My New Favorite Dance

Dear Reader,

I have a list of favorite dances that span much of my adult life. Some are dances I have watched (any dance with Fred Astaire; the homeless man who danced his way through oncoming traffic to cross Sixth Avenue in New York City; a solo dance by Murray Louis that was so beautiful it made me weep.) Others are dances I have been in, whether for an audience, in a dance class or alone on a quiet New York City sidewalk.

My latest favorite dance happened over the weekend. A colleague and I have been going into care centers (nursing homes, for my American readers) here in Shetland to work with the residents in singing and movement. We dance a little, sing a little, invite them to participate if they wish, and then we sit and chat for a bit over a cup of tea before we leave. It is very rewarding work.

Usually we sing Shetland songs, but we also do songs from some of the old movie musicals. My colleague (the singer!) does a great rendition of “Cheek to Cheek” and I try to dance like Fred Astaire. We move on to “Singing in the Rain” and I try to dance like Gene Kelly, then we finish with “If I Only Had a Brain,” during which I do my best to imitate Ray Bolger.

The residents usually recall the movies once we start, and enjoy remembering the songs.

During this particular visit, one tiny woman in a wheel chair, sitting front and center, was really enjoying the movement warm-up at the beginning of the session, and tapping her feet along with most of the songs. At one point, I danced in front of her and made eye contact.

To my delight, sitting in her chair, she danced along! Her feet tapped rhythmically, her hands moved from side to side along with mine, and her shoulders swayed slightly along with her hands.

Best of all, she danced with her eyes. They were bright, and sparkled merrily as she held my gaze.

The sign of a true dancer.

Dear reader, the best dances are often very, very simple – and they always reveal the soul. Do you have a favorite dance? Take a minute to think back…

It might be a dance you have watched, or a dance you have done, maybe at the beach when nobody was watching. Remember?

Good!

Now let’s all go out and make lots more favorite dances, shall we?

I honor your loving heart,

John