The Psychology of Dance

 If you ask anyone who knew me when I was a young child, or "knee-high-to-a-grasshopper", they'll tell you that I've always been a dancer. Hell, according to mom, as a young pup, I used to get dressed, mosey on down to the living room, turn on dad's 8-track (we were one of they few who still had them) and just jam. I guess that explains my love of Motown (60's RnB and soul) and 80's joints. I've gone through my own evolution of dance of sorts. I've outgrown the electric boogaloo, the slide, the robot and the running man and replaced it with main stream, poppin & locking and my personal favorite, Krump. Even now, with my current, albeit gradually healing case of sciatica, I still can't help but bust a move whenever an appropriate beat comes on. I guess that explains the irritating delays in my recovery. Nonetheless, I've always been a dancer, or rather, a lover of dance. I guess that would flow nicely with my singing (which, I don't mind telling you, is not unharmonious, or as I believe it to be, that damn good).

 Now, despite my claims to be open-minded, I've had moments of prejudice and preconceived notions. Now, one of them revolves around Zumba, the latest dance-workout craze. Personally, I see it as nothing more than a dumbing-down of reknown latin dances in order to exploit the masses with, admittedly enjoyable, physical activity. However, like with any prejudice, this was me talking without ever actually trying it. But, that was soon remedied by a job course I'm currently taking, which suggested this as a "team-building" exercise.

 So, on the first day of this, I decided to swallow my resentment and just go with it. And while I still found it to be quite weird, I must say I was starting to have fun. But what freaked me out was the coach, who dropped a weird bombshell on me by saying "if you dislike it so much, then why are you so good at it,"? Evidently, my hips don't lie. Hahaha.

 But, this completely conflicts with a running theory I had always had for a while now. But, I'll need to go back a ways. Sometime ago, I had been intimate with a young lady who was a psychology major. Now, knowing that I had to play on my strengths, I took said young lady to a club for some after-hours dancing. But, being the analytical type (even when having fun....don't get me started on the intimate moments), she decided to critically observe me in my element. And while there, she saw me in my element, holding court in the center of the dance floor, as I "layed it down" with my krump, which is, disappointingly, unknown in my current residence, Norway. Later in the night/early morning, as I was walking her home, she proceeded to share her analysis with me. She compared my performance with my brothers (without context, many would misinterpret that statement....ah shit, I'm misinterpreting that statement now), specifically our respective performances on the dance floor. 

 She stated that while my brother preferred to pop and lock, with a dose of capoeira, my niche was krump. She said his was percise and accurate, where as mine was fast-paced and hard-hitting. She even went so far as to say that she'd prefer the "naughty business" with me because I would "......come with the thunder". Lord only knows what she meant.

 Now, if I were to attempt to make heads or tails of what she was saying (did I mention that a considerable amount of alcohol was involved during the course of this conversation), her analysis was that, based on our collective movements on the floor, my brother would appear to be more controlled and collected, with his ability to concisely execute his moves, while my dancing would have one assume that I was having a seizure. However, despite the obviously reckless nature of my dance, upon closer inspection, one can see the technique involved. 

 Now, some might think that this kind of critical analysis can only come from years of observing human behavior, but that's wrong. Anybody who has seen shows like "So you think you can dance" would have a working understanding of the mechanics of dance, specifically the practical applications of a random dancer's training in a setting that's evidently outside of his comfort zone. Most would agree that a ballroom dancer is too stiff for hip hop, a latin dancer doesn't have the proper form for the waltz, a hip hop dancer lacks the technical execution for contemporary dance and so on.

 But, like the show, I refuse to buy into the hype. The show has shown that, regardless of a dancer's background (although is essential), his or her passion for his or her art is what drives them to sucess. So, any dancer can win it. And in the decade that show has been around, contemporary, swing and hip hop dancers have won it.

 As for me, while it ultimately was shortlived with the psychology major, I did learn something from her.  I learned that, despite one's background, dance is not psychological. It's instinctive. We all dance. In essence, in love, in life. The world is one huge dance floor. Dance like you're the only one who can hear the music, dance like you're the only one who can bring the music to life, dance like you're alive. In the end, what's the ultimate praise for this marvelous creation that is the human body if not to dance with it?!