John Wilson, who has trained up-and-coming dance students for years, will tell you anyone can dance.
It has everything to do with your heart and soul, he said. It has nothing to do with the shape of your leg.
"I think dance belongs to everybody," he added in a recent phone interview. "We got this notion that it can only belong to professionals and trained dancers."
The former University of Arizona dance professor was coaxed out of seven years of retirement to contribute to the Funhouse Movement Theater's "Dancing By Moonlight," debuting tonight at Pima Community College's Proscenium Theatre.
Wilson and Funhouse artistic director Lee Anne Hartley have a longstanding relationship that reaches back to 1970. Hartley was one of his dance students, and the two have kept in touch ever since.
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"He wanted the opportunity, and I certainly wanted to give it to him," explained Harley.
Wilson, 72, will resurrect "Winter Forest/Spring's Awakening" for the show, a piece about coming out of the snows of winter and waiting for spring.
"He is a gracious man," Hartley said. "His artistry is impeccable. He's such a precious and wonderful asset to this community."
In addition to Wilson's work, the evening will include Hartley's reprisal of "By the Light of the Moon," about the love between a mother, son and a lover; and the premiere of "How Deadly Are Your Sins?," a tongue-in-cheek piece featuring dancers dressed in a series of elaborate costumes.
"We are dressing in fat suits," Hartley added. "Gluttony is a pig. Vanity is Marilyn Monroe. I'm actually in it. I couldn't find anyone to be pregnant lust. She had too much lust, so she became pregnant."
Beth Braun, the dance director for Rincon High School, will also present "Instantaneity of Vision," a lyrical work influenced by the paintings of Monet and writings of Pema Chodron, Hartley said.
The pieces will accompany Wilson's work, as will a haiku that Wilson penned himself.
Wilson said he has only recently taken up writing but has always been passionate about the art form since he penned an award-winning play in the second grade.
"My current joke is, 'I wanted to write but I realized I couldn't support a family, so I took up dance,' " said Wilson, who writes short stories and is currently working on a few novels.
Wilson said creative writing and modern dance fit together perfectly in his life.
"Like writing, it's very creative (because) you are working on making metaphors," said Wilson, who has traveled to countries such as India and China to research dance. "The rhythms are fascinatingly different. It's so intriguing to find so many forms of beauty around the world."
If you go
• "Dancing By Moonlight"
• Presented by : Funhouse Movement Theater.
• When: 8 p.m. today and Saturday.
• Where: Pima Community College Center for the Arts Proscenium Theatre, 2202 W. Anklam Road.
• Tickets: $10-$12 in advance, $12-$14 at the door. 749-1221.
