January 23, 2005
I like to move it
I've spent the last two nights dancing and I've reached a conclusion: I need more moves. Don't get me wrong, when they play "Hey Ya" or "Stayin' Alive" or "Billy Jean," I'm there, I'm down, I can get funky. But when the beat boys start throwin' down, I'm outclassed. I can't even do the worm. Is there such a thing as hip hop dance lessons?
Friday night was my first time swing dancing, and those guys and gals are incredible. It's so smooth it looks choreographed. There's an interesting vestige of this sort of dancing, though: the man leads, the lady follows. Is this something we should be worried about? How about a feminist perspective on this? When you watch, it looks like the lady is doing all the work; when you try, it quickly becomes obvious that there is great responsibility on the part of the guy giving the commands. Firm but fluid, snappy but not rough. Indeed, given the right lead, many girls can do things they didn't know beforehand just by following along. Is this really an area that needs change, or can we acknowledge the beauty of two people moving in unison and let it be?
I wish this weekend didn't have to end. And I owe the last two nights of fun to my new friends Lou and Eric, pictured with me below. I fully intend to learn how to swing dance as well as these guys; I'll keep you posted as to how it goes. To all of you out there: I encourage you to bust a move today.
bust a move, yo! any kind of partner dancing is just a JOY to watch! the poetry, the skill... having taken a ballroom dancing class loooong time ago, i can honestly say there are few things that are more fun. and the leading part? well, i think there are *some* areas in which we ought to *allow* guys to lead, que no? haha! kidding... or am i?
Posted by: delara at January 24, 2005 12:41 PMok, first of all, yay for dancing. period. the ability to dance is truly one of our gifts as human beings. i'll dance anytime, anywhere--with or without music. :)
second, a feminist perspective, you say? why yes, my name *is* naseem and i *would* be happy to provide one. :) so, while i believe that men and women are equal in the sight of God and in our spiritual and intellectual capacities, we are also complimentary... there are things that each gender generally (*not* universally) excels at. i will, however, refrain from reiterating stereotypes. but when it comes to the partner dance issue, i have this to say...
i'm a decent salsa dancer--not fabulous, but decent. when i'm dancing with a really good male dancer, though, who can lead well and feel the music, i do great. and it's soooo much fun! even though the woman seems to be doing all the work with the turns and dips (and aerials if you're swing dancing), there's actually a very nice symbiosis taking place. so i think that a good man can potentiate a woman's ability and enjoyment in partner dancing, and that is truly beautiful. (the implications of this analogy on other areas of life are too much to expound on here).
anyway, i think being good dancing partners is the least men can do for us, especially considering that even in america, the most "liberated" of countries, in the 21st century, we still get paid 75 cents to the dollar. :)
Posted by: nas at January 24, 2005 04:37 PMI love nassim! I too am an avid salsa dancer, and any good male dancer will tell you...the point of salsa dancing is to make the WOMAN look good. Here again we have a beautiful analogy to real life. If you are a bad leader, and therefore make your partner look bad, she will NEVER want to dance with you again. So sure, maybe we let the guy take control for once, but it's still all about us. And that's as it should be. ;)
Posted by: Navs at January 27, 2005 11:06 AM