Solace

Today I miss your arms wrapped around me offering comfort and protection from the sorrows and trials of the world outside the circle of your embrace. What do I do when the very sorrow that I need comfort from is the loss of you and your protective love. The physicalness of you is a lack I feel deeply, along with the many other losses to my heart, mind, and soul. I wish that you could hold me and comfort me to help me get over/through the loss of you. When we first danced together, I knew I wanted to be held in your arms for a long, long time. I got my wish, but I am greedy and would have much more. Your death has left me standing alone on the dance floor with no one to partner me. I don’t know the steps to this solo dance and don’t know the next move to make or where to turn.

Furious Dancing

I stole this off of facebook (here).

I love, love, love it!

I also can’t help but think that it may help some today.

I agree!

I’m not one who divides music, dance or art into various categories.

Either something works, or it doesn’t.
~Twyla Tharp

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.