Monday, November 23, 2015

Dancing Mashup -

I grew up surrounded by music. One of my first memories is of my parents teaching dance lessons on the cement floor in our unfinished basement. I remember Dad sprinkling the floor with sawdust, sitting on the fireplace hearth, watching people dance. My parents met through dancing. They danced quite a bit as young marrieds, even teaching youth groups. They are beautiful together on the dance floor. They know, in their hearts, how to move, how to read each other, how to help each other. I love watching them dance.

As a family we went to plenty of musicals, whether professionals coming to town (IF, Rexburg) or local - high school, college. I can sing most of the tunes to plenty of these oldies - South Pacific, Westside Story, Finnegan's Rainbow, Camelot, Sound of Music, Music Man, Dr. Zhivago, Man of La Mancha, Fiddler on the Roof. And we watched musicals and musical variety shows on TV, including Lawrence Welk. Oh, the lovely innocence of these shows (for a young girl who didn't look for hidden innuendos). 

I can sing, and I have rhythm, but I was never good enough or brave enough to put myself on stage. So I opted to be a set-designer, choreographer, pianist during my high school years. I did act in one play - a melodrama, put on for my church congregation. I was the heroine, my boyfriend (not LDS - yikes) was the hero. We kissed at the end of the play. Oh so sweet, and so forward of me! 

My parents wanted all of us kids to marry guys/gals who danced, so we could dance together. None of us did.

And - closet reveal - I like Glee (well, did for about the first 4 seasons). In my next life I will be a dancer; I love the music, the moves, the coordination, the feeling of being light on my feet. But for the meantime, and I'm in no hurry, I love the restoration of reels with the old tunes and the old actors and actresses and the old dance. Oldies, but goodies! And I really really love the mash-ups, juxtapositioning the old with the new - think A Knight's Tale (so sensual, so touching, so very very innovative). Like this one - Enjoy. 

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