I have been watching, “So you think you can dance.” I love watching the dancers tell stories with their movements and I’ve grown to admire certain choreographers and the way they are able to make me feel. There were at least a handful of routines this season that made me cry at the emotion and beauty displayed by the performers.
As most of you know, my mother had me ice skating from a very young age, she also had me concurrently do ballet and gymnastics. I think, however, that I was meant to be a free form dancer. When no one was home, I would crank up the music and dance my heart out, running through the house, doing jumps and leaps—I still do this every now and then and am trying to do it more often. One of my favorite pieces to dance to is “Jingo” by Santana.
I didn’t know what I was doing. I just loved how I felt, how free my body was, how I felt something deep in my core. And a memory just now leaps out at me. I was a little girl, maybe 8. I was happy and outside in our front yard on the grass, practicing back flips. I would lean back and flip my body over. Cars would pass and yell out encouragement to me. As I’ve also written before, I sometimes wonder where this little performer went. Who was that little girl without any fears or cares, right out so everyone could see her? I still dance in my own private space, and having watched “So you think you can dance,” has added a new perspective. It’s such good fun and so much more. It’s like writing with your body—and I think this thought has Keiko in it because she studied dance and she knows about body poetry. But just right now, it all sort of comes together for me. I love these little spurts of inspiration and connection.
Tomorrow is National Dance Day, so dance your hearts out. Here’s a fun little video clip to get you going.
http://www.fox43.com/news/wpmt-national-dance-day,0,1224542.story
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2 comments:
Rebb,
Yes, we dancers cannot help but dance when good music come blasting. I didn't know National Dance day existed. I'm all for it.
I used to leap my heart out when I was in a spacious place and nobody was watching. One of the place was in front of the main entrance to my high school in late afternoon or during holidays. Those were the days I thought of my body soaring up. Now, I still dance when I go to concerts in park and still feel like jump and leap, but my vision of my body is more like descending than ascending. I wonder why.
Dear Rebb, please advise.
Keiko, I didn't realize it existed either. In fact, it may be a new thing that came about from the dance show I mentioned.
I can just see you leaping, Keiko. How wonderful!
Yes, our bodies do seem to descend, as we ascend. Maybe we're trying to get back closer to the earth. Like a grand tree, going in reverse. I wonder if it happens more in women than men.
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