Collage: Dance

1. Tanz der Gerridae by Alberich M.
2. Do the whirlwind by Marcio Simnch
3. No strings attached by Bogna Kuczerawy
4. The ghost of a sirens song, Remembering the ghost by Francis A Willey
5. Dancing via Wired

1. Dance of fire, Dance of fire III by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law
2. Tempest Darkly Dramatic Dance
3. “Fuid” watercolor painting of Rachel Brice
4. Rachel Brice

Dance is the purest art form, because in dance, the art and the artist are one.
I don’t remember where I first came across that notion.

I was never a dancer. I was never much of a body-mover, at all. As a child, I did not take ballet or gymnastics; I never had any sports. Hated PE class. Toss me a volleyball, I’ll actually duck. Two left feet.

But I would watch the figure skaters on TV, and wonder how they do it. Because they train so hard, they are able to make it look so easy. Two arms, two legs: I have those too. Yet, a world of difference between their bodies and mine.

One day, four years ago, I stepped into my first belly dancing class. My first foray into really learning how to move, how to manipulate my body. At this age I think most people are already adept— not necessarily professional, but at least, decent enough or audacious enough, that they actually enjoy dancing. Not so for me. I was dancing and enjoying it for the first time. Felt none of the awkwardness that I always had in PE class. I surprised myself!

Lyrics from Tear In Your Hand by Tori Amos:
Maybe she’s just pieces of me you’ve never seen
Watching myself dance, that is how I felt. Disovering these things inside me.

My belly dancing classes are on-and-off, due to various things, schedule, schoolwork, and so on. My most recent one had to be suspended due to a lack of students. (I was the only student!) I’m waiting for it to reopen. In the meantime, I try to practice on my own in the dance studio, the way I’d usually do after every class. Having that big space with big mirrors all to myself is so wonderful, I easily pass two hours in practice. I don’t have that space at home.

A promise to myself: I will always go back to belly dancing. Just because I enjoy it so much. I don’t have to become extremely good at it. Although of course, I’d love to, and it will hopefully come as a by-product.

Videos, because dance is motion:

• Rachel Brice, my favourite belly dancer. She dances like an exotic sea creature. Serpentine grace. Watch that spinal column.
• Shizuka Arakawa, figure skating to Sarah Brightman’s It’s A Beautiful Day. Love her expression.
• La la la Human Steps, fluid and poetic and painfully beautiful ballet/contemporary dance.
• La Pluie, ballet, delicate, emotional. Look at that fine muscle control.
• Robert Muraine dance audition. So entertaining! :)

Hands, wings, feet— they come together here, in dancing.

When was the last time you danced in your bedroom?

Love,
Feanne

Update on Wed, October 15, 2008 by Anne

Anne here. I thought of Feanne’s collage just now, watching a dance-inspired branding film for a lingerie brand called The Lake & Stars. The post is on my SexyFutures J’Adore.