Doing theMostGood:AYoungDancer’s Statement


byMarquitaDe Jesus end the class as normal.A


I


series of pirouettes fromfifth position punctuated by a grand


jeté out the side door. This is howI typically concludemy Company ThursdayAdvanced Jazz class, except todaywas different. Today, a defiant Julia stared atme refusing to leave the studio. I should preface this by saying Julia began today’s classwith a very serious glare and the comment that she and Iwould need to speak later. I should also preface this by saying Julia is ten years old.


Nowfor those of youwhowere awake during the day, you knowthat a huge firestormoccurred in 2012when the “Kony 2012” campaign revolutionized socialmedia advocacy.Nearly anyonewho had a face- book account shared the infamous video tomakeKony famous. Within 48 hours, every newsmedia outletwas covering a story that had been virtually ignored for years.However, in between the debut of this video and Julia’s question, a huge backlash had occurred. People began to ask the question, “Ifwe only share this video through the distant channels of socialmedia,what affect arewe really having?”


In themiddle of this growing controversy, a quiet ten year old dancer stands, staring atme through green eyes, awaitingmy answer.


“Yes, I knowwho that is.” I answered, unsure exactlywhy shewas asking the question. Julia sighs.Not a ten-year old sigh, but the sigh of years of pent up exhaustion. Itwas clear that shewas strugglingwith whether or not to tellme about JosephKony.


Pictured: Julia


The coolNorth Texas air nipped atmy uncommonly large calfmuscles as I huggedmy last company dancer good-bye. It is 2012, and the month ofMarch is forcing the last ofwinter to fall prey to the impend- ing Texas Spring. I smile at Julia as she very seriously approachesme fromthe opposite end of the studio.


Julia ismuch shorter than a ten year old of her age should be.Her long, brown curly hair softly cascades the top half of her body,making her appear doll-like and easy to love. Shewearily glides towardsmy side of the room, staring atme both stoically and seriously. Before I could ask herwhatwaswrong, she uttered themost unbelievable words. “Do you knowwho JosephKony is?”


I smiled. “Well,” she said, “if its okaywith you, Iwould like to bring a poster to class…Imade a poster to tell everyone I knowaboutKony.”


My eyeswidened.Aposter? Youmade a poster?Aguerilla leader has displaced 2million people and hurt countless children and you… made a poster?


The single tear, unabashed by its surroundings, escaped frommy eyes before I could grant consent.Where others had refused to press a but- ton to share on Facebook amid newchagrin surrounding the viability of socialmedia advocacy, this ten year old dancer spent hours on a poster shewas hoping to showto her dance teacher.


Mother Theresa once said, “You can do no great acts, only small acts with great love.”


The reality is that Juliawas disturbed by the horrific acts happening to kids shewould never know. The realitywas Julia did all she could do with the only two hands she could control.


Shemade a poster.


Will that save thousands fromdevastation?No. But itwill bring a ten year old into unitywith those suffering outside of her tinymaster planned community.While that poster doesn’t change the suffering of those that suffer, it changes the hearts of thosewho care about Julia, and that, though on a smaller scale, changes everything. It transforms a temperamental ballerina into someone transformed by the suffering of others. In addition, it transforms those spoiling that ballerina, into aware and concerned citizens.


I stare at Julia and I smile. I grant her permission to bring her poster to class. She smiles politely, and prances happily on herway. Following mymeetingwith Julia I begin to recount, notwhat I couldn’t do, but what I could do to help those in need. Because, at the end of the day, it’swhat you can control, notwhat you can’t, that leads to the trans- formation in the community around you.


So, if you can, talk to a friend about injustice or financially support an organization you knowismaking a difference.While it’s not themost good, it’s themost good you can do.And thatmatters.


Marquita De Jesus is the Fusion Performance Company Director at The DanceMovement in Plano, TX. FPC dancers have raised nearly $40k for charities around the world.Marquita is also author of the new book, “Radically Ordinary,” available at radicallyordinary.tateauthor.com, Amazon, and Barnes &Noble.


page 24 Nov-Jan 2015 www.thedancecouncil.org DANCE!NORTHTEXAS a publication of the dance council of north texas vol 17 • no 4


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