“I don’t want people who want to dance; I want people who have to dance.”

– George Balanchine

George Balanchine was an artist.  He did not require canvas and paints or stone and chisel to create a masterpiece.  His material was music and his medium was dance; and his passion for his art forever changed the face of modern ballet.  Just as the artist would choose the finest pigments available, just as the sculptor would choose the whitest marble — media that would forever commit to immortalizing their work — Balanchine chose dancers whose need to dance was the thing that made them live and breathe.  Behind any great work of art there is passion; and Balanchine’s words serve as a reminder to each one of us to find the thing that we feel we must do and then do it.

We all are artists of one sort or another, and daily we take up the brush and add our colors to the world.  Some of us draw or paint, some of us create pictures with words, some cook with passion or bring beauty to our surroundings through interior design.  Some bring music to our ears through singing or playing or composition.  Whatever it is that causes your passion to stir, whatever it is that excites you about the coming day when you first open your eyes in the morning, embrace it!  Make it a part of your way of life and let it grow and develop and fill you with purpose.  It is our passion for living that connects us to others who also dare to follow their dreams.  I am not a great dancer, or even a good dancer; but when I watch the beauty of Balanchine’s creations, it stirs the passion that lies at the core of my own need to create, and I know that he felt the same need to communicate the depth of joy that he found in his art.

Go forth today with passion.  Whatever your medium might be, pursue the joyful work of making our world a bit more colorful.  Don’t just like to dance — need to dance!