THE ART OF GRACE

A Pulitzer Prize–winning dance critic teaches us to appreciate and enact grace in every dimension, from the physical to the emotional.

Grace. It may seem like a fragile, antique word, but it is time to consider it anew, in the sense of grace as an aspect of beauty and behavior. Grace has nothing to do with conventional looks or sophistication, and everything to do with honesty, generosity and courage. Grace can be movement and stillness and an emotional rush—and it can be all of these at once. It’s in a smooth, well-coordinated motion; it’s in the humble and tolerant attitude. Graceful people are comfortable in their own skin, and that’s what we’re drawn to—not to technique or practiced perfection, but to what it says about a person’s deepest nature. Grace is the ability to face the world willingly (or at least without obvious panic) and with regard for those around you. Sarah L. Kaufman argues that we bring it back. She celebrates grace in the way bodies move, exploring how to stand, walk, and dress well. She deplores the rarity of grace among public figures and glories in it where found. She singles out grace in sports and in the arts, from tennis and football to sculpture, pop music, and, of course, dance, and in the everyday ways people interact, from the grace of a good host to the unexpected kindness of strangers. Sarah Kaufman has been the Washington Post's dance critic since 1996. In 2010, she became the first dance critic to win the Pulitzer Prize since 1976. She has written extensively on all forms of dance, but is has never been her sole focus. She has also brought her eye for movement and art to New York's Fashion Week, writing about the models' walks and the pageantry of the shows. She has written about the choreography of presidential debates--and about why a music video created by US soldiers in Afghanistan went viral. She developed a highly popular series for the New York Post called "The Dance of Life: Exploring the Choreography of Common Tasks" in which she looks at the stories told by movement among soldiers, chefs and pop-concert roadies. She also covered the 2004 Tour de France. She lives in Takoma Park, Maryland.