i have watched this clip of kevin st. laurent & micaela hellsten lindy hopping several times now and every time, i can sense their connection even more powerfully.
kevin gets micaela to move her body, by way of moving his body. he doesn't stand still and flail his arms around to try to manipulate her body to respond. if he did, all she would do is move her arms. that would not be dancing, that would be some variation of an arm wave. instead, his entire body is engaged and essentially does what he wants her to do (in simplified terms). and she follows it all, really well! it's completely natural and so damn beautiful to witness that kind of connection. two bodies becoming one, yet each with their own sense of personality and flair. and the whimsy!!!! oh. i love.
there's a guy i dance with on wednesday nights; his name is gabe. he's my favorite person to dance with...the connection is unreal sometimes. i remember one time i was so surprised and delighted by how he got my body to respond to one of his leads. i was so impressed with the move and i could tell he was pretty proud of having led it. i think it's tremendous when we can experience this kind of connection (not just in a dance context) with something/someone. it brings me pure joy and fills me with hop(e).
i missed lindy hopping this past wednesday due to a major lack of sleep. my spirit missed it....my body, even more. i need to dance!
Friday, September 2, 2011
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I love that kind of connection in dance. I remember there was one guy who was an amazing lead when I was learning to dance. I always looked forward to him coming around the circle rotation. I remember a tango with him and how one small move of his hand made me move where he wanted me to go, strong, powerful yet subtle. It really is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI can speak as a 20+ year classical ballet dancer (you don't want to see my toes, REALLY)...could there be anything better than being able to dance in SNEAKERS!!! YAY for the Lindy Hop!!!
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