# HG changeset patch # User Steve Losh # Date 1288904844 14400 # Node ID b18e6f5600f6bd93dfa79e65b030f70d0ca38bad # Parent f1521e91b896815f7d0b3405ca993881ed711cc8 More content. diff -r f1521e91b896 -r b18e6f5600f6 content/blog/2010/11/keep-calm-and-carry-on.html --- a/content/blog/2010/11/keep-calm-and-carry-on.html Thu Nov 04 08:40:45 2010 -0400 +++ b/content/blog/2010/11/keep-calm-and-carry-on.html Thu Nov 04 17:07:24 2010 -0400 @@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ {% hyde title: "Keep Calm and Carry On" snip: "You don't always need to be sexy." - created: 2010-11-03 12:00:00 + created: 2010-11-04 12:00:00 flattr: true %} @@ -86,9 +86,9 @@ The Problem ----------- -Blues dancing is often seen as a "sexy" dance. Often there's good reason -- -many blues songs are lewd and suggestive, so being sexy as you dance fits the -music. +Blues dancing is commonly seen as a "sexy" dance. There's good reason for +this: many blues songs are lewd and suggestive, so being sexy as you dance fits +the music. The problem I see often is that dancers get comfortable in one "mood" of dancing (usually "sexy") and don't bother to explore other ones. @@ -120,8 +120,9 @@ The Solution ------------ -Now is the time when I tell you how to fix things. I'm not the best dancer out -there, and it's hard to describe dancing in text, but I'll do my best. +Now is the time when I'm supposed to tell you how to fix things. I'm not the +best dancer out there, and it's hard to describe dancing in text, but I'll do +my best. If you don't agree with the specific things I mention that's completely cool -- my goal is to at least get people *thinking* about these ideas, not to tell @@ -153,7 +154,8 @@ personas: * The singer -- someone who has just lost a lover. -* A friend of the singer that is comforting him (or her, if my follower is female). +* A friend of the singer that is comforting him (or her, if my follower is + female). In both cases I try to eliminate any "swagger" or "bravado" from my styling (not that I personally use much of that anyway). Funerals are not the place to @@ -173,11 +175,69 @@ Whether you're comforting someone or being comforted, a hug is usually helpful in dark times, so it feels appropriate to use close embrace. -My Goal -------- +There are many other things you could do as a leader that would fit the song. +As long as you're conciously thinking of them and not just defaulting to +a style you're comfortable with, I'm happy. + +The Real Problem +---------------- + +Having said all that, I actually think the problem I've described is more of +a symptom, and there's a more fundamental problem with our community (and +culture in general) today: + +**People don't simply *listen* to music any more.** + +They hear music while dancing, or put on headphones while doing homework, or +turn on the radios in their cars, but they never just sit down to *listen* to +a song without doing anything else. + +Many years ago, families would sit around the radio during the evenings and +just listen to the music. Today the radio has been replaced by television, so +we no longer even have those hours. + +Dancers may be dancing provocatively to Saint James Infirmary because *they +don't even realize it's is a sad song*! Even though they've heard it many +times it never really registers, because they're always focusing on something +else when they hear it. + +The Real Solution +----------------- + +This root problem has a much more clear solution: **listen to music, damn it!** -The reason I'm writing this post is not to tell people how to dance. I just -want to make people think about an aspect of dancing that they may not have -considered before. +Here's the basic idea: + +* Find a good album. Ask around, there are plenty out there. +* Find a good pair of headphones. Your iPod earbuds do not count. Borrow a pair + if necessary. +* Turn off the television, put away books, turn off your phone and your laptop + (or at least quit everything on your laptop if you're using it to play the music). +* Start the album. + +Now that you're finally listening, what should you be trying to hear? Here are +a few suggestions: + +* Try just listening to a couple of songs. Take in the lyrics (if it has them) + and the overall "mood" of the instruments. +* Listen to the energy of the song. Jazz and blues musicians will usually make + the energy rise and fall throughout the song. +* Pick a single instrument and listen to it for the entire song. Try not to let + your mind wander -- really focus on just one instrument. This is where a decent + pair of headphones will really help. + +Once you've listened to the entire album, without stopping, get a notebook and +write down some of the things you noticed. You don't have to have any amazing +revelations -- the point is to make yourself put into words what you're +hearing. + +Do this at least once or twice a week for a few months. + +Putting down these thoughts on paper will help you wrap your head around music +when you hear it during a dance. After a while you'll start hearing structure +and themes in the music and can adjust your dancing to match them. + +Music is the foundation of dancing, so the more we listen the better our +dancing will be. Please, give it a try. {% endblock %}