On the occasion of UCLA’s Centennial, UCLA Arts is proud to present 100 for 100—a collection of stories that celebrate the rich history of the arts at UCLA over the past century. Each monthly newsletter throughout the yearlong celebration will feature a new story that reflects on our past and imagines what’s possible for our future. We invite our community to explore these stories and contribute their own to the collection.
This month's contribution is by Victoria Marks, UCLA Professor Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, Associate Dean, School of the Arts and Architecture
Dancing is often looked upon as a kind of aesthetic athleticism: beautiful bodies doing amazing things; a taste of the sublime. Whereas in the Renaissance when sculpted perfection was the composite of the best features of all the human subjects accessible to the artist, today’s dancers, like our athletes, are—in themselves—the closest we will come to perfection. Michelangelo’s David never was a real person. He, (like Barbie) was the sculptor’s imagined ideal. Today we mostly look for beauty and remarkability amongst the real, living, dancers, models, athletes, actors, etc. that populate stages, film, and photography. There is something affirming about viewing the best humanity has to offer. There is also something troubling. Actually, a few things are troubling.