Experiencing the Aesthetic     While discussing the aesthetic may help to focus our attention on the moving body, the context of our actions and the sensory satisfaction that a particular moment might bring, the only way to appreciate beauty is by experiencing it yourself.
Exercise 3: Select one activity that you enjoy and as you engage in it, pay particular attention to your body, your feelings and your senses. Jot down notes immediately afterwards to help clarify your aesthetic response.
Specimen Response: To help you in this exercise, here is one such description from Keith, an undergraduate student at the College of William and Mary: "While running I am at complete peace. Running clears my mind and allows me to experience the aesthetics of motion. The motion, while rather simple, is very graceful. The complete body is at ease with every stride. All of the body parts are working as one, without any thought. Running is graceful and fluid. I feel as if I am a drop of rain moving freely as it falls from a cloud. With every breath I feel more at ease. My nose is breathing the sweet autumn air that is forced against my face. The air, with it's slight chill, is channeled down into my lungs. I feel my lungs expanding. They feel full. Without any hesitation the air is gone and I am looking forward to the next. My body does not ache. I am entranced by the sound of the wind passing by my ears, it seems to be whispering something to me. And the sights, I see so much more and I experience so much more when interacting with the environment one on one. I see trees changing colors. I smell leaves burning and hear water splashing on a rocky riverbed. Not only am I experiencing the body in motion. I am enjoying how motion can be performed. I am not running for the external beauty. I am running for the feelings, the emotions, the grace, the beauty that a movement can bring me while I am performing an activity."
Discussion: Keith vividly describes his sensations and his feelings as he performs an activity. As you participate in the activity of your choice, try to focus deeply on your own inner functioning. Start with your breathing pattern. Concentrate on the rhythms of your body. Observe not only your own movements, but also your surroundings. See the colors, smell the air, feel the breeze. Be as aware as you can of what makes your activity a rewarding experience. You can appreciate beauty by looking both inward and outward. Beauty is not only in the performing, but also in the beholding.
Exercise 4: Select an activity that you like to watch and record the sources of your aesthetic appreciation as the spectacle unfolds.
Specimen Response: An example, in which Rebecca observed college basketball players, may help you in this analysis:
"In examining the team as a whole, I noticed several characteristics which I found to be aesthetically pleasing. I watched the flow of the players move across the floor with rapid movements as the ball continuously changed possession. The players moved as if they were swarms of bees moving so fast that they seemed to fly. The constant momentum of their movements created a floating appearance only to be interrupted by the sound of a whistle. Just as the undulating mass of players started to become hypnotic a turnover, foul or buzzer would grab my attention and draw me back into the game. The momentum changed as the score became closer building a tension that left me pleasantly waiting for the unexpected or spontaneous burst of energy within the continuous rhythm of the game. When I looked more specifically at the movements of the team as a whole, strategies became apparent. The teams would complete complicated patterns of passes and movements in order to move around the opposing team and to take the open shot. These patterns created a visual design on the court as the colored jerseys swirled around each other, almost as if in a kaleidoscope."
Discussion: In this account of the basketball team, Rebecca found beauty in a team event far removed from the grace and refinement of such artistic sports as gymnastics and diving. Born in the sweaty, all-male setting of a Springfield gym, basketball has grown up in the poverty and violence of the inner city. At first glance, this "in your face", trash-talking activity may not seem to be a viable candidate for aesthetic analysis. Yet, for Rebecca, a well-conceived play, a skilfully executed strategy and the sight of five superb athletes acting in unison, striving and moving together to reach the same goal, were things of beauty.
   Aesthetics is not only the domain of the dainty. Many spectators find joy in the rugged features of the game; the sheer power, the attempt to dominate, the physical confrontation. For others, the intellectual dimensions of both players and coaches planning and implementing strategies to nullify the advantages of the opposing forces, while maximizing their own perceived strengths is the essence of beauty in the game. For most observers, the physical prowess of an outstanding player, such as Michael Jordan who seems to perform with such consummate form, is aesthetically pleasing.
Exercise 5: Aesthetically analyze a team sport, trying to describe the beauty in both the group effort and the exploits of the individual players.
Specimen Response: "The individual players fascinated me with their physical strength and accomplishments. I noticed the perfectly arched flight of the player slam-dunking the ball, his smooth take-off and his apparent weightlessness. Although this occurred many times throughout the game, no two players were the same and each dunk left me in awe. Besides appreciating this apparent effortlessness, I could also appreciate the strength and amazing skill required to accomplish the task. The players struggled against gravity, and won. They also appeared to move with grace as they completed perfect jump shots from the three point line. The connectedness of the stop, the preparation, the aim and, finally, the shot created a continuous sequence of perfectly timed movement."(Rebecca)