Question: Hi Lyn, I got into a discussion with a couple of people here, regarding how Classical ideas can be conveyed through art. And we were able to see how these ideas could be conveyed through different art forms, such as painting, sculpture, drama, music, things like that. But, what we were not able to figure out, was how Classical ideas can be conveyed through dance.

So, I was wondering if you could give me your thoughts on that, maybe give us a couple of examples.

LaRouche: Well, I think that where there is emphasis on Classical dance--. What happened, is, in dancing, we had this crazy, Romantic development of crotch display, as a substitute for actual Classical dance. So, if we eliminate the factor of crotch display, which is the characteristic of modern dance, then we've eliminated the problem.

Because, just think about the principle of the thing, as you would, for example, in sculpture. If you wish to demonstrate, in Classical dance form, a Classical principle of composition, what would you do? You would say, "Look, the key thing here is, let's look at the difference between tombstone art and Classical art, in terms of sculpture." Go to sculpture: What is the difference between tombstone art and Classical art, Classical composition?

So therefore, the first  thing you would want, say, in ballet, is you would want to be able to say: How can we, in a sense, reduce the expression of the human form, on stage, in dance, to something equivalent to the principle of Greek Classical sculpture? Instead of going to fixed Classical sculpture to represent a body in motion, how can we use the stage, the dance stage as a way of doing the same thing?

Now, then, once you do that, now you can use the fact of the relationship between the language and gestures, as a clue for putting on stage, something which captures the imagination of the audience, in the same way that any Classical artistic work does. And then, you have something, which will be meaningful.

But, the key thing, in this thing, is to look at that--the problem is this damned crotch display. I don't want to look at people's crotches; that is not interesting to me. However, the general principle, about the human form and how it can portray, as Classical sculpture does, ideas, that is, of something in motion; and, I think the key thing is, use Classical Greek sculpture, as a model of reference, for thinking about, how would you approach the Classical ballet stage, in order to try to convey ideas, in the way that Classical Greek sculpture does. And, I think that would be the best pedagogical introduction, to the elements of the subject-matter.

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