--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's nice for me to have a ballet as a…" description: "\"It's nice for me to have a ballet as a kind of platform for creativity, because unlike modern dance or contemporary dance or downtown dance, ballet is ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93f/sufjan-stevens-5325_ballet_it-s-nice-for-me-to-have-a-ballet-as-a-k_1013253.jpg" --- # It's nice for me to have a ballet as a kind of platform… ![“It's nice for me to have a ballet as a kind of platform for creativity, because unlike modern dance or contemporary dance or downtown dance, ballet is formalized, and there's something orthodox about it that I like. I like that there's less emphasis on subversion and innovation. I actually think…” quote by Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93f/sufjan-stevens-5325_ballet_it-s-nice-for-me-to-have-a-ballet-as-a-k_1013253.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93f/sufjan-stevens-5325_ballet_it-s-nice-for-me-to-have-a-ballet-as-a-k_1013253.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93f/sufjan-stevens-5325_ballet_it-s-nice-for-me-to-have-a-ballet-as-a-k_1013253.jpg) > “It's nice for me to have a ballet as a kind of platform for creativity, because unlike modern dance or contemporary dance or downtown dance, ballet is formalized, and there's something orthodox about it that I like. I like that there's less emphasis on subversion and innovation. I actually think that my musical vernacular or my musical voice is also less inclined toward innovation and subversion. I think I'm a traditionalist.” [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes ballet as a structured, orthodox platform that lets him create without the pressure to constantly innovate or subvert, aligning with his traditionalist leanings. **In simple terms:** Ballet offers a formal, stable space for his music. Key Takeaway Embrace tradition when it supports your art. Themes tradition creativity music Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - Choreography projects - class composition - artistic collaborations - teaching dance Key Concepts Artistic identity formal vs. experimental art Questions to Reflect On - How does structure influence your creativity? - When is breaking tradition beneficial? A Different Perspective Traditionalism may limit experimental growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) [Ballet Formalized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet-formalized-2213267/) [Ballet Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet-kind-2213268/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Dance Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance-ballet-982426/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-dance/) [Musical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musical/) [Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) [Orthodox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orthodox/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [A lot of people insisted on a wall between modern dance and ballet, that the two disciplines were totally separate, and if you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/a-lot-of-people-insisted-on-a-wall-between-modern-dance-and-ballet/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I grew up going to see my sister dance, both at the ballet and later as a modern dancer, and have always been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/i-grew-up-going-to-see-my-sister-dance-both-at-the-ballet-and-later/) [Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/) > [I was a ballet dancer. I did other kinds of dance but ballet was my great love. But then it became clear, when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-was-a-ballet-dancer-i-did-other-kinds-of-dance-but-ballet-was-my/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [I love dancing, actually. My mother taught children's dance, ballet, tap, jazz...I'm very flexible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-angarano/i-love-dancing-actually-my-mother-taught-children-s-dance-ballet-tap/) [Michael Angarano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-angarano/) > [There might've been wires, but I have this ability to make myself light. Well you know what, in ballet, when you kind of lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-finney/there-might-ve-been-wires-but-i-have-this-ability-to-make-myself/) [Albert Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-finney/) > [In England, ballet is kind of closed. They are opening up a little bit, but it was always something not for the general public.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-polunin/in-england-ballet-is-kind-of-closed-they-are-opening-up-a-little-bit/) [Sergei Polunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-polunin/) > [I used to dance when I was younger - ballet and modern dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nastassja-kinski/i-used-to-dance-when-i-was-younger-ballet-and-modern-dance/) [Nastassja Kinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nastassja-kinski/) > [I was used to dancing, but only when someone told you what to do. So in the nightclub I was all over the place,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-was-used-to-dancing-but-only-when-someone-told-you-what-to-do-so-in/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [I attended Professional Children's School in Manhattan because my ballet and modern dance schedules were intensive and had started to interfere with regular school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/essence-atkins/i-attended-professional-children-s-school-in-manhattan-because-my/) [Essence Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/essence-atkins/) > [A lot of people insisted on a wall between modern dance and ballet. 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Yearn finds quench, not in meadows, seashores or altitude of mountain peaks; but when being and dance are one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shah-asad-rizvi/o-wayfarer-yearn-finds-quench-not-in-meadows-seashores-or-altitude-of/) [Shah Asad Rizvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shah-asad-rizvi/) ## More by Sufjan Stevens > [I like residing in abstraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/i-like-residing-in-abstraction/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [Perhaps we have failed as human beings. Perhaps we have embarrassed ourselves to the natural world. We have been rigorous and willful in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/perhaps-we-have-failed-as-human-beings-perhaps-we-have-embarrassed/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [Everyone suffers; life is pain; and death is the final punctuation at the end of that sentence, so deal with it. 