it calls out, this dancing

"marcel duchamp said art is primarily an intellectual activity, right? well, that's not where I live. I want my art to be tender, brave, sexy, outrageous, seductive. I ask myself, is that being fair? yes, I say. yes, it's fair because I'm the one who makes the rules. so don't buy a ticket if you can't handle that." -bill t. jones

m, this is for you. and it's for me. it's for anyone and everyone. bill t. jones, I celebrate you. because you believe that all body types belong on stage and that amazing movers come in all shapes, all sizes. because you once said that 'modern dance was nobody's sleeping beauty' (amen and hallelujah to that). because when you conducted a master class with fifty nervous young dancers, you still took the time to come around and personally introduce yourself to each one of us, warmly shake each hand. because during that ridiculously nerve-wracking ninety minute class where everyone seemed to be watching everyone else, you had us whispering desires and screaming our names, you had us flying effortlessly through thick summer air. because you created a book about modern dance for children that I am proud to read to my daughter, my son. because you make breathtaking work, work that is indeed tender, brave, sexy, outrageous and seductive. because watching you perform, watching your company onstage can only be defined as exhilarating. because you make me feel like singing, like shaking, like jumping, like grinning, like crying, like dancing.