Lets Sk8

There are several types of performing arts in the world. From acting in the theater, to dancing in the studios, to walking on the tightropes, performing arts not only entertain the audience but often times push the artist’s talents to the limit. The performers practice their skill to perfection in order to top their next piece. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that performances like these are art forms. However, there is one performance art that I feel like most people just overlook as a dangerous punk-fad.

            I consider it urban ballet. It has immense elegance and grace. It illuminates a flow of splendor and extreme beauty. It is mesmerizing to watch and takes years to master. Street skating is the most incredible art form I have ever witnessed. Skateboarders seem to defy physics and boggle the minds of on-lookers as they glide by. They are able to conduct tricks and maneuvers that seem dream like and just plain ridiculous. When I watch someone skating in a local skate-spot, I feel like I am watching someone create music or a painting. They turn this one little area of rails, stairs, and cement into their own personal canvas as they stride across performing tricks and leaving their artistic impact into the sidewalk. I, myself, have tried this performance art but am too hypnotized by the surrounding artist to concentrate. I would rather watch the skaters fly through the air with their board torqing and twisting at impossible speeds than attempt the dangerous art form myself. As of now, I am perfectly content with just simply riding my board as I admire others in their glory.

            This isn’t just any ordinary performance art. Most of the skaters themselves probably don’t realize the artistic nature of their acrobatic tricks. They would consider it a sport or just an ordinary hobby. But to me, it is far much more than that. Just as if I would have complete utter respect for someone who could paint an unbelievable landscape, I also have extreme admiration for the poetic daredevils who put their body on the line to pull off some of the most radical and rhythmical stunts.