On Dancing With Mistakes

”The seed of your next art work lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece. Such imperfections (or mistakes, if you’re feeling particularly depressed about them today) are your guides — valuable, reliable, objective, non-judgmental guides — to matters you need to reconsider or develop further.”
– David Bayles and Ted Orland, Art and Fear.

My dance teacher had a saying, “There are no mistakes, only variations. Some intentional, some not.”

Edison is credited with saying, “I didn’t fail 1000 times, I found 1000 ways that didn’t work.” (paraphrased)

In my art and art history classes we often talk about Action Painting. Where the artist isn’t trying to use the painting to create an illusion, but the painting is evidence of the action taken. If I move my arm in this manner, the paint falls in this way and the canvas takes record of it.

In this same manner, I think that mistakes, failures, and detours are evidence of our having taken action. If you are moving forward, acting to make progress, trying and doing, then not everything will go according to plan. But it will go how it is supposed to go and you will get where you need to be, even if you take the long way to get there.

Interdimensional Portal, Epic Battles, and Waltzing with Skeletons

After much searching, dithering, deciding, undeciding and such, we finally settled on this for our costume:

While we were trick or treating there was a tear in the fabric of the space-time continuum which allowed the phantom from a parallel universe to cross over into this one. This phantom was the same, but just a bit different.

The one on the right is mine. Probably.

The best house we went to was this one:

Which featured a “real” live grim reaper hanging out on the front lawn.

What followed was an EPIC BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL wherein the Fairy Princess and her Knights faced off against Death itself!

This photo was taken only moments before the FINAL BATTLE!

In the end, the Fairy Princess defeated the Grim Reaper with a whack from her magic wand! And all is safe in the land once again.

We are free to dance with skeletons once again.

Six Word Fridays: Move

We move together. Slow, quick, quick.

My hand in yours. You lead.

I follow, but you cannot lead

without my agreeing to the steps.

You pose a question in movement.

I answer with a corresponding motion.

In this way we conversate together.

You hold me close, but still

allow me room to spin freely.

We step, step, glide, pivot, turn

across the dance floor in harmony.

Weaving a path safely through, around.

You clasp my hand in yours.

The intention of your body funnelled

through your arms, telegraphed through fingers,

guiding us to the music’s rhythm.

My hand rests lightly in yours.

Neither’s hand clutches. They need space.

Tethered together by choice, by action.

A too firm grip ruins flow.

A too weak hold can’t follow.

“Spaghetti arms” can’t maintain a conversation.

The delicate balance between strong and soft

is navigated step by step, collaboratively.

Honey, would you care to dance?

Take the Lead Tango

Move over here to read more moving posts.

Six Word Fridays: Joy

1.child2.husband

3.dancing

4.creating

5.writing

6.friends

six things that bring me joy.

This post is part of Six Word Fridays over at Melissa’s. Go find some more JOY and maybe add your own!

More Adventures in Synchronicity

In my Art History/Literature class we are reading Zoot Suit, a play about the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles.

I had never heard of these riots and I grew up in L.A. But I guess I left before they got to the real history stuff–assuming they did. But it casts an entirely different light on the song Zoot Suit Riot by Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.

Who’s that whisperin’ in the trees?
It’s two sailors and they’re on leave
Pipes and chains and swingin’ hands
Who’s your daddy? Yes I am

Fat cat came to play
Now he can’t run fast enough
You’d best stay away
When the pushers come to shove

Zoot suit riot

throw back a bottle of beer
Zoot suit riot

Pull a comb through your coal black hair

According to the article on wikipedia

 ”The Zoot-Suit Riots sharply revealed a polarization between two youth groups within wartime society: the gangs of predominantly black and Mexican youths who were at the forefront of the zoot-suit subculture, and the predominantly white American servicemen stationed along the Pacific coast. The riots primarily had racial and social resonances although some argue that the primary issue may have been patriotism and attitudes to the war.”

My teacher showed a bit of the music video to show what a Zoot Suit looked like.

And that was my morning class.

So then I went over to my Dancercize class and we started our section on Swing dancing and guess what song we were dancing to?

Yep.

Zoot Suit Riot!

Now isn’t that a riot!

P.S. if you need a Zoot Suit

you can find some on this site that I found:

http://www.suavecito.com/

Six Word Friday:Yesterday

I could write six thousand words

and then another six thousand more

on the yesterdays that I might

want to change or just rearrange

on yesterdays filled with sorrow, pain.

Or even revisit joyous old days.

But yesterday-the day before today,

was a really, really good day.

and so deserves it’s own moment.

Time in the studio, making art:

Followed by my other art form:

Dancing. Scottish Dancing to be specific.

They danced the (vigorous) Highland Fling.

and a feast of other dances.

and we learned some as well

I danced, too. Alas without camera.

It was a good, good yesterday.

Perhaps a new holiday tradition started?

One should always celebrate on

Cinco de Mayo by enjoying a

traditional Scottish pattern dance or two.

Self Portrait Saturday (or Sunday, ya know) week 2

So here are some pictures of me (and friends) from The Girls and I going out last night to paint up the town.

My first instinct is, of course, not to post them. But that would not serve my purpose here. After that, I start to think of all the things I don’t like about them. I’m going to refrain from my refrain and just post them.

International Women’s Day! (March 8)

Here’s wishing you a powerful and inspirational International Women’s Day!

http://www.internationalwomensday.com/about.asp

Say Yes!

She’s next

Here’s the thing about me and flash mobs. I was raised on musicals. I know the words to most songs from most musicals (older ones at least). Flash mobs are a very cool manifestation of my lifelong desire to have my world suddenly burst into choreographed song and dance wherever I go. So this beautiful flash mob is all tangled up in my childhood dreams of living in a musical and my adulthood dreams of empowering women and girls to believe in themselves and each other. It made me cry. See, little girl, even the most improbable dreams have the power to come true. I need to be on the look out for a flash mob near me

I believe she is amazing! flash mob

Some things you can do:

How To Celebrate International Women’s Day from Your Comfortable Suburban Home

Counterbalance

I think most things in life can be explained in a dance metaphor.

For instance, in partner dancing there are moves that fall in the category of counterbalancing. This is where the dancers lean into very off balance positions, but the countering effect of the other person leaning the other way allows the dancer to create lines and pictures that would be impossible without the support and pull of their partner. When one partner moves the other must be aware of it and make adjustments to keep the balance going. If the partners are not focused and responsive to each other the whole thing falls apart and they come crashing down.

 

source: philadelphiadance.org

 

 

To me, this is a metaphor for marriage (or any long term relationship). Dancing together, you support each other’s movements to places that you might not have been able to go on your own. You need to be focused on each other to maintain your balance and make adjustments to match and support the framework of your hold so that you don’t let each other fall. Trust is mandatory. I’ve also read of these moves as leaning duets. You need to trust that the other half of your duet has the strength, stamina and, frankly, inclination to put forth the sustained effort that this choreography calls for. If either one of you cannot or will not commit to the partnerwork needed to maintain this balance, then you will crash and burn.

 

Source: artbyadelaide.com

 

This is no place for the faint of heart.

This post is dedicated to my Valentine. My dance partner. My husband who holds me up and supports me so I can do what I never could have on my own. He lends me his strength unflinchingly. I know that he will not let me fall if it is at all within his power to control. Secure in that knowledge, we can lean out together and make beautiful moments and lines that we couldn’t make alone.

Happy Valentine’s Day