The Dance We're Grateful for This Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving, dance friends! Are you about to be stuffing yourself with turkey, or in the process of stuffing yourself with turkey, or already stuffed with turkey? We hope so. Because that’s what Thanksgiving is all about. (Also, Pilgrims.)
But seriously: The world needs a little cheering up right now, and that’s why we’re glad to have this minute to think about all that dancers have to be thankful for this year. Because there’s a LOT. Let’s not forget that 2016 gave us the #MannequinChallenge, and Laurie Hernandez’s floor routine, and the NYC Dance Project book, and the #PantsuitPower flashmob, and Jenna Dewan Tatum for Danskin, and the Cats revival, and Ashley Bouder’s “fouetté-ing while pregnant” videos, and Center Stage: On Pointe, and SO MUCH MISTY COPELAND.
Feeling better already? Me too.
Let’s keep the happy feels going: Here at Dance Spirit, we have a Turkey Day tradition in which I force the other editors to tell me what dance-y things they’re thankful for. And because they are the best, their responses make me all 😊😊😊. Without further ado:
Courtney Bowers, managing editor:
“I’m thankful that I got to watch all those littles kill it all season on ‘SYTYCD.’ And for the heartwarming feels the relationships they had with their All-Star mentors gave me. And for the awesome pieces that I’ll continue to obsess about through next year.”
Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone, assistant editor:
“I’m grateful for all the choreography that goes unseen and unrecorded, but exists nonetheless; for ReQuest Crew in the ‘Sorry’ music video, which makes me feel giddy with excitement every time I watch it; for Beyoncé’s dancers, who should be worshiped like demi-goddesses; for Crystal Pite‘s The Statement, which is literally breathtaking; and for the dancers who, in a sometimes scary world, keep showing up and trying to make a difference.”
Olivia Manno, assistant editor:
“Last year, I was thankful for James Whiteside‘s calves, and that still stands. In fact, I think I’m more thankful for them this year. But I’m also thankful for Crystal Pite for being a boss-lady and making some incredible work, like The Statement and The Season’s Canon; for all the sequined dresses on ‘DWTS’; and for Amar Ramasar (no reason—just for existing).”
Helen Rolfe, fashion editor:
“This year, I’m dancing with gratitude because: there’s so much amazing dance on Broadway right now (oh hey, On Your Feet! and Cats); Cloud & Victory’s HILARIOUS Instagram gives me life; and—last but definitely not least—I get to play with the prettiest dancewear and costumes all day. In other words, I’m super grateful to be DS‘s new fashion editor!”
Enjoy your Thanksgiving feasts! And also this gif, which I am thankful for every minute of every T-day every year:
