Attention, Attention: How Vital is It?

I saw the new version of Chorus Line tonight and absolutely loved it. It's all about attention - how much attention is paid to the 1000 who auditioned to get in the show. These young people have really spent years getting ready for these grueling auditions, at which some lose and some win. You see the agony and the ectasy. It's a very emotional movie, for it's so well done, that you feel the pain and the elation of the dancers. I cried several times, sometimes from hurt and other times from joy.

Most of these kids have known from childhood that they wanted to be dancers. Perhaps, their parents knew before them., recognized something in them and supported their being able to grow to professionalism. That took immense attention for everyone: the hours spent in taking lessons, driving to lessons, driving home from lessons, shopping for shoes and costumes, having massages when necessary - to name jut a few of the required activities. It actuallybecomes a full time job. One young woman talked about how much her mother loved to dance, but when her mother married her father, he forbade her to dance and put an end to her passion. So her mother's passed that passion on to her daughter. This is not common. Also heard," If it weren't for you, I would have been a famous dancer!"One dancer's father was one of this country's best professional dancers who started his own dance troupe. His name was Jacques La Boise.

When you're a dancer, you have to pay attention to your entire body which includes your feet, your legs, your upper torso - all of you really. It's an everyday thing of practice and more practice and healing the physical hurts and pain.

Actually a dancer's body is his art form; he has no other product. Their stamina, their physical prowess is amazing and memorable to watch. When they can't dance anymore, who are they?
That is one of the questions asked.

I would highly recommend this movie; it comes out in April.