alain’s dance blog

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
Ans so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let’s stop all the fight
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear
War is over over
If you want it
War is over
Now…

John Lennon - Happy Christmas (War Is Over)

Mariel Adams and I danced in the Strictly Lindy division at ALHC 2007 in October. Here’s our performance.

Dancers working hard on their skills can sometimes get too caught up in the whole “getting better” business.

I’ve seen many friends anxious or stressed out because they cared too much about getting better. These people have a hard time enjoying the fact that they are healthy and can dance at all. That shouldn’t happen.

I’m saying this, but I’ve found myself guilty of it on more than one occasion. In the same manner that sickness reminds us that we should be grateful for our health, we need to be aware of the gift we have that is the dance, the gift we have that is the music. One way I’ve found to deal with the “not good enough” syndrome is to remind myself why I dance. Is it to have fun or to show off?

Dance to express, not to impress.

I’m not saying don’t work on your dancing or don’t set goals. Whether it be to win in a competition or to find adulation among your peers, setting objectives is a good way to stay motivated. Just don’t lose track of why you dance in the first place.

Gina Helfrich from Atlanta wrote a revealing post to this effect, from her weekend at Camp Jitterbug 2007:

From more than one person, but particularly from Ramona and Andy & Nina, I got the message loud and clear that when you get to the top of the heap, the next place you go is back to the beginning. Forget every fancy footwork variation you ever learned. Forget what you’re supposed to do with your left arm. Forget looking pretty all the time and concentrating so hard on how you’re moving your body. Instead: Relax, relax, relax. Only use what you really need. The dance is supposed to be about joy, and you can’t let the joy in if you’re too busy thinking about exactly how your swivel looks or if you’ve got your arm in a nice line or how you’re going to get back on the proper foot after this crazy footwork pattern you’re about to whip out.

- read more on Gina’s myspace blog.

So next time you step on the dance floor, enjoy yourself. Be grateful for the music, for the dance, for your dancer friends.

Rikomatic from Yehoodi wrote a great post about the Swing and Soul weekend. His post made me discover Chibi Robot, who performed at the So You Think You Can Dance finale.

A highlight of the weekend for me was hanging out with popper Chibi Robot (aka Bryan Gaynor), who performed and taught during the weekend. After Chibi’s performance, I walked over to legendary dancer and musician Dawn Hampton and asked her what she thought. She said to me, “he’s the reply to anyone who says that they are too anything to dance. Too old, too fat, too short. If he can do it, anyone can do it.”

Now that’s inspiration right there. Watch a video of him on youtube.

Also check out Carl’s post on Swing and Soul. Dan, Carl, Jerone and Mike did a performance to the Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back”, and the video is posted on his blog.

Tonight we are having our second Echoes of Harlem dance at Cat’s. Alain Fragman will be teaching a solo jazz class. And the great thing is that it’s free! Lesson starts at 9pm.

Here’s a video from the last Echoes of Harlem, with Ann Mony teaching some solo jazz steps.