The Art (and Science ) of Grace with Sarah Kaufman

Grace is a way of making others feel at ease. Like hospitality, good manners, cultivating a sense of fashion, and putting your best foot forward when it counts, grace is an ongoing effort and cultivated habit of making the world less stressful and more pleasing for those around us.

For these reasons, grace is something like a virtue or a paramount “first principle” of social interaction. In this sense, grace is a courtesy; a respect for others. Grace reflects an awareness of being situated in something larger than ourselves, whether that’s a relationship, a community, or a society.

Yet grace is overlooked. In my own lifetime, it seems to have eroded considerably. I remember fondly back to my childhood, a time when nobody received calls after 7pm - a social convention that respected family and personal time and recognized a need to collect oneself, move at a slower pace, and wind down for the day. I remember a time when politicians showed at least some deference to decorum, especially a head of state. I even grew up in a small town in the foothills of Berkshires where vestigial organs of a bygone etiquette would make the occasional appearance: antique ideas that children might refer to their parents and grandparents by “sir” and “maam,” that one ought to ask to be excused from the table, or that any plateware left behind by a guest ought not be returned to them empty.

Grace is an outward orientation, and as such it’s a bit anemic in a modern culture with such inward-oriented messaging that encourages us to prioritize our own happiness, our own boundaries, our self care, our self expression, our feelings, our self-reliance, and our independence.

To try and understand what grace is and where it fits into modern life, we’re speaking today with Sarah Kaufman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and dance critic at the Washington Post. I read her book “The Art of Grace: On Moving Well Through Life” years ago and it’s had a lasting impact on me. It takes the reader on a search for grace, occasionally looking at some pretty surprising and educative examples. It’s not only a pleasure to read, it’s an inspirational call to action.

At OSCILLATIONS we’re all about the inspirational and the visionary - the imagining of new, more creative and beautiful worlds. The book gently encourages us to imagine a world where we are generally better to each other and collectively contributing to a sort of beautification project. For most of us, life is hard enough without having to suffer through its trials surrounded by slumped shoulders, shuffling feet, and morose dispositions. I came away from the book with a strong desire to fashion myself into a graceful person as a matter of virtue and civic responsibility. Let’s just say it’s a work in progress.

We couldn’t be more honored and excited to speak with Sarah about grace, culture, art, dance, civics, and science. And so with that, we bring you Sarah Kaufman.

"Art is the signature of civilizations." -Beverly Sills
Join the movement from the very beginning. If you believe that #thefutureiscreative, support us with a like, a follow, and a share.
subscribe: YouTube / Instagram / TikTok / Facebook / Twitter / Vero / Substack / Patreon