It's funny... I grew up pretty well cultured - lots of ballet, opera, etc - but I never really got into dance. I like a lot of dance music, in particular the standards of classical genre. Even some popular dance music can be very good sometimes, but it depends on the scene at the time. When you're listening through your feet to an indecipherable note from a thumping bass noise, for instance, that's just annoying to me. But who doesn't love ABBA? I mean, c'mon!
Back to dance itself, maybe it's just because I'm so bad at it. It's not a personality thing. I have danced. Even outwardly awkward and silly. I'm not shy. It's my feet. That's why I can't play the drums. I can sing and play the guitar - lead guitar/lead vocals in three-piece bands - but I can't sync my feet. They just tap and flail away as they please when I play, to no beat anyone can make out. When I broke my hand, when I was much younger, and had to perform without a guitar, the presence of my anti-rhythmic feet suddenly really hit me. I felt soooo uncomfortable. Without the guitar, I felt naked, obliged to move about to distract from my nakedness, but unable to move in a comfortable way. I did it, for a year, and then was damned glad those great doctors (pro-bono, a couple of Columbia grads who knew each other and wanted to help me play again) got me put back together fast!
Dance is just not my thing. ;) Still, it's fun to watch for a bit, keeps the horizons moving.
I could never dance myself, but my daughter forced me to gain an appreciation of the art. I remember once when she was choreographing a piece to perform at school, I couldn't believe that you could "write down" the choreography so that it could be repeated. I've been much more appreciative ever since. It's not just following your "feeling". It's an "art".
btw - As Nietzsche said, "I do not know what the spirit of a philosopher could more wish to be than a good dancer. For the dance is his ideal, also his fine art, finally also the only kind of piety he knows, his 'divine service.'"
A good dancer, much like a musician, must repeat his motions w/o having to think... as they must have been burned into "muscle memory" in order to appear un-awkward. The acta part of my motto, "acta non verba".
4 comments:
It's funny... I grew up pretty well cultured - lots of ballet, opera, etc - but I never really got into dance. I like a lot of dance music, in particular the standards of classical genre. Even some popular dance music can be very good sometimes, but it depends on the scene at the time. When you're listening through your feet to an indecipherable note from a thumping bass noise, for instance, that's just annoying to me. But who doesn't love ABBA? I mean, c'mon!
Back to dance itself, maybe it's just because I'm so bad at it. It's not a personality thing. I have danced. Even outwardly awkward and silly. I'm not shy. It's my feet. That's why I can't play the drums. I can sing and play the guitar - lead guitar/lead vocals in three-piece bands - but I can't sync my feet. They just tap and flail away as they please when I play, to no beat anyone can make out. When I broke my hand, when I was much younger, and had to perform without a guitar, the presence of my anti-rhythmic feet suddenly really hit me. I felt soooo uncomfortable. Without the guitar, I felt naked, obliged to move about to distract from my nakedness, but unable to move in a comfortable way. I did it, for a year, and then was damned glad those great doctors (pro-bono, a couple of Columbia grads who knew each other and wanted to help me play again) got me put back together fast!
Dance is just not my thing. ;) Still, it's fun to watch for a bit, keeps the horizons moving.
JMJ
I could never dance myself, but my daughter forced me to gain an appreciation of the art. I remember once when she was choreographing a piece to perform at school, I couldn't believe that you could "write down" the choreography so that it could be repeated. I've been much more appreciative ever since. It's not just following your "feeling". It's an "art".
btw - As Nietzsche said, "I do not know what the spirit of a philosopher could more wish to be than a good dancer. For the dance is his ideal, also his fine art, finally also the only kind of piety he knows, his 'divine service.'"
A good dancer, much like a musician, must repeat his motions w/o having to think... as they must have been burned into "muscle memory" in order to appear un-awkward. The acta part of my motto, "acta non verba".
How I picture Jersey dancing... ;)
Even worse! He's a lot better than me!
JMJ
Post a Comment