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We can control it to a certain extent through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/there-s-a-sense-of-urgency-in-understanding-that-your-body-is-not/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [I felt that there's an obligation when writing a piece about an urban expressway made in the 50s to acknowledge the context, and Robert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/i-felt-that-there-s-an-obligation-when-writing-a-piece-about-an-urban/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [“I forgive you, mother, I can hear you And I long to be near you But every road leads to an end Yes every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/i-forgive-you-mother-i-can-hear-you-and-i-long-to-be-near-you-but/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [The best fiction is geared towards conflict. We learn most about our characters through tension, when they are put up against insurmountable obstacles. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/the-best-fiction-is-geared-towards-conflict-we-learn-most-about-our/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [Some of my music requires an obsessive-compulsive approach and a real embodiment of excessiveness. So I really have to live in that world of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/some-of-my-music-requires-an-obsessive-compulsive-approach-and-a-real/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [Every time Jimmy Scott sings, it's the same but slightly different. I don't know how he does that or where he gets that from.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/every-time-jimmy-scott-sings-it-s-the-same-but-slightly-different-i/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [“I always knew you In your mothers arms I have called your name I have an idea Placed in your mind To be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/i-always-knew-you-in-your-mothers-arms-i-have-called-your-name-i-have/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [Life is all about toiling and labor. But obviously I get great joy in confronting challenge and taking risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/life-is-all-about-toiling-and-labor-but-obviously-i-get-great-joy-in/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [I no longer really have faith in the album anymore. I no longer have faith in the song,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/i-no-longer-really-have-faith-in-the-album-anymore-i-no-longer-have/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) [Explore all 101 Sufjan Stevens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) ## More Ballet quotes > [“Afterwards Isabelle often wondered if the moments themselves were greater or the memory of them. At least the memory did not pass, while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/afterwards-isabelle-often-wondered-if-the-moments-themselves-were/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. There have been many famous ballet stars who did not have the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-bujones/one-can-be-a-great-artist-without-being-a-great-technician-there-have/) [Fernando Bujones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-bujones/) > [So I'm studying ballet every day and really training so people will see me as a ballet dancer, which no one's seen before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/so-i-m-studying-ballet-every-day-and-really-training-so-people-will/) [Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/) > [No matter the style, the farther one goes the more obstacles increase, and the more distant appears the object it is desired to attain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-georges-noverre/no-matter-the-style-the-farther-one-goes-the-more-obstacles-increase/) [Jean-Georges Noverre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-georges-noverre/) > [What I love most about ballet is being able to express my emotions through dance, and to be able to bring others joy through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/what-i-love-most-about-ballet-is-being-able-to-express-my-emotions/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [It is not a question of who dances but of who or what does not dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-st-denis/it-is-not-a-question-of-who-dances-but-of-who-or-what-does-not-dance/) [Ruth St. Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-st-denis/) > [Ballet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-martins/ballet-is-pure-and-demands-that-you-serve-something-larger-than/) [Peter Martins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-martins/) > [Even though I am a professional, and I know what the steps are, I don't quite know how I'm going to do them, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-farrell/even-though-i-am-a-professional-and-i-know-what-the-steps-are-i-don-t/) [Suzanne Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-farrell/) > [I'd rather be a guy that can build a house or fix a car than be able to walk like a ballet dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/i-d-rather-be-a-guy-that-can-build-a-house-or-fix-a-car-than-be-able/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [When I was 16, I moved to Torrance, California to train at a more advanced studio, and by 19, I joined the American Ballet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/when-i-was-16-i-moved-to-torrance-california-to-train-at-a-more/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Bob's work gleaned from hoofing, from vaudeville, from ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-reinking/bob-s-work-gleaned-from-hoofing-from-vaudeville-from-ballet/) [Ann Reinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-reinking/) > [You can imagine me as a kid growing up in redneck Texas with ballet shoes, tucking the violin under my arm. I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swayze/you-can-imagine-me-as-a-kid-growing-up-in-redneck-texas-with-ballet/) [Patrick Swayze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swayze/) > [I only started writing in the latter days of Spandau Ballet. I didnt know I could write because all had our roles within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hadley/i-only-started-writing-in-the-latter-days-of-spandau-ballet-i-didnt/) [Tony Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hadley/) > [All ballet, all reading, all music. That was my world, my inner world,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-makarova/all-ballet-all-reading-all-music-that-was-my-world-my-inner-world/) [Natalia Makarova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-makarova/) > [I can dance. I like hip hop and stuff and jazz movements, but I'm horrible in ballet. I tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keke-palmer/i-can-dance-i-like-hip-hop-and-stuff-and-jazz-movements-but-i-m/) [Keke Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keke-palmer/) [Browse all 1,227 Ballet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's nice for me to have a ballet as a kind of platform for creativity, because unlike modern dance or contemporary dance or downtown dance, ballet is formalized, and there's something orthodox about it that I like. I like that there's less emphasis on subversion and innovation. I actually think that my musical vernacular or my musical voice is also less inclined toward innovation and subversion. 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