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Top Cat - Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff and Trained Dancer

by Wendy Goldberg
April 20, 2009
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Much has been made lately of the the nation's top dog, the Obamas' Portugese water dog Bo. Adorable and friendly as he is, we'd like to laser in on Obama's choice for chief of staff, top cat Rahm Emanuel.

With the stealth and ferocity of a tiger, Rahm Emanuel carves out the space around the Obama White House, with unparalled brilliance. In point of fact, Mr. Emanuel was trained as a ballet dancer, with great rigor and discipline, and graduated from the Evanston School of Ballet. Turning down a scholarship from the Joffrey Ballet, he attended Sarah Lawrence College, studying modern dance, before turning his sights to politics.

To all those who tend to stereotype dancers as 'right brained', we offer up Rahm Emanuel, a man of myriad talents, who leaped from the dance stage to the political arena with flair and finesse. Mr. Emanuel, known for his swift execution of turns, has proven to be a pivotal politician of precision, for the Obama White House.

Supporters tout his tactical tenacity and daring triumph, while detractors dread his scrappy street style. The discipline of dance is not just of the body; it is of the mind and spirit as well. Rahm Emanuel guards the White House with the prowess and raw power of a tiger, and the swift grace and nimbleness of a dancer.

Mr. Emanuel visited backstage with the Paul Taylor Company, Saturday March 28th, 2009 after a performance at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. He called Paul Taylor "one of our greatest American artists". To all those who down play the importance of the discipline of dance in our society, we strike up the band with a "rahm , obahm, boo…" and applaud Rahm Emanuel for his impeccable performance, and support for the art of dance.
President Barack Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel visits the Paul Taylor Dance Company backstage at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. after their performance on Saturday, March 28, 2009

President Barack Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel visits the Paul Taylor Dance Company backstage at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. after their performance on Saturday, March 28, 2009

Photo © & courtesy of Paul Taylor Dance Company

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