are you a lazy dancer?
I sure am, and proud of it.
Last week I was in the locker room at the gym and I ran into one of the mothers of a kid I teach.
When I asked if her daughter would be continuing with the class this session she said,
“She has to choose between swimming and dance. Since she’s such a lazy kid, I’m sure she’ll choose dance.”
Well that sure got me wondering about lazy dancing.
There are sooooooo many kinds of dancers out there, and I am sure some are lazier than others, but I take the cake for being one of the laziest.
For example:
In the studio
I lie down, a lot.
I roll as slowly as I can, a lot.
I close my eyes and move through space bumping into walls, doors, windows, and other people with a soft body, a lot.
I sometimes wish I wasn’t dancing, and instead fantasize about the hamburger and milk shake I am going to get after I am done dancing.
In performance
I pour dirt on my head.
I fall like a log into swimming pools.
I crash into plexiglass walls.
I stuff my face with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
I cavort on top of a coleman cooler, and I roll my body up in sod.
LAZY.
Am I in my soft pants and granny underwear? All the time.
Am I rolling around on the floor? A lot of the time.
Am I laughing and pondering and dreaming and considering and skipping and jumping and spinning and wrestling and pushing and pulling and unearthing and excavating? Every single day.
Am I working with people I love? Yes and Yes and Yes.
Super LAZY.
There was a time when I was not lazy at all.
A time when I would never dream of starting a dance class LYING DOWN ON THE FLOOR!
A time where all I wore - everyday, all day - was a leotard and tights.
A time when I was working so hard I had no idea what I was feeling or experiencing or researching or contemplating or exploring or sensing.
That was the time when my leaps were high and mighty, and my spins just kept on keepin’ on.
That was the time when my leg was always up by my ear, my belly and tush were pulled in tight, and my toes were forever pointing.
Was it an important time in my dance development?
Absolutely.
I wouldn’t give it up for the world and I am over the top grateful for the training I had (okay okay, some of it, I am grateful for some of it — some of it was pure shite).
But I am also remembering that at one point, I was talking to my mother on the phone, and she said:
“But is it fun??”
I, being a surly and cantankerous little scamp (still am), was furious.
“Of course it isn’t fun MOM. It isn’t suppose to be fun. It’s ART.”
Call me crazy, but in my current and humble little world of “danse”, I am the kind of dancer that loves lazy.
And fun.
I love fun.
Your dance mission for the week is to dance lazily through your house in your soft pants, underwear optional, and to notice if it is fun.
Keep your mouth slightly open, feel your body against the earth, and notice your breath.
See if you can move with as little effort as possible.
AND GUESS WHAT????
The first showing/works-in progress/lecture-demonstration of Goodnight, Courtney Love happens this Friday, April 3rd, at 7pm at The North Boulder Recreation Center as part of Boulder Arts Week.
And it's FREE.
I know, I know, that’s also the first night of Passover.
Bad planning on my part.
So sorry about that.
But Good Pesach for those of you who will be eating up all of the Matzah and Gefilte Fish this week (save me at least one box of Matzah, but no worries about the Gefilte Fish...I’ll take a pass on that one).
NOTE: It's really hot and humid in the pool area. I would suggest wearing a tank top underneath your other clothes so you have options.
With Warmth,
Joanna
of
Joanna and The Agitators
sweetly agitating/persistently upending