Synthesis, according to the dictionary, is the combining of several elements or forces to form a coherent whole. It is an essential element of life, from the simplest molecule to the world in which we live.
The Duluth School of Ballet, unlike any other dance school that I know of, is a perfect example of synthesis. Every person who enters this studio is a part of what we create and do. Not just our students and teachers — EVERY person.
As a young child, I remember going through the classes to be confirmed and learning that the sacrament of Holy Communion was an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. Our performance at the end of each year is exactly that — an outward and visible sign of the inward and spiritual grace that we teach in every class all year long. It is like building a cathedral, and we build a new one every year.
Cathedrals are not just the work of one person. There is the architect who designs it. There is the engineer who makes sure that what the architect designs will stand up. There are the workers who make the bricks, and those that mix the mortar that holds them together. There are the artisans who make the tiles that go on the floor, and those that create the stained glass windows. There are the painters who create the murals on the walls. And finally, there is the congregation of people who come together to complete the creation and give it life.
Creating a ballet - and the process of educating young artists to dance them - is not just the work of one person. It starts with an idea in a single human's heart and brain. But that single human cannot do it alone. Each student, no matter their skill level, each teacher, and each parent has a part in the educational and creative process. We all create the final product. This is what makes us different. We are not about tricks. Lots of people can do tricks. It is the little in-between things that make something special.
Parents have asked me why I don't start a company. We already have one. The entire school is our Company, and every student belongs to it.
When I auditioned for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1968, the Artistic Director, Arnold Spohr wrote me a letter. Knowing that I had vision in only one eye, he wrote, "Depending on how things work out with your eye, I think you have an excellent chance for a career for dance." Not IN dance - FOR dance. My goal has always been to put the art first. That is what I was taught as a young dancer. That is what I believe. This is critical, not only about ballet, but about the world in which we live. We must be FOR something, not just IN something.
Did I consciously start out to create this when I took over DSB 20 years ago? No, I just wanted to be able to earn a living teaching kids about the art that I fell in love with when I took my first ballet class in 1961. It started out as an extension of my overblown ego — all performers have this, you know — and then sort of took on a life of its own. It's not about Mr. Peter any more, it's about all of us. Our instructors are not just teachers — they are Ballet Mistresses. Our students are not just students, they are ALL artists in training, because each person is unique and has something to contribute to our world and our society.
With your continued support, DSB can be the best ballet-in-education studio that anyone has ever seen. That does not mean that we will try to make every student a professional ballet dancer in the world — it does means that we will do our part to teach our students to grow as individuals and make their own unique contributions to our society, our country, our world, and our universe. We are a family that is a part of a greater family. That is synthesis.
Peter Garick
Artistic Director
