Choreography In the Operating Theater

As my training for the Seattle Dances fundraiser accelerates toward the March 3 event, I am starting to see more parallels of dance, surgery, and life in general. I have always thought that surgery has a choreography, a sequence of purposeful moves coordinated within a team. The surgeon is the lead of course, but the more the others know what moves come next, the smoother it all goes. These are things worth thinking about consciously and paying attention to; they lead to safer surgery and better outcomes. I would even go so far as to say that there is a sort of rhythm to surgery, and a beauty in deliberate movement. When every action is planned and has a purpose, there is greater efficiency too, without rushing.
Learning a movement-oriented art form such as tango provides a fresh perspective on my approach to surgery. I can’t pin it down exactly, but there are several possible reasons for this. Maybe it is just another way of developing spatial thinking, so important in visualizing the intended result. Whatever the reason, it has to be right every time, just like a live performance. Perhaps that is why the traditional term for an operating room is “theater.”
The differences are in the flourishes that add interest and entertainment in dance. Despite the popularity of reality TV shows about plastic surgery, it’s not about amusement; it’s serious business. Nevertheless, I can’t help but think that my tango lessons apply in the operating theater as well as the dance floor. One thing for sure is that my posture has improved. Check it out here.