchine emphasizes the importance of innate talent in the art of dancing. While technical training can enhance skills, it cannot create true artistry or exceptional talent that is believed to be a divine gift. Balanchine reflects on his experiences as a teacher, acknowledging that the most exceptional dancers possess a unique quality that goes beyond what can be taught, highlighting the complex interplay of nature and nurture in artistic achievement.
Themes
DanceTalentTrainingArtistryExceptional
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech at a dance academy graduation.
More from George Balanchine
All quotes →First comes the sweat. Then comes the beauty if you're very lucky and have said your prayers.
George BalanchineRead
I don't want people who want to dance; I want people who have to dance.
George BalanchineRead
God creates, I do not create. I assemble and I steal everywhere to do it - from what I see, from what the dancers can do, from what others do.
George BalanchineRead
Most ballet teachers in the United States are terrible. If they were in medicine, everyone would be poisoned.
George BalanchineRead
The pointes for girls, I always say, have to be like an elephant's trunk; strong and yet flexible and soft.
George BalanchineRead
Similar quotes
Science studies the relations of things to each other: but art studies only their relations to man.
John RuskinRead
Cities are beautiful because they are created slowly; they are made by time. A city is born from a tangle of monuments and infrastructures , culture and market, national history and everyday stories. It takes 500 years to create a city, 50 to create a neighborhood.
Renzo PianoRead
The publicity image steals her love of herself as she is, and offers it back to her for the price of the product.
John BergerRead
I put down the camera long ago, you know? I was here in London, aged 19, and I was obsessed with my camera, shooting everything I could. Then someone stole it. It helped me to see things for the first time.
Forest WhitakerRead
I get so tired of people saying, 'Oh, you only make fantasy films and this and that', and I'm like, 'Well no, fantasy is reality', that's what Lewis Carroll showed in his work.
Tim BurtonRead
Do you know what I've learned? That although ecstasy is the ability to stand outside yourself, dance is a way of rising up into space, of discovering new dimensions while still remaining in touch with your body. When you dance, the spiritual world and the real world manage to coexist quite happily. I think classical ballet dancers dance on pointe because they're simultaneously touching the earth and reaching up to the skies.
Paulo CoelhoRead