Meet the Little Dancer: Alison Sedlak

   

Edgar Degas, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen--wax statuette, 1879-1881, yellow wax, hair, ribbon, linen bodice, satin shoes, muslin tutu, wood base, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

  

This photograph was taken by my husband, Jon, in December of 2011 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. I believe it says many things about me.

I love art. I love seeing it, making it, and learning about it. Just being around art awakens my senses and makes me itch for a creative outlet. It doesn't matter what medium: music, clay, knitting and crocheting, paint, theater, printmaking, quilting, sculpture, scrapbooking, or movement. I love it all.

I love to dance. Dance has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My parents signed me up for dance lessons from a local recreation department when I was about three. I stopped taking lessons sometime in high school because life became too busy. However, my church had a dance ministry, which gave me some opportunities to dabble in choreography. When I got to college, my roommate and I discovered swing dancing, and a whole new world of partner dancing opened up to me. Little did I know, I would later meet my husband on a swing dance floor!

I have a soft spot for Edgar Degas. Not only do I love that he painted so many dancers, I just love the man's impressionistic style. His brush stokes are not perfectly blended; color is applyed in simplistic, hazy patches. It's as if he had to paint in a hurry so that the picture wouldn't be lost. The scenes he chose to capture are those fleeting moments that one might easily overlook. Many of his paintings show the less-than-glamorous backstage life: warmups at the barre, tying shoes, fastening costumes, and pinning hair. Isn't that a great way to think about life? Don't miss the little, ordinary, fleeting moments!

I can keep secrets. When this picture was taken, I was six weeks pregnant with my son, Jadon, and only my husband and I knew. I couldn't wait to share the news with family, friends, and my third graders! The next few months were filled with a lot of changes. As my belly grew, so did my sense of responsibility. Every new decision was accompanied with questions, research, worry, advice, and prayer.

My eyes are lifted to the heavens. Although it is much easier said than done, I aim to look to my Heavenly Father for my ultimate fulfillment. God has been so faithful to me as I've taken on new roles in life, whether college student, school teacher, or wife. I have no reason to doubt that he will continue to be faithful as I walk the journey of motherhood and beyond.