Redefining the dancer's body.

IT'S NO SECRET THAT DANCERS ARE OBSESSED WITH their bodies. But don't feel embarrassed about it, because it simply comes with the territory. There is no way to train as a dancer and not be hyperconscious of the way you look, the proportions of your body, and the quality of your movement. As dancers, our concern for our image goes beyond that of a model or an actor. It is not simply the figure we cut or our attractiveness as a sexual being, but the artistic, emotional, and aesthetic impact we create in motion. [] Dancers tend to define the "ideal body" narrowly, and nervously measure the gap between the ideal and the real. To deconstruct the ideal, we state here that "Any Body Can Dance" and visit the lives of dancers whose bodies defy the stereotypes. And we target another stereotype--the adoration of youth in dancing. Yes, most gorgeous dancers are under 35, but there are many, still beautiful, who dance past that age. Our writer Merilyn Jackson gives a glimpse of positive aging for dancers in "Never Stop Dancing." [] Slogging away year after year in technique class can bring miraculous changes, making our bodies taut and essential. But that can happen only if your mind keeps up with your body. Both creators and performers in the field of dance must aim for the body and mind to work together. To complete our segment on the body, we take a look at an extraordinary exemplar of body-mind unity, dancer/choreographer Kei Takei. [] So go ahead and obsess. After all, no one ever improved her technique by being complacent. [] Reading the following stories will stretch your idea of the dancer's body, help connect your body to your mind, and bring your goal closer to reality.