what is done in love is done well.

the kind of beauty that inspires. it's difficult to find, but completely obvious when found. this is the story of liza cardinal. she radiates loving kindness. the rhythm that she lives by is the same rhythm that keeps her dancing- it's the rhythm of her heart. 

q: when you think of your first memory dancing what does it look like? how did you start your career in dance? 
a: My first memory of dancing was long before the lights and the costume and the magic of the stage. Probably on my table making my family watch me, or hopping around my kitchen pretending I was a star. But my first real stage memory was when I was about six. I was in a tap number and I was front row center. I was in a cute little bumblebee outfit with a black cane. I was tapping away and low and behold flung one of my tap shoes into the audience. My mom said I didn’t skip a beat I kept on dancing and had a big smile. She was so worried I was going to be upset after the performance, but I wasn’t. I remember running up to her so happy and begging, "Can I do that again? I love the stage!"

q: what is it about dancing that you love?

a: I could not pin point one exact reason why I love to dance, but I always find myself going back to a specific quote by Bob Fosse, "Human beings are born with the instinct to express themselves through movement. Even before he could communicate with words, primitive man was dancing to the beat of his own heart.” I think that because we are the art in itself, we are the canvas, and the natural rhythm of our own heartbeat is the driving force behind our movement is something pretty powerful. Everyone can dance. You do not have to be a good at it, and you do not even have to know where to begin to dance. You just follow your natural rhythm. I think that is what makes dancing so wonderful! It is up for interpretation from your own perspective of creativity. I love the freedom and the ability to say "Here I am. I am my own art. You can like it or you can hate it. But it's mine, and I am not going anywhere."

q:fill in the blank. i love __________.

a: oh gosh! I have to pick one thing I love? this is tricky.... I would have to say I love "love." Anything that falls under that broad category of love. I love friendship love, family love, stranger love, and artistic love. I do not know if I am making sense? But,  I love the type of love that you see everyday. For example, when you tell the mailman, "thank you have a great day," or when you are driving in your car and someone lets you over in their lane and you turn back and wave  to say thanks! Love can often times be complicated and people get caught up in the idea of it. But I like the simple kind of love that we see everyday, that we rarely take the time to notice.

q: what are your goals as far as your dancing career is concerned? 
My goals for dancing are so unsure! It gives me anxiety. I am majoring in Dance Education at South Carolina, and I am still dancing here in the company too. I do not see my self-dancing professionally, or really continuing the everyday intense dance practice. But I will continue to dance. I do hope to teach and maybe get involved with creating some type of "miracle league" for handicap children giving them the opportunity to dance. I know they have the padded baseball fields and programs for children who can not normally play sports. I think they should have something for children who would want to dance, but might not be able to because of a disability. Or not really able to dance, but no one has the patience to help them out a little more. I also see myself getting involved in promoting the art of dancing, but we’ll see. Regardless, I see myself teaching. I want nothing more than to give back the joy of dancing that I have felt for such a long time!

where there is love {and a joy for dancing},

 there is art.