Writing Exercise #11: Metaphors

This idea has come up twice recently in my life, so I think this might be a great exploration for us all this month (including myself). When working on our descriptive language, can we use metaphors more to evoke imagery and comparisons?

As dance scholar Sima Belmar notes,

"Compelling dance writers use metaphor to bring the reader into an experience of the dance. Metaphor is particularly helpful to convey the kinesthetics and kinetics of a dance. If a movement soars, how does it soar? Like an eagle or like a rocket? Metaphor also helps to cut down on the use of adjectives, which can clutter your writing. 

Though we all seem to have learned in middle school that if you use the word "like" you are using simile rather than metaphor, don't hold back from using the word like."

Just a reminder, a metaphor compares two things, saying that one is the other. "My new piece of choreography is a map; there are many pathways and extensive exploration of direction changes." Or, "Her dancing is a labyrinth. I am on the edge of my seat, watching dynamic changes and surprises. I never know what to expect from show to show, but eagerly await each performance." 

Try out some brainstorming using metaphors. Topics to play with include describing:

• Your own dancing
• The dancing of each member of your company
• A new piece of choreography
• The process for making your latest work
• The technique class you teach
• Your teaching philosophy

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