Religious Freedom!

January 16th is Religious Freedom Day in the States. On that day I wrote a little something in honor of it, and only just realized that it never got on here. So here goes sharing it a little late...

The bogey E man?

Watch out!

Here the bogey E man comes

In broad daylight!

“Hey”, he says!

“I want what’s best.

Just do this and this and that

Then you will be in and not out

You’ll belong -

Be part of the Bounded set.

You cheer the Red Sox - me the New York Mets

Belonging to groups we all

are inside looking out, Or

outside looking in.

Join my inside track.”

Then, tell Mr Bogey E Man

“No, let’s break the bonds - the barriers of Bonded Sets

Then we all are part of the Centered set.

It doesn’t matter if it is the Red Sox, Orioles or New York Mets

All teams strive to reach the center, be the champs

There is no IN or OUT

Some are closer, some further

It may take some longer

But, everyone is moving along the way."

So, one and all let's try and be open in our life's journey. We ALL are members of the centered set.

Teaching Dance - Ballroom frame and the Rueda Basic

I always say that you really don't know it until you can teach someone how to do it. There is learning that can only come from teaching. In the past couple months I've started helping teach ballroom and rueda and it has been a great experience.

In ballroom it is an introductory survey class of over 50 students with 5 dances - waltz,foxtrot,tango, rumba and cha cha - covered in 10/12 weeks. With the emphasis on fun it is interesting to see how "frame" is learned. There is no substitute to feeling what a right and wrong frame is and the best way to do so is working with someone who knows that feeling. So, every time I get a chance to work with anyone I sneak in "let's look at frame".

In casino rueda there are many variations on the basic. The one that is safest to teach is where the leader places his palm flat against the followers palm on the second half of the basic. If the correct handhold is used where the leader pulls and then pushes the follower, so his right hand is clasping her palm it is easy for the lady to get her hand hurt. Sometimes people say oh rueda looks/feels boring. There is a reason why. A lot of people aren't being taught the elements that make it a really dynamic breathing (in/out open/close) circle. And for good reason. Learning that correct handhold and moving well takes time.

In all dance styles most students desire to keep on learning move after move. It is few who both realize the important basic/core elements and do the work to get those right.

A couple phrases to ponder

Music is the silence between notes. Dance is found between the steps. Silence and stillness is just as important as music and motion.

Many people talk so much about stepping on certain counts of the music, and about moving, and somehow what is between each note and movement is lost in the shuffle. When you can pay as much attention to both, that's when you dance.