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The Road Less Traveled

© Karen Dito

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

~Robert Frost

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I learned this poem in eighth grade and still remember all the text to this day. Even at thirteen years-old, it really spoke to me somehow, because I felt like a person who was different, a person who didn't quite fit in with the status quo. I definitely thought I was a person who would journey down the road less traveled. Perhaps this is a common feeling in thirteen year-olds. I know it is a common feeling in artists. In college, I wrote a paper about this poem, but my professor didn't agree with my analysis. She thought Frost was sorry he took the road he chose, whereas I saw it more romantically. The final line of the poem seemed positive to me and I still stand by my evaulation.

The life of an artist is not an easy one. It is hard to explain to non-artists (and often parents) the driving force that wills us to do what we do. My father still thinks I should get an MBA, even after the numerous times of my explaining to him that I have no interest in such things. It's true; dance degrees don't generally make a person much money or provide a whole lot of security. And I also admit that at the times when I'm feeling stuck or lost, I wish I had a more conventional education or posessed interests or skills that would clearly point me in a career path. But try as I may, I cannot squelch the desire I have to create dances.

There is something unique about the performing arts, and that is the community that is formed when a project is in process and in production. If you're lucky, you are surrounded by talent at all angles -- the other performers, production staff, and artistic staff. It is impossible not to be inspired, from the first rehearsal down to the final bow. A successful performance does not make me want to rest on my laurels, in fact, it makes me want to perform or choreograph more. In this way, inspiration feeds on inspiration and the drive to create does not stop.

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