Hi! I have 2 videos for you. Sketches of dance in raw form. Silly and serious—my two favorite things jammed together. I’ve been sharing earnest essays, like earnestness is going out of style. Like it already did, decades ago. But this week let’s take a breather to share…earnest dancing! I have lots of thoughts about earnestness that I’ll share soon, like, “what if earnestness is good? What if it’s necessary?”
But wait. Let’s not get too earnest here. Because this is the breather. Breathe!
I remember a 2-song playlist from years ago. We’re all in a car, driving late into a New York night. My friend Mike says, “I’m gonna take you down, then I’m gonna take ya right back up!” He’s pressing play on a skinny CD player (or very possibly a tape deck). The button punching makes or breaks our night. It’s a 2 song playlist that exists only in Mike’s head (long before Spotify can anticipate our every mood). “Tonight, Tonight” is one of them. Now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t know if that’s the down or the up. That’s the beauty.
So, you’re the boss. Do you wanna get taken down and then taken right back up? Or do you wanna start up and then drop down? Choose your batting order:
VIDEO #1 IS DOWN (BUT IS IT?). Moving like a tree, like it’s 2023. The wind in the forest outside the studio helps to lift the sails. Leaves, leaves, leaves. This was a duet, but now a solo? Think of it like a sketchbook, charting ideas, trees. Music is “Ylla Dreams” by C. Tara and David Gladden.
VIDEO #2 IS UP (BUT IS IT?) Like mania. Partying like it’s 2019. School’s out for the summer, but preschool’s got a few more days. Mom dance. Burning energy at the end of a personal movement practice. Two wild and crazy guys without the other guy. Music is “Lovelace Logic” by Grant Wood ex Machina (D. Scott DiPerna).